The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-08-15
AN IMMENsE POULTRY FARM
Incubators Holding 100000 Eggs
Kettles That Cook 1000 Gal
Ions

Incubators Holding 100000 Eggs
Kettles That Cook 1000 Gal
Ions.
a correspondent of the Kansas City
Star, writing from Dallas, Penn. says
This little village has what is prob
ably the largest poultry farm in the
world. The Meadow Brook Farm, sit
uatcd short half mile from the rail.
way station, covers eighty-two acres of
ground. The building and yards of
this immense plant cover over thirty
five acres and the amount Of floor space
under roof amounts to a little more
than 1000 square feet. It is lighted
by electricity, heated by steam and
watcrcd by a system of pipes, which
arc fed by an immense living well on
the premises.
The business of tho plant consists of
supplying young ducks and chickens
to summer hotels, clubs, restaurants,
steamship lines and market dealers who
cater to the best trade of the big cities.
Eggs are also furnished in large guam
titles for the table and for Matching
purposes. The plan Of conducting such
an immense business is an interesting
one.
The incubator building contains fifty
large incubators, each holding 400 eggs.
The total capacity Of the incubators in
use is 10000 eggs. 1t takes twenty
one days for chicken to hatch in
these machines and twenty-eight days
for a duckling to come through. If
oil thn ohm Il 10 oh hoi l. ;nl l,o
and ducklings at the same time they
could not be handled to advantage, so
to overcome this difficulty some OF the
machines are loaded with eggs each
day, so that some of them discharge
their young broods daily. BY this sys-
tenn the age Of the stock is graduated,
80 that The number required for market
natures daily, and Is cooped and ship
ped without being kept on the premises
al hour longer than Is necessary.
| When the little chicks come from the
incubators they are herded into pens.
They advance from stall to stall through
these pens from day to day until they
arc ninety days of age, when they are
driven into the coops and sent to mar
kct. The squad that leaves the ma
chimes to-day are supposed to keep
each other company from the incuba-
tor to the frying pan, barring those
that are puny and have TO be put back
a few days, or those that are partlcu.
larly hardy and can stand to be moved
up a pen or two, consequently there
must be thousands of birds on hanC
constantly to enable the proprietor tC
fill his daily orders.
Tho sale Of eggs for the table is an
other large source of revenue. Two
thousand hens will lay from 1 900 te
l 200 eggs a day. These are gathered
the date stamped upon them, wrapped
nicely in tissue paper, packed in boxes
holding a dozen each, and in from 81.
to twcnty-four hours all arc on TIL,
cooks table in the different Easter1
cities.
The killing house, where the poultr,
is dressed for the market, is dcscrvin,
) of especial mention. In the height o
the season the men 90 to work at
, o'clock in the morning. A little tram
, way travcrses the entire plant, and tn
, the live birds are brought to the KILN.
house in cars. 1t has long picking
, benches, which extend the entir
, length of one side of the building
. Each operator has a window to affor
| him plenty of light. There are scald
: ing yats, feather bins, cooling troughs
8 dripping racks, packing benches, fcatl
:, or presses, billing desks, ice brcal
Il ers, platform and hanging scales, an
numerous other contrivances, so thu
thousands of birds can be turned OF
!: with speed that seems incredible.
Il Everything about the place is col
8 Quoted on a large scale. There is
C roof ana vegetable g store house, whe
thousands of bushels of bcets, carrot
< turnips, cabbage, etc., are stored aw.
,. every fall for winter use. This hou