The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-18
THE DOWN-TO-DATE
 ONE-MAN POULTRY PLANT
Two Thousand Layers Re- quire One Extra Hand in Matching Season-Discus- sion of the Main Features and Other Qualifications
By R. G. SMITH.

| Author and Practical POuItryman. 1 The "One-Man Poultry Plant" is now 1 a pretty clearly defined institution. It l has not yet passed fully out of the ex- 1 perimental stage. but its conditions and l it's limitations, as well as its possibilities, are fairly well fixed.
 l Thousands of our young men are inter- I ested. They are burning for business opportunity. A little light thrown over this phase of the rapidly growing modern l industry of poultry culture may help solve mans problem of life on the vi- | tally important side of dollars and cents. | There must be standing room. Cramped l quarters are serious handicap with poultry as in any business. The "One- 1 Man Plant must be no diminutive thing. 1 The little back yard laying house Is nec- essary if we are to get the most out of | life; but neither 15 hens, nor 50. will make a business for any one man.
 FIVE ACRES OR MORE
 l There should be farm of at leas, five acres. Every foot of this ground should l of the year. Room is of supreme im- portance in poultry culture It. is 50 im- | portant that, instead of five acres. 50 | would be bettcc, even for this one-man 1 farm.
 One of the most common blundsyS of the novice in Ire poultry business is that Of selecting a plot of one or two acres only as basis of operation Most wild | birds live from . Labrador to Central America, according to the season. Domes- tic fowls are only wild birds tanned, con- fined within controllable limits The less space they are allowed, therefore, the
 more the deepest instincts of their na- lures are antagonized.
 Surely there is room enough between the oceans for every poultryman to have all the acres he needs to make his busi- ness the greatest possible success. Not l less than five acres: 50 if possible, as the | basis of operations.
 1 BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT l The buildings and yards should be ar ranged according to an exact system. Eff l ficiency and convenience are to be the ! foremost objectives The poultryman | must never forget that he Is dealing with | a great number of small things. He must 1 handle one chicken 50 times as easily as he handles one COW. Otherwise his lack of efficiency will fatally handicap him. | Every poultry house on the place should I be within a short reach of the proprie- | tors living quarters. Compactness and | convenience in the arrangement of the buildings will mean an immense saving
 of time-and time will be of the deciding | factor in this one-man business. Steps 1 by thousands must be saved. This can be ] done by close and quick connections be- | tween the different parts of the plant. 1 An incubator cellar with capacity of | several thousand chicks is one of the chief features of the place. The cellar bot tom should be four feet below the sur-
 face, and the ceiling should be eight
 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 $35 apiece, according | to size. One man in the famous Vine
 land, N. J.. poultry district showed me