The Portland daily press., 1889-01-01
SEVEN THOUSAND HENS ON ONE FARM.
An Extensive Establishment for
Raising Fowl.
A Visit to A. w. Pierce's cIebe PouI-
try Farm.
What Manager Boothby Tells a Press
Man About Hens.

About two and half miles from Portland,
covering ten-acre lot, which extends from
near the highest part of the gentle elevation
known as Browns Hill, to the lowlands
southwards, is situated just beyond Ligonia
In Cape Elizabeth, the Glebe Poultry Farm.
This farm is owned by A. w. Pierce, for
merly OF providence, r, l., and is one of the
most extensive fowl breeding establishments
in New England. Mr.. Pierce built his henner-
les two years ago last July, and has had at
one time on his farm between 1000 and 5000
birds. AT present there may be seen in the
numoerless pens about 5000 hens and chi,lz-
ems, all looking remarkably neat and healii-
full. From fifteen to forty dozen eggs are
produced daily, the number varying with
the season of the year. So many hens to-
gether are seldom seen, not even at the poul-
try shows, where numerous pesons
exhibit their choice fowl Recently the
writer visited the Glebe Poultry Farm, and
found much there that is interesting. Mr..
E. +. Boothby, the manager, is man of
long experience in the poultry business. For
years he has made the care of hens a study,
and what he has learned by prolonged ex-
perimenting he is now enabled to put into
practical operation.
During the Matching season." said Mr.
Boothby to the PRESS reporter, I'VE have
many visitors from the city, who come here
to see our incubators. The method of hatch
ing by these machines seems interesting to
them" said he, leading the way to the incu-
bator room, an apartment 25x40 feet on the
second floor of two story wooden building
25x5O feet in size.
I'VE will commence to set eggs about the
middle Of January, but another season
we propose to have them Matching by the
last of December. We have ten incubators
and we set 1856 eggs at one time. As you OBJ
serve we have our incubators arranged
through the centre of the building. These
2x3 feet pens built against the sides of the
building are made to contain chickens after
they are taken from the incubators. The
hot water pipes that extend around the build
ing, pass through one end of each pen and
serve to keep the chickens warm. When
these pens are all occupied similar ones are
arranged on the lower floor of the building, and
in this manner great many chickens are
provided for. When they are large enough
they are put in the houses that are divided
into pens 10 feet square. with yard 1Ox3o
feet fenced with wire netting, connected
with each pen, which is supposed to contain
Is birds. For fencing we use wire netting
exclusively"
A good view of the farm is obtained from
| the incubator room and from here the writer
saw two hen houses 140x12 feet. four two
story buildings 2Ox25 feet, two structures
| 13x160 feet, and two 13x200 feet. All these
houses were found to be divided into pens
| 10 feet square and each has walk extend
| ing from one end to the other. Pen after
pen Of Brown and White Leghorns were
passed in going through one of the houses.
| then came the Light Brahmas Of the Duke of
| York strain, and next the Plymouth Rocks,
| all very fine fowl. In these pens are some
| 800 Plymouth Rock fowl, 400 Leghorns, 80
Wyandottes, and the rest are mongrels
other breed Of hens" said MI. Boothby,
"but everything considered, for eggs and
| poultry for the market, the Plymouth Rocks
| are in my opinion, the best hens to raise.
Some regard the Light Dramas the best, in
| short there is great difference Of opinion
| concerning poultry. The Mongrels are good
| laying hens. Success in raising hens de-
ponds much upon the manner in which they
| are fed and cared for. In each pen of fifteen
hens we put quart Of ground shells every
three pounds Of meat, then we give them
green cabbage, boiled potatoes, turnips,
wheat, oats, barley, corn, buckwheat, meal
and middlings. 1t pays to give them vari-
| ETY. of food.
We have some here that will eat oats day
in and day out and others won't touch them.
We give our hens warm food in the morning
and fresh water twice per day. Every pen
Is cleansed once day; they are white washed
twice per year, and twice each year sulphur
tar and turpeutine is burned to thoroughly
cleanse the houses. In the winter time the
chill is taken from the water before it is Civ
en- to the hens, and in other ways due carei
exercised to insure the best results. Gravel
eight to ten inches deep is kept in the bot
tom of each pen and unthrashed oats are
lavishly used.
Next year we shall plant about three acres
OF oats which we shall feed without thrash
ing. The nests are filed with soft wood
shayings underneath which is air Stacked
lime which keeps the lice away. AS for lice
let me say that we are never troubled with
them"
The Giebe poultry farm is certainly an in
teresting place, veritable hen village 1t
might appropriately be called, SO many
houses and yards and separate fami-
lies of hens are there From tive
to nine men are employed throughout
the. year to care for this extensive
flock, and besides the hens raised on the
farm, Mr. Pierce buys large numbers in the
said Mr.. Boothby, I'VE have killed and sold
between $4,000 and 5000 birds, and we are
now killing from 100 to $50 per day. In this
way we shall reduce our flock to about 1000,
the number we propose TO keep through the
winter. From this number we will get a
good many eggs, and we sell them all for 35
cents per dozen and cannot begin to supply