Milford chronicle., 1921-11-18
HOPE FOR HEN
FARMERS IN NEW
EDUCATIONAL FILM

To save ex-soldiers and others en-
gaging in the popular business oi
raising chickens from the disastrous
experiences Of the amateur, motion
picture on Poultry Raising for Prof
it." is being prepared by the Society
for Visual Education, of Chicago. The
active cooperation of agricultural
colleges and experienced poultry men
has been enlisted to make the film
thoroughly practical and comprehen-
sive.
Most beginners are strong on prac-
tice and short on SCIENCE says Pro-
fessor Frank L. Platt, formerly sec
retary of the American Association of
Poultry Husbandry, and recognized
by educators and fanciers in this
country and abroad as one of the
leading poultry authorities. A larger
percentage of beginners fail in poul-
try culture than is generally known,
because of the fact that Government
statistics take no cogniZance of the in
dustry on areas Of less than five acres,
and this is estimated to represent
only about fifty per cent of the poul-
try business of the country.
"That all do not make a success OF
the work." declares Professor Platt,
''is largely due to the fact that few
have any grounding in the principles
underlying the craft. What would
you think of a man engaged in the
drug business and attempted to fill
prescriptions without having studied
pharmacy? Yet men lay out and build
poultry plants who do not know pOul-
try housing problems, and mix feeds
without a knowledge of the elements
required to make growth of fowls or
eggs"
An educational motion picture that
make available the results of the
study and experience of poultry spec
ialists and visualizes the pitfalls to
be avoided, will prove god-send TO
ambitious poultry farmers who can
not afford a four-year course in ag-
ricultural college. To insure prac-
tical and thorough presentation OF the
subject, the Society for Visual Edu-
cation began it's work by sending let
ters and tentative outlines of the pro-
iected films to experts in every branch
of the industry the country over, ask
ing for suggestions and lists of ques-
tions which should be answered by
the screen. Hearty cooperation IN
the planning of the series is being Of
fered in all quarters.
There are many easy and simple
things which stand between success
and failure, and the screen offers the
ideal medium for bringing out these
points in a clear, impressive way"
says Prof. w. E. Newton, acting heau
of the Department of Poultry Hus-
bandry of Michigan Agricultural Col
lege. From the sagacious selection OF
the mother hen and prospective chicks /
to the advantageous marketing of eggs |
and fowl, live and dressed, this multi
ple-reel film is designed to be in
structive in every branch of the sub
ject. Types of houses, interior tit
tings, artificial lighting, single, dou-
BILE or no yard plan, space required
for different types of fowl, etc., are TO
be covered in detail. Various ways OF
starting in the business are pictured,
with comparisons of the relative ad-
vantages of incubator, one-day chick
and hen-brood methods. The screen
will instruct beginners as to feed for
VtlIlOuS
laving and growing; analysis of symp-
toms and treatment of diseases and
pests; management of cockerel ana
full-grown cock; caponizing, culling
the flock, and similar everyday prob
lens of the poultry farm.
"Tricks of the trade" drawn from
The experience of specialists, are to
be incorporated in these film lessons;
'or instance, that level roostS are best,
as hens fight for the highest place;
hat some cocks should occasionally
be separately from the flock for feed
ng, lest their excessive gallantry
cause them to droop from under
that comfortable, hap
" hen will lay more eggs than an un-
happy "biddy"; that a sitting hen
should be petted and talked to so that
Ter chicks will be less wild; that ar
ificial lighting in winter, by length
ming the hens work day, increases
,gg production; that the female in
Iuences the size of the chicks in the
latch and the male their color.
Already the Atmosphere" of the
production pervades the
Evanston studios of the Society. Bid +
" R. I. Red and Rose Comb Wyan-
Iottes have been lined up as co-stars
n the barnyard drama, and other
,layers are arriving daily from fa-
nous hatcheries specializing in the
of one-day chicks. Arrange
nents are being made with large
oultry farms in various parts of the
ountry for the filming of hundreds
f "extras" for special scenes.