The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 21, 1904

Chickens Will Be Scarce

Supply Not Recovered From Past Wet Seasons.

Comparatively Few birds and Unusually High Price May Be Expected This Spring.

Chickens and in fact all kinds of farm fowls are unusually scarce this spring and the prices promise to be higher than in years. Old fowls to be used for stock purposes, are bringing from five to seven dollars, just double the usual price, and are scarce at that. Early spring friers this year promise to bring unprecedented prices, and a good henery will be a real “oil well” investment to the farmer who is lucky enough to own one.

The past two wet seasons are accounted responsible for the scarcity of the birds. It is well understood that wet weather is exceedingly hard on the young chickens and lucky, indeed, was the spring chick that pulled thru last year.

Thousands of chickens were drowned outright in the big rains of last spring, or died from the exposure of being dragged about thru the wet grass by a most inconsiderate mother. For these and a number of other reasons, there were few chickens raised last year, as compared to the ordinary season, and the surplus over the spring market was light. This year about all the chickens there are left in this part of the state are those left over from two years.

This scarcity of the old bird, with the intense cold of the past winter, also accounts for the scarcity and high price of eggs during the winter, and there will probably be some dearth of eggs felt until this year’s birds are large enough to lay.

Tags: 1904