The receipts from egg yield are, of course, impossible of very accurate calculation, for it is here that the personal element that determines success or failure enters.  The Arkansas per-hen-day figures (see last chapter), multiplied by the average quotation for extras in the New York market, will be as fair as any, and certainly cannot be considered a high estimate, as it is only 113 eggs per hen per year.

Price per doz Income for
Eggs per Extras month from
hen day in New York 2000 layers
---------------------------------------------
January .32 $ .30 $494.00
February .30 .29 404.00
March .62 .22 700.00
April .38 .19 350.00
May .44 .19 429.00
June .42 .18 377.00
July .34 .21 367.00
August .38 .22 429.00
September .21 .25 262.00
October .22 .28 316.00
November .18 .33 267.00
December .15 .32 246.00
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Total $4,641.00

The total income as figured will be $5,221.  From this subtract the cost of production, and we have still nearly $3,000, which is to be combined item of wages and profit.  We have entered no labor bill because this is to be a one-man farm, and with the assistance of the public hatchery and co-operative marketing association, which will send a wagon right to a man’s door to gather the eggs, it is entirely feasible for one man to attend to two thousand hens.  In the rush spring season other members of the family will have to turn out and help, or a man may be hired to attend the plowing and rougher work.

This is a good handsome income, and yet the above price of the man’s labor—­it is only about one dollar per hen, which has always been the estimated profit of successful poultry keeping.  As a matter of fact, this profit is seldom reached under the old system of poultry keeping, not because the above gross income cannot be reached, but because the expenses are greater.  Under the present methods, with the exception of the rearing of the young chicks, one man can easily take care of three thousand hens.  Indeed, practically the only work in their care is cultivating the ground and hauling around and dumping into hoppers, about two loads of feed per week.

But, young chicks must be reared, and this is more laborious.  For this reason I advise going into some other industry on a part of the land, which will not require attention in the young chick season.  One of the best things for this purpose is the cultivation of cane fruits as blackberries, raspberries and dewberries.  The work of caring for these can be made to fall wholly without the young chick season.  Peaches and grapes