The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1925-12-31
TIME TO MILK THE CHICKENS
A Visit to Swift Plant Educates

air OF boredom, Slid TO the edge OF
his chair and stared expectantly at
H. F. Schmidt manager of Swift's
local produce plant.
ooh, not milg them. you know
feed them milk" said the manager,
calmly dispelling the scribes bunch
of new Burbank" who combined
the tactical virtues of the bovine with
the egg laying propensities of the
barnyard fowl. However the shock
had been too great to resume his
normal repose and he followed H. F.
Schmidt toward the rear of the plant.
eyes," continued the produce man
as they walked along, cts trade
secret, but shucks, everyone knows it.
It's this. We feed them buttermilk
to make good chickens better.
"Now girls use buttermilk on
their faces and it bleaches the skin.
1t makes it whittier. And it also
bleaches the skin of chickens mean
the feathered cackling kind.
"You see, it's this way. Butter
milk contains Tactic acid germs-mil-
lions of them. They are not the VIC
ious, type of germ, but good,
beneficial kind.
"Allies," suggested the reporter.
"This Tactic acid, when fed to
chickens, makes the meat more tend
er, produces more even, we'll distrib-
utd and firmer fat, and at the same
time bleaches the flesh and skin OF the
bird. This fact has been the subject
of Investigation by the Department OF
Agriculture, and during 19O9-1912
many experiments were made that
proved that this is true. Of course,
our own experience also has tested
this out.
"FeeG them about all the butter
milk they will eat. It's this way. We
feed spljng chickens nine days, most
ly. We will get lot of springs in
direct from the farms-and commence
feeding on the day following their ar
rival.
ssIn summer we feed three times
day. and in winter, twice day. And
a two-pound springer will put on lots
Of growth in that time with such
feeding.
eve don't feed this buttermilk
acne. We mix it with oatmeal and
cornmeal, some charcoal supper
is ready. The bird that such a ban
auet doesn't appeal to is ready for
the bird doctor.
Sanitation is our solgan. Constant
disinfection, plenty of air, and sun
light n axe healthy chickens. That's
why we have all of these skylights.
He pointed to the hinged windows
that fitted into glass walls. This gave
the "station" the appearance of a
greenhouse, permitted great latitude
in ventilation, and admitted Old Sol
as long as possible. !"
"But don't you let the birds out
of their coops while they are eating?
Or anytime?" queried our represent
tative.
mo, they are in the cages con-
tinuously," he said, glancing at the
long rows of batteries in which thous-
ands Of birds were pecking at the
troughs that were hanging conven-
iently Oil the coops. The quick, jerky
movement of the chickens heads,
darting out of the cage-like coops,
and tfeir beaks hammering away on
tie wooden troughs, set up drone.
that was interrupted occasionally by
the sh5in squa-a-k of some youngster,
receiving penalty from a gallant
cock fer being unmannerly to la
belle pullet. This reminded the
manager, and he explained:
They get along admirably, better
tan most people. You can see that
those batteries are not unlike city
fats. They are four stories-a chick
en- house on wheels. There are four
floors End four apartments on each
floor. Then there are four chickens in
each apartment. Sixty-four birds to
a battery. That makes quite a popu-
lation for one fiat building. So we can
get great number in small space"
The STEEL battery" looked not UNI
like small apartment house on cas-
tors. 1t was six or seven feet high
and about as long, with width of