Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-06-17
Two Thousand Layers Re-
quire One Extra Hand in
Hatching Season
BY q. II. SMITH

Author and Practical Poultryman.
The "One- Man Poultry Plant is
now a pretty clearly defined insti-
tuition. 1t has not yet passed fully out
of the experimental stage, but its con-
ditionS and its limitations, as well as
its possibilities. are fairly well fixed.
Thousands of our young men are in
terested. They are burning for bust
ness opportunity. \ little light thrown
over this phase of the rapidly growing
modern industry of poultry culture
may help solve o mans problem of life
on the vitality important side of dollars
and cents.
There must be standing room.
Cramped quarters are a serious
handicap with poultry as in any busi-
ness. The "One-Man Plant" must be
no diminutive thing. The little back
yard laying house is necessary if we
are to get the most out of life; but
neither fifteen hens, nor fifty, will
make business for any one man.
Five Acres or More
There should be a farm of at least
five acres. Every foot of this ground
should be available for instant use
every day of the year. Room is of
supreme importance in poultry cul-
ture. 1t is so important that, instead
of five acres, fifty would be better even
for this one-man farm.
One of the most common blunders
of the novice in the poultry business
is that of selecting plot of one or two
acres only as a basis of operation.
Most wild birds live from Labrador to
Central America, according to the sea-
son. Domestic fowls are only wild
birds tanned, confined within con-
trollable limits. The less space they
are allowed, therefore, the more the
deepest instinct of their natures are
antagonized.
Surely there is room enough be-
tween the oceans for every poultry
man to have all the acres he needs to
make his business the greatest possible
success. Not less than five acres. fifty
if possible. as the basis of operations.
Buildings and Equipment
The buildings and yards should he
according 70 an exact system.
Efficiency and convenience are to be
the foremost objectives The poultry
man must never forget that he is deal
ing with a great number of small
things. He must handle one chicken
fifty times as easily as he handles one
cow. Otherwise his lack of efficiency
will fatally handicap him.
Every poultry house on the place
should be within a short reach of the
living quarters. Compact
ment of the buildings will mean an
immense saving oftime-and time will
be the deciding factor in this one-man
business. Steps by thousands must be
saved. This can be done by close and
quick connections between the differ
ont parts of the plant.
An incubator cellar with a capacity
of several thousand chicks is one of
the chief features of the place. The
cellar bottom should be feet below
the surface. and the ceiling should be
s feet high. Colony brooder stoves
with capacity of 500 to 1000 chicks,
should be used. These also mean a
great saving of time over old methods.
These stoves cost from SIS up to s35
apiece, according to size. One man in
the famous Vineland, New Jersey.
poultry district showed me a brooder
house 14x2S feet with one colony
stove. The previous season he ran
4, 500 chicks through that house with a
loss of only six per cent.
The laying houses should be from
16 to 20 feet wide and any length de-
sirable. In order to economic time
layers must be kept in large focks
Usually from 100 to ESQ birds are kept
in each pen.
The one-man plant must have the
most modern equipment. The aim is
to eliminate as far as possible the ex-
pense of hiring help during most of
The year. This can be done only by
the most scientific management and
therefore the most skilled use of mod
ern labor-saving devices. These are
numerous and constantly increasing.
The poultryman who does not make
The most of the will be the loser in
hat same degree.
Need of a Business Personality
Poultry Culture Is no child's play
rhe man who thinks it is plum easy"
10 win out in this business better move
Hundreds of one-man
plants are now being operated success
fully; but the "One man" in each case
mas business personality. He knows
what dead reckoning" means. He
knows the value o. an exact system of
He keeps close tab on
The prices of everything that he buys
Or sells in his business. He knows the
exact time to sell surplus eggs. and
where to sell them at the largest finan-
cial advantage. He counts the cost of
buying tons of feed at retail price. and
computes the profits of purchasing by