ING HENS CRANE'S SYSTEM ay OR PACE ON KE OOD BORDHODOODRDoOBA eee ao ACC See ee ee ee eer DE HRB PBOB OURO ee oe sfateta(alelefalelatala(als)s\sietetelate |dooonos0000000g000000" WO OODODOOOOOo000n00n00e . FARES => F ROM e&—_——_>— THE “OK” POULTRY JOURNAL 0 PRINTER Y Weer MOUNDS, OKLA. 6,000 LAYING HENS ON I ACRE “CRANE’S SYSTEM” le | == By WoO. CRANE —_— The Purehasers of this Book are Given the Right to Make, Use or Hire Made, any and all Houses and Equipments Desreribed Herein, or Used in My System: Except Such Ar- ticles that are Patented and Manufactured by Others; such as the X-Ray Ineu- bators andBrooders, the Hgeg Cases of the Star Egg Carrier & Tray Mfe. Co., Norwich. Automatich Feeders, and Moe’s Drinking Foun- tains. No Person Not Owning a Book have any Right to Make, Use or Hire Made any of the Housesor Equip- ments nor use this System. in so far as the Houses and Equipment, that is of My Own Invention, and Cov- ered by this Copyright is Coneerned. | Price $1.00 First Edition Three Thousand PUBLISHED, 1912 By W. O. CRANE, TULSA, OKLA. a A & >” ~ \4 “A (Nim ee FRA 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE Coprighted 1912 by W. O. CRANE Tulsa, Okla, ¥ /0-O ©61.A3285538 A | Oe Yar a aS , KO CRANE’S SYSTEM Index to Subjects Introduction of Crane’s System. peta ee eWee i Ac Specifications and Directions for building Large Laying House, Portable. Caring for Large Laying ‘House. Caring for and Feeding Laying Stoek. Specifications and Directions rer Building my , Portable, Colony, Chick Raising, or Small Mating Breeding House. RE OSES wer iy eal es Sas mee ths Pete ites Caring for Colony, Chick Raising, or Small Mating House. Sa Caring for, and Feeding Baby Chicks. Oat Sprouting for Green Feed. aN Sprouting Oats in the Open Giound in Summer. Incubators and Brooders. Crane’s Fireless Brooder. Crane’s Automatic Dry Mash Hopper. Crane’s Automatic Water Fountain. Feeding Trough for Large Laying House. Feeding Treugh for Colony Chick Raising or small Mating Breeding House. Oil Cups for Mite Proof Roosts. Sr: Storing Eges for Hatching, or Market. Portable Roost and Droppnig Board. Portable Mite Proof Roost. Line Breeding. Poultry Diseases. Sree Preparing Birds for the Show Room. .. J A Story of the Discovery, and History of the Success of Crane’s System. Index to Illustrations Fig. 2, My First Laying House. Fig. 3, View of Crane’s Atitomatic Poultry | Plant One Year from its Start. Fig. 4, View of Crane’s ‘Automatic Poultry Plant two. ' Years Eom its Start... Fig. 5, South and East View of Tan ge ‘Laying ‘House. Fig. 6, North and West View of Large Laying House. Fig. 7, South and East View of ee eee House Closed. Ratan ear ; : 4 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE Fig. 8, Drawing of Fri Laying House. Fig. 9, Drawing of Interior of Large Laying House. Fig. 10, Drawing Representing One Acre set with 294 Large Layi ing ‘Houses. : : Fig. 11, Drawing Of Blind Nest to ‘be used in either House. satvinsre ; Fig. 12, View of our Oat-Sprouting Department. Fig. 13, Drawing of one Oat Rack without the Draws. Fig. 14, Drawing of one Oat Rack with Draws. Fig. 15, Drawing of Crane’s Automatic Dry Feed ‘Hopper. Fig. 16, Drawing of Crane’s Automatic Water Fountain, Feeding Trough for Large Laying House, feeding Trough for Colony Chick Raising House and Oil Cups for the Mite Proof fRoosts. PRES Repti is oN the rs Fig. 17, South and East View of Colony, Chick Raising House. Higs 18; North and We st Vie WwW coe ‘Colony Chick Raising House. : = Fig. 19, View showi ing “Chick Raising House partially unhooked. of Fig. 20, Drawing of Portable Roost ‘and Dropping Board. - Hiv: 21, Drawing of Mite Proof Roosts for Large Laying House:.. £. (sehice. Senta Gel ean ee ee Fig. 22, Drawing representing One Acre of ground plated for 630 Chick Raising Houses. Fig. 23, Crane’s Fireless Brooder. oh Fig. OA. View looking onto Chick Raising fouse sata Brooder and Chicks, <. Ss Fig. 25, X-Ray Incubator. 3 eee Oe ee: Fig. 26, Our Storing Eggs for Euiidinee Department. Fig. 27, Drawing of Chart for Line Breeding. Fig. 28, Drawing as Sixteen ways of Toe Marking Baby. Chicks; 2. Figs. 29 and 30, Views Or: some ‘of the Lar ge Laying Houses in use. : Figs. 31 and 32, Views of | some , of the Chick Raising Houses in use .. : Fig. 33, Photo of our Buff Orpington Hen. =" Fig. 34 Photo of our Famous Black Orpington Cock. Fig. 35, Photo of our Famous Black Orpington Cock. Fig. 36, Photo of our Famous Black Orpington Cockerel. Figs. 37 and 38, Views taken of Portions of our Plant in winter. .. Fig. 40, Crane’s Fireless Brooder wiih ite Fill of Babies. CRASS So TEM Ww. Oo. CRANE Manager of Crane’s Automatie Pouliry Plant, Tulsa, Okla. Originator of “Crane’s System™ and Publisher of this Book. (Life Member A. P. A.) 6 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE INTRODUCTION In offering this book to the public, | am offering no excuses. The main reason why I am publishing it, is because so many peo- ple have wished the plans and specifications of my Houses and Equipment that I have invented and used, that have proven so successful in our business ,that have attracted the attention of the Poultry World far and near. It is not infrequent that we get inquiries by mail from England and other Foreign Countries. In getting up the plans and specifications I thought it best to embody with it, what I have leained by actual experience in keeping birds in confinement, as our System calls for; so any new beginner with poultry either with my System or otherwise can start from the beginning and be successful ;but with this Sys- tem it means that every household can have their pen of chick- ens that have a space of ground 10x15 sq. feet; they can 4nstall one of our Laying Houses without any yard, or further run-ways to buy or build, and the chickens will hother no one, and if prop- erly cared for according to my instiuctions herein will give plen- ty of fresh egos for the whole family. If one will start with one of the many thorobred varieties will bring in many a Dollar be sides, to buy the groceries ete., in the spring of the year by sel- ling eggs for hatching. The name of my System itself is so seemingly exaggerating is often branded as a falsehood hy pcople not knowing anything about it, as they believe it cannot he done, and have to be shown; but in this Book I will make clear that 6000 Laying Hens can be successfully kept on one Acre cl ground; as we have demon- strated to thousands of peopite the last three years that it can be done, by using a fractional part of an acre, housing the requi- red number of hens that will figure out 6174 to the aere. My sue- cess has been so marvelous that most people are slow to compre- hend J tell the thuth at all times; but I have neighbors about us that saw the first pen of chickens come onto the place, and have watched us grow all the way. They knew my financial condition when I commenced and they know it yet. and will readily verify any statement I make in this respect in this Book. I wish to say this is my first attempt at writing a book, and I am no author and am not schooled in this class of work, so all will bear with me in my attempt and manner of writing this CRANE’S SY TEM 7 Fig. 2. Fig. 2. This Half-tone is my first Laying House, by which I discovered “Crane’s' Sys- stem,” was built from two Piano Boxes, backed together, and raised two and one-half feet above the ground, giving a room under the floor, and by putting a portable floor half way be” tween the flloor and the roof for the chickens to roost over, gave me a three floor house. This Photo was taken, showing the original bens two and one-half years after they were put into it. These hens were never allowed out of the house allthis time. The egg record for the twelve hens. for the first seven and one-half months, was 1568 eggs, and was nearly as good up to the time they were sold. 8 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE my first issue. J shall endeavor by my experiences if they will clear as possible, so all can learn to make every thing as plain and but read. I shall not attempt to teach those who know more than I do, nor those who will not care to read and follow my methods closely ; but hope every one who pays the price of One Dollar for this Book will find many times its value out of it and Iam quite sure you will, if you will apply yourselves to my methods. I am aware of the fact that there are other methods and so- called Systems of keeping poultry confined; some were used be- fore I discovered mine, while others have been gotten out since; mine is often taken as one of these systems at first sight as its a confinement System. I claim this, I can house over twice as many birds on a given space of land, and this twice as many, ean be cared for with half the labor, that the half as many can; thus doubling ones profit twice on a given space of land over any other System now known; and our birds will do as well or better. Therefore I claim my System is twofold better than any system now in use or is sold on the market in book form, when it comes down to condensing the number of birds on a given space, saving of labor, getting results in eggs, and having ones birds always healthy, free from lice and mites. I wish to state that all cuts in this book are made from actual photographs and drawings from the houses and equipment at our Poultry Plant, to show them up as lifelike as possible, so every- one may see them at the best possible advantage. Crane’s System is fully illustrated and deseribed in _ this book ; with Figs. 10 and 22, one can conceive of the idea of an acre plated to one each of my large laying, and chick raising houses showing that 6,000 laying hens ean be housed on one acre, as we have demonstrated for three years. Also about 15,000 chickens can be matured to five month old annually on one acre. By having these houses all fitted with Fairbanks and Morse Auto Pneumatic Fresh Water Supply Systems, Mfg. by Fair- banks and Morse of St. Louis, Mo., giving fresh running water all the time, and the Norwich Automatic Feeder and my Auto- matic Dry Mash Hopper, so all grain feeding is reduced from two and three times daily to once to twice weekly, will reduce the labor over one-half, therefore bringing the cost of caring for stock in my system to the very lowest minimum. Hatching and brooding the chickens with the X-Ray Incubators and Brooders (of course others can be used) brings the labor of raising chick- ens to a pleasure, and the cost to a low minimum. I have always fed and watered by hand until about three months ago, and this is one of the reasons this book was not published a year ago, as I wanted to try out a few more of these labor saving ideas. RANE’S SYSTEM 9 Fig. 3. Fig. 3. This Photo was taken about one year from the time we started, February 1st- 1910, sbowing the original Piano Box House, and two houses of my second edition, having been made portable 5x6 feet with flat top, but made three stories high, maintaining the same prin- Also twenty of my 3x6 feet and 2 feet high portable. colony ¢ipals of the Piano Box House. chick raising and special small mating houses. 10 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE; Cranes’ System has its own Fireless Brooder that is illustrat- ed in Figures 23, 24 and 40 that has proven very successful, and my oat sprouting, by cases, and out in the open ground that is entirely original; that I believe is the best metheds known to- day. Also my methods of feeding, and caring for young chicks and laying stock for my System Houses in this confinement plan is invaluable; also my secret remedies and formulas for disease etc. preparing birds for the Show Room, and Stoiing eggs for Hatching, and Preserving Eggs ere all very valuable, and _ are covered by this copyright. There are many people who believe my System, like all oth- er Systems of this class, is cruel and not natural for the chiek- ens; but they do not stop to think by closing their cow, horse or pig in the stable, or pen, and tieing it likely to a small stall it is cruel or unnatural to these animals. No it is just as sane to believe cone can confine a chicken and have it to do well and be happy in a nice little three story Flat, as to confine your cow, horse, or pig in a Stall or pen, Where they can have little or no exercise. If you wish to fatten cne of the above animals what do you do? You eonfine closely in a stall where they get no exerei- se; so they do with force fatting chickens; but mm all cases and for all purposes in view you confine your cow, horse or pig so you can control their diet to. produce the desired end. So I do with my chickens, I confine them then I ean fecd such foods they require for the purpose I wish them to fill, whether its for fat, show birds, cr for laying lots of eggs, fertile cggs, (x for growth in my young growing chickens. I have them under my eontrol and | can by proper feeding make them eomply to my wish. I give them plenty to eat; but I give the diet to produce the result J want and one cannot do it with birds on range, any more than you can stall feed a steer and let him have 1arge at the same time with any good result. The only reason that there are peo- pile tiat think that cenfinement systems are cruel and unnatural is because that very few of them have ever tried it, and give their opinion without practical experience. W. O. Crane. CRANE’S SYSTEM 11 Fig. 4. Fig, 4. This Photo was taken just two years from the time we siarted, Februray 1st, 1911; at which time the Associate Editor of the Union Poultry Journal called at my plant, esti- mated its value at $3,500.00. All having been produced from a start of twelve hens and one ecoekerelin the two years: You will notice the old Piano Box House next to the Residence in the center, and fifteen of my Third Edition New Laying Houses here installed as illustrated in the following Figures: 5, 6,7, 8 and 9; seven of them having been filled with White Leghorns, twenty-one head to the house. We also had thirty of the chick raising colony houses at this- time. 12 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE Specifications and Directions for Building Large Laying House--Portable Lumber Bill, and Material List, for my New Laying House as shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. 13——-Pieces 1x4x14 ft. common flooring. 20—Pieces 1x4x12 ft. common flooring. 4Pieces 1x4x12 ft. common Boards. 2—Pieeces 2x4xl14 ft. common Dimension Lumber. ‘6—Pieces 2x4x12 ft. common Dimension Lumber. 2 1-2—Pieces 1x12x12 common Dimension Lumber. 2—Pieces 1x8x12 ft. common Dimension Lumber. 15—Pieces 1x4x12 ft. common Lumber. Ripped once to make 30 Pieces 1x2x12 ft. 2—Pieces 1x4x12 ft. common Lumber. Ripped three times to make & Fieces 1x1x12 ft. 2—Sheets of cheapest plain Galvanized Iron 30x96 in. 4—_Rocst Iron Red Hangers. 4__Oil Cups for Roost Hangers. 1—1-3 Rolls 3ply Roofing 36 in. wide, if obtainable. Amazcn Brand, comes 3 ft. wide, can be obtained by local deal- ers of Buchanan Foster Co. Philadelphia, Pa. 2—lIbs. Reofing Caps, extra. 3—lbs. Roofing Nails extra. 2—pkes. Double pointed Tacks. 1—pkg. Common Carpet Tacks. 1—doz Seiew Hooks 2 1-2 inches long. 2—doz. Serew Eyes 1 1-2 inches long. 1—doz. Serew Eyes 1 1-2 inches long with eyes to fit the Roost Hangers. 4—doz. 2 inch Serews. 1—doz. Sercen Decor Hcecks and Eyes 2 1-2 inches long. 2--lks. 6d. Finish Nails. 2—lbs..8d. Common Nails.:: 5—Ilbs. 6d. Common Nails. 3—Bolts 3-8 in. one 3 in.and two 4 in. 5—pr. Strap Hinges 5 in. 8 1-3—yds. 3ft wide 1 inch mesh Poultry wire Netting. 2—pkes. Steel corrugated Box Fastners 1-2 inch. 3—yds. Muslin Unbleached 8 cent quality. 5-—vds. No. 5 galvanized wire to make long hooks of. 1—lb. Lath Nails. 1—bunch Lath. 4—_ft. Sash cord. 3—ycs. 10 oz. White Ducking lyd. wide. CRANE’S SYSTEM 13. Rig. 5. Fig. 5. This Photo shows the South and East Sides of my Third and last Edltion in my Laying house, with the South Doors open for the day. I have peen using this house two years now and can see no way to improve upon it for this climate. It is made 6x6 feet square and T feet high at the eave, and 7 feet, 8 inches at the gable. — 14 6000 LAYING HENS ON I ACRE The above Material Bill costs here from $15.€0 to $16.00, ac- cording to how many houses one buys for at a time; but material here is very high and ean be bought much cheaper in many oth- er places. Carpenters want about $8.00 for building one here, as they figure two days work, at $4.00. I do not build and sell these houses. In fact I have nothing used in Crane’s System for sale. I simply sell this Book which gives the purchaser the right to build and use every thing used in Crane’s System except only the things that are patented by others. I will, however, gladly assist amyone in procuring any thing used in my System, even to getting Houses built for any one at the lowest possible cost. Commencing with Fig. 8 as ycvr guide, ycu wil first build the sub-base and frame. Outside dimensions of this above the sub-base is 6x6 ft. square seven ft. high at the co:ners, and 7ft. 8 inches at the gable. Take a 2x4x12 ft. and cut exact 6 ft. each for two pieces, for the swb-base F. Now eut four pieces 1x4x8 in. and nail within 7-8 in. of the ends on F, havmg lower end even with bottom cf F pieces, to act as corner posts and cleats for sub-base. Cut from 1x4x12. ft. two pieces for G. 6 ft. less the thickness cf the two pieces F. so when nailed in to the corner cleats or posts on the pieces |}. first eut, so your sub-base will be exactly six feet square. The corner pests or cleats answers for cleats to nail the side pieces G. to, and as posts to extend above the sub-base inside the ups.» frame so the House proper cannot move around or slide out of place by heavy winds. Now square the sub-base and stay with stay lath across the corner. Set the sub-base where you wish the house to stand and level xt: al- lowing the sub-base to rest on the highest point of ground and level the other corners up to that. Spade the ground up deep nside this sub-base pulverize fine, and fill this sub-base level full of fine clean dirt for the chickens dust bath. Grade the ground around the heuse so it will be even with the top of sub- base and slope away from the house, so all rain and surface water will run from the house to keep the ground floor dry. To make the end frames which is made in solid frame; take two 2x4x14 ft. and cut exact 7 fet long to make the four corner posts A. take one 1x4x12 ft. cut exact 6 ft. for the base B. for both end frames. Take one 1x12x12 ft. and cut 6 ft. for gable beards D. for both end frames. Frame your corner posts to half lap the bottom corners for the base pieces B. and the top ends cut out for the sinking the gable board just even into the cor- ner post; the gable board having first been sized by finding its center on one edge and ripped down from the center to four in- ches wide at the ends; thus making the gable boards 4 inches wide at the ends and 12 inches wide at the centers having this CRANE’S SYSTEM 15 ’ ee tees ' 4 ' ! Pe erins Fig. 6. Fig.6 This is another Photo of my New Laying House, showing the North and West view, with the North Doors open so the chickens get all the air there is on warm days and no sun. Here we have the nest door open to show how busy the hens are laying, one waiting for another. 16 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE slope cn the upper edge for to fit to the rcof; giving 8 inches fall on both sides of roof from the ridge in the center to the eve. Nail ycur frames together at the corners seeing that you’ drive no nails nearer than 1 1-4 inch from the outside edge of frame. Take two 2x4x12 ft. and cut six fcet less the width cf the two corner pests A. in each end frame for the four cross girths C. Toe: nail these to the corner pcsts A. so the Icwer one is just 2 ft. 6 inches from the bottom of the base of frame to the top side of this gith, and the upper one wants to ke 2ft. 6 inches from top ct lower girth to top of this girth, or jrst 2 ft. from top of this girth to tcp of corner pest A. Next male four 4 lower corner biaces H. by euttirg from 2x4s on a right angle miter, and long enovgh to fit snvg up under lower girth at corner post, and ex- tend out on base B. and toe-nail in place. Next make south and north side gitths E. by cuttmg 1x4x12 ft. just 6 ft. long mak- ing two for each side. Now ent nctches in your corner posts A. on your end frames to sink these side girths even with face of corner pcst, one being on the lower corner and the other just 2 ft. 6 inches from lower edge of frame to top edge of girth on line with lewer girth C. in end frame. When you have these notches all cut to fit the side girths and girths ready, place your end frames over the F. ends of the sub-base standing them in place plumb, and stay-lath in place to the sub-base. Now screw your side girths E. in place fizm by means of two 2? inch serews at each end; this will, hold ycur frame together and you ean remove your stay-laths. To make first fleor supports take a 2x4x12 ft. and cut 6 ft. less the thickness of the two top side girths E. for support R. Fig 8, and tack to them temporarily, so it leaves a 10 inch opening between it and inside of east end frame, then take a strip of galvenized iron 1 1-2 inch wide nail to top edge of girth EH, close to this 2x4 pass around under the lower side elcse to the end of this 2x4, and back to top edge of girth and nail; this will hold this 2x4 support in place without nailing, by doing likewise with each end. Halfway between this floor support and the west end frame cut notches 1x8 inch in both south and north top girths to drop in a board you ean cut to fit 1x8x6 ft. support L. Fig. 8 this board with the latter 2x4 answers as center supports for the first floor, which rest on these and the two 2x4 end girths C. toe-nailed in the end frames. You are ready to put in all fillers, I call them the 1x2 inch strips marked J. to support the 3 ply roofing I cover the west end with, you can see from Fig. 8 how they are put in by means of toe-nailing useing 6d finish nails, and are put in flush with outside of frame and are all cut to fit its respective place. Now eut and nail in place your guide strips from 1x2 in. strips for the upper floor on both east and west end frames; you will see in Fig. 8 one is in plain view on west end frame and Fig. 9 CRANE’S SYSTEM 17 s Fig. es Fig, 7. This Photo shows the New Laying House closed for cold and bad weather, and storms, the fowls having plenty of ventilation, and no drafts, as the entire East End is open which is covered with one inch mesh wire first, and the two upper rooms have good unbleach- ed muslin tacked over the wire; thus giving plenty of light as well as ventilation. 18 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE also shows them as marked K. and the side strip of lath for side guide. This guide strip being one piece one foot long nailed to the frame on north or back side on the level for the second floor to rest on at the back side when in place, and from the south end of this one foot piece nail a piece to slope within one foot of the top of the upper front girth E. and comes out within one inch of front edge of the end frame; this guide strip is nailed to the end frame after a lath is nailed to the back edge to act as a side guide in putting floor in place after being let down and drawn out for cleaning; this 1x2 inch guide strip is nailed with its narrow edge to the end frame, thus giv- ing the wide side to act as a slide track for the floor to slide on; both east and west ends are made alike. This house has three floors, the ground floor in the sub-base, and 2 1-2 feet above this is the first floor, and 2 1-2 feet above this is the second floor, or roost dropping floor. Make the first floor next. IT use the 1x4xi2 it. common flooring for this, this floor is made in two separate halves, each cleated tegether with 1x2 inch strips like doors, the boards running east and west-wise of the house, and are cut to fit inside of the house and rest on the west and east end girths C. also laying over the south and north side girths E. and supported in center by the center supports L. and R. Support R. being within 10 in. from the east end frame. Through this floor over this 10 inch opening you must leave an opening 10 inches wide between the support R. and the east end frame, and have it extended within one foot of the north side and eighteen inches of the front or south side for a stairway, to allow the birds to come up from the ground floor. The halves of this floor are made by useing 1x2 inch strips for cleats three to the half, having the cleats so placed so they will not come in contact with the end girths or center supports when the floor is in place with cleats on the under side. See Figs. 6 and 9 to make the panels of the north side above each opening for doors; these pannels are made of 1x4x12 ft. flooring cleated together with three 1x2 inch cleats the end ones being placed just the thickness of the 2x4 corner posts Q. in Fig. 9 from the end of the panels, so when put in place they will fit closely to help brace the house. See Fig. 9 Letter T. on upper pannel, also brace cleats U. in same panel. The letters V. represents the common flooring boards. The lower panel being 17 inches wide and screwed in place with Three 2 inch screws at each end, the lower edge being even with the top of upper girth E. on the north side. The top panel is 25 inches wide and screwed in place with three 2 inch screws at each end just one foot above lower panel, and should be even with the top of corner posts; also lower edge being 7-8 inch below the top of top girth C. in east and west ends. Turn to Fig. 5 to CRANE’S SYSTEM 19 . BAS moo a Z S ‘ : “yy zz — b verze poze zz SS Fig. 8. Fig. 8, This cut is from-a drawing of the frame work of my New Laying House, show- ing roof suspended over it. This cut gives about all dimentions, but will be explained fully in Directions for Building. make front of south side panels, the top one being made of 1x 4 inch flooring and three boards wide, and cleated at the ends and center same as north side panels and screwed to place with two 2 inch serews at each end, so that top edge is even with top of corner posts A. Fig. 8. For the lower panel take a 1x12x6 ft. board and cleat the ends inside same as the other panels, cut an opening 4 inches wide and five feet long out of the center of this board having upper edge of opening 3 inches from the top edge for my galvenized feed trough as shown in Fig. 16 Let- ters H. JI. J. Screw this panel in place with 3, 2 inch screws at each end, having lower edge of panel even with top edge of top front girth E. To make the roof as shown in Fig’s. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, use common flooring 1x4xJ4 ft. and 1x2 in. strips for cleats. The roof is made like the first floor in two halves and projects 4 inches over the house on all sides, this makes the length of the roof 6 ft. 8 inches so the flooring is cut this length and 20 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE _— nailed to three cleats, one in the center and one at each end so as. to fit close to outside of gable boards on each end frame, see Fig. 9 letter Z After making both halves of the roof put them in place ,jhook down the front half by means of screen door hooks and eyes on the underside, inside of house by pla- cing one hook at the gable at each end and one at each corner and one in the center in front. Hook down north half of roof with three of these hooks on the underside of roof and outside of house. Cover roof with 3 ply roofing as shown in Fig. 8 laying it from south to north over the ridge, then put on a pair of 5 inch strap hinges over the end frames at each end. These hinges will allow the north half of the roof to be unhook- ed and raised for more ventilation in hot weather, or to fold north half of roof over onto south half, for taking down and moving, or shipping safely. Take 1x1 inch strips and nail to roof from under side inside close to north and south eves to cover any small cracks that might be there to prevent drafts; also to keep roof from sliding down too far from wind storms ete. See how back half of roof is raised for ventilation in Fig’s. 7, 29, 30. To cover the east end frame as shown in Fig. 5 take inch mesh wire 3 ft wide, and two widths 6 ft. 6 inches long each will cover it, and tack on with double pointed staple tacks, and cover over this, front of the two upper rooms unbleached muslin 8 cent quality one yard wide two strips 1 1-2 yd. long with edges sewed together and tack on tight with common earpet tacks as shown in Fig. 5. Cover the west end, see’ Fig. 6, use the 3 ply roofing, one yard wide cuts best, as two widths cover to no waste, each strip cut 6 ft 8 mches long and nailed with nails and eaps that come with it, the same as the roof To make the swinging screens, see Fig’s 5 and & the ones for the upper front opening is made in two screens with a one inch _ space all around each; first nail in a 1x2 inch strip to the back and just even with the lower edge of the front top panel; also to the back and even with the top of front lower panel that the feed trough opening is in. Insert serew eyes in this upper strip from the under side to hang these screen doors to, useing two to each door. Take 1x2 inch strips and make your frames for the screens by mitering the corners using corrugated box fas- tners 1-2 inch and 6d finish nails to fasten the corners with, then insert screw-hooks to the top edge of the screens to correspond and hook in the screw-eyes you placed in the strip above the opening to act as hinges for the screens to swing on, and cover the screens with 1 inch mesh wire from your 1 yd. wide netting using double pointed staple tacks. Make the front and back lower screens and hang the same way, placing the serew-eyes in under side of upper girths EK. Fig. 8. To make outside doors see Fig’s 5 and 6, the nest door as shown CRANE’S SYSTEM | 21 iil WSS SSS ASS | SS iM SSSSSSSSssssss eee OY ADUDYBSNONDDOURD)N001U0000 0/000 SETTAQTHDTUDANTOONLAIANVOTOAUUAA004/0NADVOREH/SQ40000UA0TS001 ANNAN NSN sestit: (TMM Fig. 9. Fig. 9. This cut is from a drawing intending to make plain how the interior of the two upper rooms of the house are av~ ranged and built. 22 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE in Figure 6 is made from 1x12x6 foot board as this opening should be just one foot wide, by celeating the board with three cieats to prevent warping and hinge to upper panel, but the lower back and the two front outside doors is made from 1x2 inch strips eut to fit the openings by mitezing the corners, and made like the screen frames only you put in erozs filler strips as shown in the illustration, then cover the fiame with 3 ply roofing and hinge to place with 5 inch strap hinges. One pair to the door is enough if placed as shown in Fig. 7. You now make a stairway for first floor, see Fig. 9 letters I and J. of up- per stairway; it is made 1x8x55 in. with strips of lath nailed cross wise about 6 inches apart for treads, and place two screw-hooks in the upper end to match two screw-eyes, you now place in edge of the floor at back end of opening you left in the flcor for this purpose, having the hook end of secrew-hooks turned down, so they will drop in the screw-eyes, acting as a hinge for the stairway; bore a half inch hole in the center of lower end, now raise the stairway up to the flcor, and place a secrew-eye In lower side of floor just east of the hole in the stairway, now bore a half inch hole throngh the corner post A. Fig. 8 in line with the serew-eye place: . the floor from the outside, also see Fig. 5, see rope hanging from this hole in south east corner. Take 4 ft. of sash cord running it through the hole in corner post, screw-eye and hole in lower end of stairway with a knot at each end, and by pulling this cord you can raise the stairway up close to the first floor, and by driving two nails close together part way in, in the corner post at the right height from the hole to receive the knot in the end of the cord when the stairway is drawn up, will hold it up until released, when the stairway will drop down; but one should have a knot in the outer end of this cord just right so not to allow the bot- tom of the stai-way to not come closer than 5 or 6 inches of the ground. To make shield or fence around lower stairway, see Fig. 9 letter C. this is for the purpose of keeping hay or litter from being scratched to ground floor, is made by using 1x12 inch board cutting one piece to extend from back of house to front edge of stairway opening, another piece to extend across the front end of opening, and nail together, now cut out notch for hens to pass around through the back end about 6 inches wide and 8 inches deep leaving 4 inches for the hens to walk over as they pass up or down stairs; now do not nail this fence in place, but by nailing cleats of 1x] inch to the floor and on _ back wall to hold this fence in place and for Leghorns (they being more active) I use the second fence or hallway as you will see in Fig. 9 letters D. and cleat E. holding it in place on back wall, but should have one on floor on west and south sides to hold it in place. For nests, after nailing cross cleats as shown CRANE’S SYSTEM 23 eee Eo cl ee eo ee Tampere 4 el eee el Oo Fay mame Gl a, Gal) AG, Eh eh Ebel TEE) cm ey el teh Eee Bee) eee ee ae ees 1 Bates ga) ae eel), Biel lee Bemenec ce) Goch Boe Bee Fa fe eg a a al fenee ion oC eee ee | fear el ee Gel eel eee Paes! GF Ce Ese a O arcs a ale oh eevee Teae oe ce) ae ee ee eee Tomy Hoe, 6 ahaa) Webra ahaa a ena Ceo) by Gm Mel Lie aire) ts 11." Il hs) Gis Sly nel | | a wg Pad Of} | me a la eh ee O ae Si. ce eee Eye) | ine 210 WW Fig. 10. Fig. 10, This cut, from a drawing, represents One Aere of ground, laid out for placing my New Third Edition Laying Houses on the same. You will note the houses are set in rows from Bast to West four feet apart in the row, and the rows are nine feet apart; this gives 21 in the row and 14 rows, which gives 294 houses on a square aere, 210 feet square and when mated up with Leghorns. twenty females to one male. the same we have used for three years, figures 6174 birds on the acre. See Introduction of Crane's System.” fin Fig. 8 letter J. on both east and west end frames one foot from the floor to support the ends of the nest board, cut and place the nest board which is 1x8 inch and 6ft. long less the thickness of the two end frames of the house. Place nests in place on this poard as is shown in Fig. 9 letter H. by making nests as in Fig. 11, only you will have to cut out part of back in order to gather eggs from the back, and attend to the laying hens. Finish stairway fence by using pieces of lath nailed to the stairway fence as shown in Fig. 9 front of nest H. We will put in second floor. First we must put in the center guide rail 24 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE as is shown in Fig. 9 letter K. You have already put in the guide strips on east and west ends, and there must be a cen- ter one to hold the center of the two halves of the second floor in place, when hooked up or let down for cleaning; as the second floor is made in two halves M. there being one on the east and one on the west halves of the house, and as shown in Fig. 9 the center guide rail is let down in front and the west kalf of floor M. is let down for cleaning. ‘This center guide rail is made of 1x4 inch with 1x1 inch strips nailed in the cen- ter of it; take a piece one foot leng and nail one end to the center of lower edge of back upper panel, and the cther end is held in place by means of screw-eyes and wire kook figures 3 in Fig. 9 to the upper back panel, so it remains in a horizontal position; to this is hinged from under side to a piece long enough to reach to the front edge of floor when hooked up in place, and within 2 inches of the front end of this guide rail is placed a serew-eye and another directly over it in the front half of roof and by means of a long wire hook figure 2. Fig 9 hooks up this center guide rail in place when the second floor halves are hooked up in place. As you have the guide rails in place. Make second floor in two halves to fit losely soo they will slide easiy in pace and to extend in front to the sereen doors only, which will be one inch from front edge of front frame of house When this center guide rail is unhooked and let down it will not reach the top edge of lower front panel for a rest; so to pro- vide a rest, I use a piece 1x4x6 in. long eut a notch in center of top edge of front panel, on a slope equal to slope of center guide rail when let down so when this piece is inserted and nailed in it, it will be even with top edge of this panel in_ front, so when the center guide rail is let down on this to rest it will be in line with the end guide rails. You will notice in Fig. 9 that this sccond floor when in place is level with the top edge of end girths R. in Fig. 9. Second floor frames is made out of 1x2 inch strips by mitering the corners as other frames’ for doors, and putting in necessary strips to support the covering, which I use poorest grade galvanized iron, and use lath nails to nail it to the frames and e¢linch the nails as they will go through some; this will pay as tacks will soon come out. In_ the east side floor leave an opening 10 inches wide on the east side, and to extend 1 ft. from the rear, and to within 18 inches from the frent, to place the upper stairway, as will be seen in Fig. 9 let- ters I and J. Place Serew-eyes in front end of both floors about 2 inches from front end and six inches from outside of each floor and place two in the under side of front half of roof to cor- rcspond, and make two long hooks the right length to hook these floors to the roof by means of these hooks and_ screw- eyes, and have the floors held level, and even with the top CRANE’S SYSTEM 25 = a ae heer = 9 y|//;9 much so they don't care to come out if they are fed properly. From this on besides feeding, watering and gathering eggs, all the attention you will have to give the houses is in early morning open up the house and set doors as you want them for the day. In warm summertime we keep both lower doors and upper front one hooked up. In win. ter the lower back door is always fastened down and the win- ter curtains in, and one has to open this, by raising the front end of the curtain stick and resting it on the strip over the up- per front sereen door, and close at night after seeing all birds are on the roost or inside of the curtains; but south doors are hooked up the year round here in the day time in_ pleasant weather. The house has to be cleaned once a week only. We com- mence at the top and clean the dropping, or second floor by tak- ing out the upper screens and unhooking second floor, letting down the front and drawing out over a wheelbarrow and clean off with a hoe with a long handle. Replace floor and dust it with road dirt. Place in a good bundle of fine hay on first floor once a week same time of cleaning. Drive the fowls all up on first and second floors, draw up lower stairway and hook up rope; now having both lower outside doors hooked, remove lower screens; by use of garden rake, rake out the dirt well. Sprinkle about one quart of dry oats on the ground floor and by means of a spading fork, or crooked tined manure fork, dig up the dirt as deep as you can, working from both sides of the house, reaching half way inside. The hens will dig and scratch and wallow in this dirt for a whole week enjoying themselves looking for those oats. Wash out feed trough in front lower panel and see that the water crock or fountain if one is used is washed and rinsed out every day before watering; and if water- ing is done by hand never let the vessles go dry. Keep plenty of fresh, clean water before them all the time, changing often- er the better to keep it fresh and cool in warm weather; they enjoy it as well as a person, and it pays too. After houses are all ceuned, clean walks all aroand the house, keeping every- thing picked up clean. When the houses are kept in constant use a thoro cleaning should be done, as above’ deseribed, at least twice a year, and would be better if done three or four times each year. The first floor and nests need not be cleaned oftener than once a month, and might be alright to go twe months at a time, in winter, without serious results. The last thing every night, I see that the houses are closed to suit the weather, and everything is alright for the night. CRANE’S SYSTEM 31 ——— —<— ee De Deos oy Wari fag RS a er Fig. 14. This drawing is the same as Figure 13 with the Draws in, one being drawn out showing it filled with Sprouted Oats, and in position for mixing up and sprinkling, which is done twice daily. 32 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE Caring For and Feeding Laying Stock I might give you several tales of balanced rations for dif- ferent purposes, but the average person would be at sea then, so I am going to give my own methods IJ have used and which have been so marvelously succesful in my confinement system. First confined stock must be fed different from hens on range. I seldom feed corn, corn chops, or corn meal only to growing young stock, cocks or cockerels when fed separately, or condit- ioning birds for show purposes. My first early morning feed would be sprouted oats, what they will eat up clean readily and about two hours later I would make a scalded mash of 2 parts Bran, 1 part Shorts and 1 part Alfalfa meal, to a pailful of this mixed dry add 1 pt. of ground oyster shells, and scald about a pail ful of water with the house-scraps and to this water stir in while sealding hot, 1 pt. of oil cake meal and a small tablespoonful of salt, also one teaspoonful of red pepper and mix this with your: dry mixture in a wash tub witha shovel so its all moist, but stiff. If you find its too sloppy, add a little more Bran and Shorts until it is alright and feed at once. Try to feed it all out, as what is left over in summer will sour and is unfit for food, but do not feed more than they will eat up readily. At noon | again feed sprouted oats, all they will eat up readily, and at night I feed grain in the hay or litter and make them scratch for it, and be sure theyhave plenty of hay all the time. This will keep them busy a good deal of the spare time they get the next day. As for the grain I feed at night I will feed wheat, dry oats and soaked oats, separately, mixed and changing off sometimes to one and sometimes to the other. If I see my hens are not fat, I will treat them to a little corn chops once a week or so, but never whole corn. Leghorns will stand more corn in confinement than heavier breeds. The above is for hand feeding and you will see I feed lots of sprouted oats, as it is good and the more they can have of them, the less of other grain they will consume, therefore costing less to keep your flock. Now for hopper feeding in my houses, doing away with half the labor, mix for the automatic dry mash hopper, 2 parts Bran, 1 part Shorts, 1 part Alfalfa meal. To 12 qts. of this mixture, add 1 pt. oil cake meal, all mixed well. To fill the Nor- wich Automatic Feeder use 1 part Wheat, 2 parts dry Oats. To 12 qts. of this mixture add 2 qts. of Corn Chops, with all large pieces sereened out of it so it will not clog the hopper and 1-2 pint of ground dry bone. Feed sprouted oats freely, early morn- ing and noon, or if no sprouted oats are to be fed, use the fol- lowing in the Automatic Dry Mash Hopper: 2 parts Bran, 2 parts Shorts, 2 parts Alfalfa Meal with 1 pt. Oil-cake meal to the CRANE’S SYSTEM = — a EE c SZ N =z SEES eg = = Za — == = Zz a EEE = = = = =z = = SS . = . . . c} x = Fig. 15. This drawing is of Crane’s Auto- Ss St matic Dry Mash Hopper, and lettered for de- = = scription. See description under subject. = — se = = Ss LL, es ee = ZA SS 12 quarts of Mixture. Always keep Grit, Oyster-shell and Char- coal in the main feeding trough when Hopper feeding. Twice a week I usually feed 1-2 lb. of green ground bone to each of my large laying houses. To force moulting in general I see that all hoppers are empty and give them no feed for three days, but see that they have plenty of fresh water and after the three days I feed in two feeds a day what I would eall about 1-4 of what I would regularly feed each day for two or more weeks according to the condition of the birds, for if they are very fat to start with, it will take more than two weeks of fasting to start the feathers. See that all laying stock has plenty of fresh: water all the time and if one will use three drops cf. carbolic? acid to the quart of water, and no more, you will be very much 34 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE less Liable to have any disease break out among your fowls. See that all houses are well cleaned once a week with the dust bath cleaned and loosened up. See ‘‘Careing for my Large Laying House.’’ Do not expect the feathers to all drop at once during forcing moulting, but as soon as they get loose, and are dropping well, go to feeding stronger and in two to three days get back to feeding the usual rations, only vou can feed a little more as they will act very hungry and will consume more food, which wil start the old feathers to get out of the way for the new _ ones coming in, and during the time of their growing new _ feathers they 1ecuire more feed. Do not neglect grit, bone, shell and either meat, or green ground bone at this time. Some use beef meal for animal food, but I never saw eny yet which I thought was fit for food, and I would not feed it without scalding it. It may all be a notion of mine, but if I can get good fresh green giound bone I much prefer it to beef meal, or beef scrap. Specifications and Directions for Building My Portable, Colony Chick Raising or Small Mating Breeding House See Figs. 17, 18 and 19. The Lumber and Material List as Foilows: 2—1x4x12 ft. Common Boards 6—1x4x12 ft. Common Boards Ripped once to make 12—1x2x it J—1x4x12 ft. Common Boards Ripped three times to make 4 dxatisclie tet 1—Piece Corrugated Galvanized Iron 2ft. x 10 ft. 1—Piece Plain Galvanized Iron 33x83 inches. 3—Yds. 3 ply Roofing. 1 Yd. Wide. 1—Doz. Screen Door Hooks and Eyes 2 1-2 in. long. 1—Window Sash Cord Pully. 1—Lb. €d Nails Common. 2—Lb. Cd Nails Finish. 5 cents worth Roofing Nails. 5 cents worth Roofing Caps. 1—1-3 Yds. 8 oz. Canvas. 1—Yd. sq. 1 inch Wire Mesh. 1—Lb. Lath Nails. 1—Box Corrugated Steel Box Fastners. 1—Pair 3 inch Hinges. 5 cent Package Carpet Tacks. 5 cents worth Double pointed staple Tacks. 2—Yds. Window Cord. CRANE’S SYSTEM 39 \ ee ae ee \\y Fig. 16. These drawings are of four differant articles. ‘‘Crane’s Automatic Water Foun- tain,” with “Baby Chick Attachment.” ‘‘Feeding Trough for my Laying House,” “Feeding Trough for Colony Chick Raising and small Mating Breeding Houses,’ and “OilCups for the Roost Rods in my Large Laying House.’’ See the above entitled subjects for full descr!ption and direction fer making all of the above. 36 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE 1—Yd. Heavy Unbleached Muslin. 1—7 ft. Post. 1—6 inch Bolt. 2--Yds. 1 Yd. wide of 10 oz. Duck for winter curtain. This Material List costs here about $4.25, and Carpenters: want about $1.50 for building one. Commencing with Fig. 19. you will see nearly all parts of the house as it is made up in sec- tions, and how hooked together. First we will make the base, which is made by cutting two 1x4x12 ft. into two 6ft. long pieces, for the side pieces, and cutting three pieces 2ft. 10 1-2 inches long for the two ends and center. Nail together with 8d common nails. by nailing the sides onto the ends and nail in the center piece; but raise it cne inch higher than side pieces on top, so it can help hold the house proper in the center of the house. Cut four pieces on a right angle miter one foot long and toe-nail in the corners. in west end even with bottom edge of base to rest the floor frame on, and this will held the base square. The corner braces. coming next to the center piece can be nailed to it from the under side. Cut two pieces 1x1 inch 4 inches long and nail in corners of base at west end over floor rests, or corner braces. with 6d finish nails so these corner posts will extend above the top edge of base to hold house in place, and they must not ex- tend more than two inches in the base so as not to come in the way of the floor. Cut two more for the dirt, or east end of the base, about 6 inches long, these can extend to bottom edge of the base, and will extend 2 inches above top to held that end of house in place. Set base on the ground where wanted so it rests on the ground at the highest corner or end and have it slope to: the north about two inches the lowest, and level the other cor- ners up to this with brick or using dirt; spade up the dirt in- side, of dirt end of the house left for this purpose, making the dirt fine and ceep, filling this end full to the top, all worked fine for dust bath; but need not be dust dry. Grade up dirt on out- side all around so surface water will drain away from the house. To make floor for west end, cut frame from 1x2 inch 33 1-2 in. sq. by miterirg corners and nail with 6d finish nails and cover with the piece of galvanized iron 33x33in. if you have to use two pieces of iron place a 1x2 inch strip under the joint and toe-nail in place and nail the iron on the frame with lath nails and clinch them, Put in about two 1x2 in. strips in all, in this floor frame to support the iron across the inside of frame, and toe-nail them in place. Put the floor in place under the corner posts of base by entering edge next west end of house first, and then it will drop in place if everything has been made right. To make the north and south sides make two frames cf 12° inch 6ft. leng and 2 ft. high, miter the corners and nail by usirg box fastners and CRANE’S SYSTEM 37 Fig. 17. Fig. 17, This Photo illustrates the south and east sides of my new Colony Chick Raising or Small Mating Breeding House. To build, see “Specifications and Directions for Building Portable Colony Chick Raising or Small Mating Breeding House.”’ 38 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE 6 d finish nails; both frames are made alike. Cut and put in strip in the center and two others half way from the center to the end on each end. Now cover the north side with two widths of 3 ply 1 yd. wide roofing, up and down will just do it. See Fig. 18. To cover the south side, use 8 0z. Canvas put on with carpet tacks for the three-fourths of the front to the east end and cover the one-fourth next the west end with 3 ply roofing. See Fig. 17. To make the east and west ends, make frames same way 2 ft. 19 in. long, and 1 ft. 11 in. high, with one strip in center, and cover with 3 ply roofing 1 yd. up and down. See Figs. 17 and 18 This will extend 1 inch over the ends of the frame but will look right when the house is up. On the south and north frames you will nail 1 inch from the top edge, inside, 1x1 inch strips to extend within 1 inch of each end of frame for the screen frame to slide on. Also on each end one inch from the end nail 1x1 in. strips up and down for the end frames to strike against, as the end frames set inside of front and back frames. You ean now place the back frame in place on the north side of base with the west end, and with two screen-dcor hooks and eyes, hook them together. Proceed to, do likewise with east end, then the south side. With one hook and eye for each end, hook the ends to the base. You are now ready to make the roof. One should at the beginning cut two strips of 1x2 inch 6ft. 2 inches long for the root from 2—1x2x12 ft. as the rest of each piece is not six feet long for other long pieces; but are long enough to make three pieces each for the inside strips for the front and back. Hav- ing done that, you have ready the two 1x2x6 ft. 2 inch long pieces for the front and back strips for the roof. Cut your 10 ft. sheet of corrugated galvanized iron in three pieces each, 3 ft. 4 in. long, and nail to these strips allowing two inches of the iron over the side of strips at each end for eve drip, and as the three widths will nicely cover the length of strips 6ft. 2 inches, when all nailed on and the roof is in place on the house you will find it extends over the house 1 inch at each end, and 2 inches -over front and back sides. After the iron is nailed on the front and back strips, nail three cross strips on top cach 3 ft. long; One in the center and one at each end, nailing and _ clinching through iron and _ front and back side strips. Hinge the cover on north side to north panel on outside with two 3 inch hin- ges. See there is a notch about 5 inches long cut out ol the 2 in. eve of the roof in the center on the north side where the post comes. See Fig. 18. Dig hole for post in the center of the house on the back 2ft. deep from top of base, and set post 7ft. long with a sash pulley that has been set in a mortise within one inch of the tep of post from the back side, and two 2x4 in. blocks 5 inches long has been nailed to back side of post to come be- tween post and house the top of one within 4 in. of the top CRANE’S SYSTEM Fig. 18. Fig. 19. This Photo is of the same house as Figure 17, show!ng north and west sides. 39 40) 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE edge cf back frame and the other one, the bottom even with bottom of back frame. Place post in post-hole and raise the roof of house and set and tamp the post tight so the top will be in center of the center roor strip. Bore a 3-8 in. hole through centei oot strip and roof near the south side or end of the center strip and put im your sash cord and tie a knot on under- side of roof, passing the other end through sash pulley in post and let roof down. Tie weight cf about 10 lbs. on outer end of rope bringing weight up to sash-pulley at top of post (for the Weicl.t one can use a one gallon paint pail filled with dirt, a laige paving brick, or have a cast iron weight cast 1 in. thick 2 in. wide and 8in. long. This would perhaps be the neatest, but most anything of 10 lb. weight will do.) Bore a 3-8 in. hole through post from back through center of upper block and back of house and put in the 3-8 in. bolt, and bolt house to post. If the 6 in. bolt is short in reaching through and getting burr on, chisel out a conutersink for its head in the post. By driving an 8d nail half way in at an angle of 45 degrees on the west side of post just above upper edge of sash pulley, one can take hold of sash cord just above the weight and throw cord over this nail next the post and it will lock the roof of the heuse stationary at any angle wanted, and the wind cannot change it. To make screen over the house under the roof, as you will see in all three Figs. 17, 18 and 12 but Fig. 17 is in place and the whole sereen is In view, and 19 is fastened up to roof in order to take the photo. This is made as you will sce to slide east and west on your side strips nailed to the north and south sides one inch from the top, and as the east and west ends are made 1 in. low: er than the front and back, allowing this screen to slide inside of front and back panels over the east or west ends, and when the roof is closed with sereen in place there is an inch space for ventilation the whole length under the roof. The sereen is" made 6 ft. long and 2 ft. 9 1-2 m. wide and mitered at the eodr- neis, with center strip in center all nailed well with box fasten- ers, and 6 d, finishing nails. On the east end of this se.een cover with 1 in. mesh wire, and the west end with good qual- ity unbleached muslin and by nailing a 1x1 in. strip about 6 in. long on top of west end of screen to act as a handle to slide the screens by, will add much to the life of the cloth. It is well to nail temporarily an 8 in. board (piece of 1-2 in. off of some dry gocds box is best) across the center of the house next to base, from front center strip, to back center strip, with a hole 4 x5 in. cut out of the center from the lower edge, to allow’ the chicks to pass through when small; but when larger they will not serateh the litter from the floor side to the dirt side so readily. It is wise also to place a hook in front in the roof to hook down the roof tight when heavy winds, or rain storms come up, as CRANE’S SYSTEM 41 Fig. 19. Fig. 19. This Photo is of the same house as Figures 17 and 18, partly unhooked, showing see- tions and how hooked together. 42 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE: the very heavy winds will raise the roofs, and hold them open against the post uf coming in the right direction, and wet the houses inside, and the chickens. In case of small special matings to be kept in these houses, make nests like Fig. 11 and hang up next to sereen to the back side, as-is shown in Fig. 17, and for feed trough, and water fountains to feed and water the lttle chicks in; See Fig. 16. L. and A. B. C. D. E. F. G. also see Moe’s. Top Fill Fonutain Advertisement in back part of this book. For a roost see Fig. 20 that | got up c-pecially for this house. it 1s. used by setting it on the litte in the west end of the house, and is lifted out and cleaned cach morning and placed back at eve- ning. See instructions to make the same under subject of ‘*Portable Roost and Dropping Board’’ elsewhere. These Houses. can be set 4 ft. apart each way, and can be changed to face the north without changing post for hot weather in summer; giving no sun in the heat of the day, and a change of ground for the houses, and at this distance apart gives plenty of sunlight in win: ter, and convenient space to get a:ound each house for careing for it. With this spacing 630 houses can be placed on one acre. See Fig. 22. For winter 1 cover the top screen all over with 10 oz. Duck one yard wide, (the only place | have found to buy this is at Montgomery Ward & Co. Kansas City, Mo.) I tack the end over the Muslin secure and hem the other end and leave loose, so at night before closing the :oof down I draw this eur- tain over the wire end of the sereen, and in the morning I throw it back over the west eud of the house; This will retain the body heat of the fowls at night so they will stand very severe weather without frosting combs. Caring For Coiony Chick Raising or Small Mating House I will commence giving instructions of the house with my Fireless Brooder filled with Baby chicks, see Fig 23. Before putting the chickens in it, if the house has been used, take off the screen; take out feed trough; take out center’ partition board, unhook the end frames from base, unhook ends from front and back panels, remove floor. With shovel clean out all dirt as deep as has been used as dust bath and sweep off all panels. Take a sprinkle pot, we will say for a rule, holding 12 qts. of water, put in two tablespocnful of consentrated lye, and stir until dissolved. With this, sprinkle ground inside of base and fairly wash down all sides and parts of the house. After it dries fill base level full on dirt side, of fine quite dry dirt, and hook the house up. Put in center partition board. On _ floor CRANE’S SYSTEM 43 BYU SSS pNGet ae Fig. 20 Fig. 20. This isa drawing of my portable Roost and Dropping Board Combined, to be used in my colony, chick raising or small mating breedirg houses, See Figures 17, 18 and 19. To make see “Portable Roost and Dropping Buard.”’ seatter chaff or alfalfa meal 1-2 inch thick and on_ this place the Fireless Brcooder, which is under the muslin end of the screen. Place my Automatic Chick Water Fountain on a small board on dirt side for the first few days, using chick attachment D: Fig. 16 on the fountains the first week; and when the chicks are about two weeks old a strip about 12 in. long can be placed aercss one corner on the bottom strip of end and side panels to rest the fonutain on and the chicks will not seratch it so full of dit. The first few days there will be httle to do about the house only to look after the little ones but by the time they are a week old, see that the alfalfa meal is cleaned off often. Also keep the dirt cleaned off and kept pulverized, and by the time the chicks are three weeks old the dirt should be cleaned off and kept pulverized daily. One can use fine hay for litter on the floor end to feed fine grain in for the chicks to keep tiem busy after the first couple of weeks. This must be kept cleaned daily there- after until the chickens are old enough to roost, and that depends on the breed; Small breeds about 4 months old, while the large breeds I would rather wait until 5 to 6 months old as roosting too early induces them to have crooked breast bones. When you desire to leave the pullets in these houses for laying and breed- ing, you place in nest as soon as they show signs of laying lke Fig. 11, and you use roost as shown in Fig. 20 by placing it in west end of house on the litter and every morning this is lifted out and cleaned but the house now need not be thoroughly clean- ed only once a week. See at all times that there is plenty of well pulverized dirt in the dirt end of the house, and plenty of good litter on floor end, and do not let it remain wet, if it should get wet from any cause. Once a month lightly sprinke with air-slack- ed lime en the floor and in the dirt after cleaning. The Fireless Brooder should be cleaned every day after the first few days. I leave it in the house just as long as the chickens can use it, and then usually the chickens can get along without a brooder of any 44 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE kind. Always keep the walks clean about the houses and not al- low litter to accumulate and decay on the ground. It’s a good idea to sprinkle the ground in all the walks about the houses once a month. When the weather is getting warm in the spring so the sun is too het for the little chicks, drop the roof down within 12 to 15 in. of being closed, and anchor with the rope over the nail on the post. Qn cold nights clese the roofs tight and hook down on frosty and freezing nights and cold and blustry days in winter draw the extra canvas curtain over the wire mesh end of the house and close down the roof as the ehickens have plenty of hght and ventilation from the canvas front, and canvas overhead with inch space under the roof the whole length. Caring For and Feeding Baby Chicks There has been much written and said on this subject, and much more will be and still all people will never be suecessful in raising chickens, any more than all people are successful in raising babies of the human family. About so many die out of a hundred annually anyway; so it will be with the baby chicks. Yet I believe we can all learn to be more successful with more experience and I will try to tell here what I believe will be bene- ficial to others with less experience that has paid their money to get this book, from my experience after hatchine over 10,000 eggs in 1911, and a good many before and since, I believe I am in a position to impart some ideas that will help the person that has never tried, anyway. First place as soon as the ineubator is through hatching, [ lke to have an ineubator that I can keep all the chicks in for 48 hours without food where they can be kept at about 100 degrees, the last 12 hours a little water given in my Automatic water fountain cup with the chick attach- ment only, in the incubator will not wet the machine er the chicks 0 they will not become too thirsty. When the 48 hours is up I place about 40 chicks in my fireless brocder in the incubator room, and using a pie tin to feed in, in the broeder with the hoop off, the yclks cf hard boiled: eggs, and ‘wheat bread erumbs soaked with milk lightly for the first two or three days, when I commence feeding stecl cut oat meal, and feed all they ‘will eat up clean several times a day, oftener the _ better if you feed no more than they will clean all up, and look for more. After this baked corn bread and wheat bread soaked in milk is gcod feed for them with the steel cut oat meal until when ten days old, sprouted cats may be given with spreuts about 1-2 in. to ore inch long, and these may; be fed a few at a time and very often it will tend to keep them busy, and will enjoy them, and CRANE’S SYSTEM 45: Fig. 21. Thisdrawing ‘s of my Portable ““Mite Proof Roost,” for use in the Large Lay ing House, Figures 5,6, 7,8 and 9, See subject “Portable Mite Proof Roost’? for deseription and directions for building elsewhere. you cannot feed them too much; but it is better to feed no more than they will eat up clean each time. At a week old you can feed them sparingly raw beef chopped fine once a day or every other day, and in making corn bread if you will use one tablespoon. ful of bone meal to the loaf will be excellent. Keep’ fresh water before them all the time with 3 drops of earbolic acid to the quart in it, and no more (don’t guess at it or you may poison your chickens) keeping the fonutain washed daily, and clean the brocder and pen daily after the first few days, keeping coarse sand, or grit for them where they can get at it from the start. See Hughes Stone Co’s. Advertisement in the back part of this book. I used their grit this year exclusively, and I never hada chicks do better and lost less: also used it with my laying stock with as good results. After the first day or two I put the brood- er with its chicks out in my chick raising house that has been made ready if the weather is pleasant, and let them out of the brooder cn the fresh dit, but I do not let them stay out of the brocder long at a time as they might get chilled, so I put them baek in the brooder for awhile to hover. This has to be done often until they are taught where to go to get warm when they get cold, and some times it takes a good many times putting back to teach them. ‘ihis is my main objection to the fireless. brocders, as it takes lots of time to teach these little fellows to go in the brooder beicre they get chilled to hover; This led me to tiy the X-Ray Brooder this season, and the result is, I feel I cannot say tco much in its praise, see ‘‘Incubators and B:ooders.’’ In the X-Ray I put the chicks in as soon as ready to feed, having it heatcd and regulated, and feed them in the machine on pie-tins the first time, and after that I always feed 46 6000 LAYING HENS ON I ACRE them out in the runway, and keep their water fountain out there too. Before putting the chicks in the machine I fill in a- bout 1-2 in. of Alfalfa meal in both the run and brooder for bed- ding and litter. Out of four different broods I raised in this brooder this year I never lost a one which I could blame the brooder for, and J know I saved and raised several that | am sure would have died if I had tried to raise them with any other brocder I know of, or with a hen. In using any brooder it will not do to allow the little chicks to become chilled, so with the Fireless Brooder, on cold or freez- ing nights I used to bring my fireless brocders, filled with chicks into the incubator room, for fear they might become chilled, and out again in the morning, when the sun was up. I always want my chicks that comfortable that they do not crowd in the brood- er, or have to huddle to keep warm, so when I open a brooder after the chicks had been in for-an hour and I find them huddilng, I either bring them into the house or put on an extra pillow on the brooder. FEHither will remedy the trouble, so when you open the brooder when comfortable they will all be seattered and a- sleep, if you do it quietly. In the X-Ray Brooder I never have seen them huddle once in the four broods, and one can see the chicks all the time so handily, as it has glass on three sides of the machine. I have raised thousands of chickens with the Fireless Brooder, yet I believe its quite a good deal more work than with the X-Ray. Its a good deal like my wife says, ‘‘Its fun to raise chickens with the X-Ray, you can just see them grow.’’ The only place I can find to buy the steel eut C. gerade oats in 100 lbs. lots or in bulk is Montgomery-Ward & Co., Kansas City, Mo. As the chicks become older, say three or four weeks old, one can feed scalded mash feed, the same as you feed the laying stock. Also feed cracked corn and wheat mixed, or separately for a change. Always keep a five-pound but- ter erock filled with bran in the house, and to keep the chick- ens from seratching it out and wasting it, I eut out of 1 in. mesh wire, a piece to fit the inside of the jar and place on the top of the bran, so as fast as the chickens eat it out, this wire mesh would follow to the bottom. When the cockerels can be told, they should be separated, and raised by themselves, and if white birds are to be raised for show purposes, they should be kept from the sun. Don’t feed chickens dry oats before they are four months old, and then its best to soak them well and drain the water off for a few hours before feeding. One can feed sprout- ed oats as much as one can get them to eat, and eat up clean, with good results. See ‘‘Sprouting Oats out in open ground in Summer.”’ CRANE’S SYSTEM 47 : Se eaplea) (ea) (ea) (es) fees a) a) fey es) fap a) ee) fea fe) tea) al ee fees ean oreo) (ee) (es) ea oe eS). (Go) es) (2S) ES) 1) (ea ea) ea) ea) eae 2) S|) (ES) Sa ‘A 910’ 1} (=) ea} JS) 1 (=) (ee) (eS) es) eS) (ea) ee) es) ee) ie) es) SS) [ees] ee) ea) (ea) ea) 1 (5) 1) Ss) (ES =) ee) eS) (eS) eS) ies) ea) es), a) a) ea) ea) est faa) ea] (a) S| iSletate ealiaS ala Se la eee eae) (e ea) Ss) Fea) ea) fe) fas) fea) es) ee) oo) eo eee ea eae eS) eres SSS 1S) 1S) a1) a eS te) Sane) ES} eS ES) ES en Sr SS iS Sig U OoOodg OOUOU UOUOU UOUOU OOOO OOUOO UUOUU ODOOU DOOD OOUOU a UOOUOD CDSs Ea ee aa BS eel i OOOO UOUUD OOOO OOOOO0 UOOUdO (5) es) eS) (eS) ee ea) ep Fig. 22 Fig. 22. This is a drawing for a plat of ground, 210 square feet. One Acre covered with my Colony Chick Raising or small mating Breeding Houses, as illustrated in Figs. 17, 18 and 19; 3x6 feet and 2 feet high on a 4 inch base; they are situated 4 feetapart in the row and rows 4 feet apart: thus giving plenty of light and ventilation to every house and plenty of wallkk room around every house, and this gives 30 rows and 21 in the 10w, making a total of 630 houses on the acre- One can care for 25 chicks to the house. until 8 weeks old, thus producing 15,700 broilers every 8 weeks or nearly 100,000 annually. One can mature 12 birds five months old in each house; thus maturing over 15,000 birds five months old annually on One Acre. See “Introduction of Crane’s System.”’ Oat Sprouting for Grecn Feed It has been a belief of mine for many years that oats sprouted propeily would make the best feed possible for confined chick- ens to produce eggs, and at the same time keep their bodies in a perfect condition, and too a great saving could be made _ in the feed bill, because oats properly sprouted will increase from six 48 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE to eight times in. quantity, yet will not imerease over thre four times in food value; but even at this will give a ade a two-thirds to three-fourths of the feed bill. One can keep growrm fowls on Sprouted Oats alone with gocd results, yet I do not. recommend it as | believe in a change in rations, therefc:e I give a variety, as they will eat mcre and can get better results. I recommerd good Sprouted Oats first, last and all the time about all they “will eat and eat up clean if you want the best re- sults, for chicks 10 days old, to grown fowls of all kinds, yet don’ t forget the other things that they need, see subject of “Peed: ing Matured Fowls’’; Also ‘‘Feeding Chickens”? With this behef I commenced from the beginning by trying to sprout oats, but I was not satisfied with my experiments SO. I bought several other men’s ideas who were using some _ kind ot a process that was for sale, for this purpose, but none that 1 bought, entirely satisfied me, as with every process I obtained I found none of them practical to use to furnish 500 to 1000 birds, as either they would take too much time and labor to keep: enough on hand, or they would sour, cr not grow even, or be in such shape as to take too much time to do the feeding. So I continued my experimenting and finally suecess crowned my ef- forts when I discovered ‘‘My System of Sprouting Oats’’. Fig. 12 is a Photo taken of our Oat Sprouting Department using my System, where we furnished all the Sprouted Oats wished to feed over 400 head of Laying Stock and in the’ spring commencing with February we fed some 600 to 760 head cf growing chicks all they wanted. ‘This teok one man about 20-minutes night and morning to care for this department, and cne could feed them to some 60 different houses in less wae 20 minutes to a feeding. So long as we could keep the temperature in this room between 55 and 75 degrees above zero we Would have no trouble with our oats sprouting, or their becoming spoiled or souring, if the oats we bought would germinate and grow To make these cases or racks with draws, see Figs. 13 and 14. Lumber and Material List for one of these iacks with draws. 2—1x8x10 ft. Common Lumber 1—1x4x12 ft. Commcn Lumber 3—1x4x10 ft. Common Lumber ) Common Lumber Two or Three Dry Gocds Foxes, or Shoe Boxes that con- tain 1-2 inch lumber that aze at Icast three feet long. 1—1 Lb. 8 d. Nails. 1—1 Lb. 6 d. Common Nails. 1—Lb. Lath Nails. See Fig. 13. Cut standards A. 6 pieces 5 ft. long. Take. down Dry Goods Boxes and select 12 pieces B. 6 in. to 8 in. wide, cut 3 ft. long. Cut 10 picees C. from the 1x2 in. x 12 ft. CRANE’S SYSTEM 49 : Fig. 23. Fig. 23. This Half-tone is of Crane’s Fireless Brooder, made from a galvanized iron wash-tub that can be made up to cost less than $1.00 and is as good or better than any Fireless Brocder known, and I think just a little the best. See description and directions for building under subject, “‘Crane’s Fireless Brooder,”’ elsewhere. 50 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE 3 ft. long. Cut 4 pieces EK. from 1x4x14 ft.°25 1-2 in. lone, and one 29 in. long D. and Two pieces. F. 29 in. long of the 1-2 inch lumber + in. wide. Cut two pieces G. from 3 to 5 ft. long 4 in. wide i:cm the 1-2 in. lumber. Now nail together. First lay three of the standards A. A. A. on the floor or saw horses, so the two outside cnes are just three feet apart from outside to outside, and the center one place so its front edge is 12 in. from front edge of front standard. Now take a B. piece that is 6 in. wide, and nail to these three standards A. A. A. even with the bottom ends using lath nails for all 1-2 in. lumber. Now nail another B. piece even with the top ends of standards A. A. A. Commencing with top of B. strip nailed to the bottom, space with a rule and mark on both front and back standards A. A. every 11 inches ‘toward the top ,and you will find 10 in. left from the last one, and the top of standards. Nail on the four B. strips so their top edges are even with your marking so their top edges are all 11 inches apart. Now nail one C. strip to B strip at the bottom of standards A. A. A. and have it just 2 in. below top of edge of B. strip. Take four C strips and cut notches out of what is to be the upper edges 1 in deep and 4 in. long, the front edge of same should be 12 in. from the front end of this strip, in order to drop the ends of E. strips into when nailed in place. Nail your 4 C. strips with notches to B. strips already nailed on standards A. A. A. using 6 d. nails so the top edges of C. is just 2 in. below the top edgees of B. strips on all of them. This will give you just 9 in. between top and bottom edges of all C. strips for the draws to slide on You have one side finished: We will eall it the right side. Now nail up the left side same way, but be eareful, and do not make it just lke the mght, as you see from the drawing, the strips and runners have to be on the inside of both so they are nailed on different sides of the standard pieces A. A. A. Having both sides ready set them up, and nail in the 4 E. strips using 8d nails; also nail front top F. strip im place. You may find ita trifle long but that can be sawed off after it is nailed on. Meas- ure the distance apart at the back of the standards and_ see that it is the same as it is at E. strips, and nail G. pieces in place, nailing together where they cross. Now invert the rack and fit D. strip in place by cutting out of B. strips, notches on each side frame, out of bottom edge close to middle standard A. in front of it 2 in. deep and in width the thickness of D. strip. Cut notches out of D. strip two inches deep and same _ distance from the end as is equal to the thickness of A. B. C. and do likewise at each end and nail in place as is shown in drawing with 8 d. nails. This will finish the rack. See Fig. 14 and pro- ceed to build the draws by cutting 1-2 in. lumber enough first to make the sides of the draws I, which is 8 in. wide and 2 ft. long. For the ends H. cut 10 pieces 2 ft. long from your 1x8x10 ft. CRANE’S SYSTEM 51 Fig. 24. Fig. 24. This Photo was taken looking into one of my Colony Chick Raising Houses of a flock of 25, three weeks old, Buff Orpingtons, showing my Fireless Brooder in use on the floor side of the house and my Automatie Chick Water Fountain in use on the dirt side of the house. The wire sereen on the top of the house being shoved along to give a better view. 52 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE and nail the I side pieces to the end pieces H. You can cut more of the 1-2 in. box lumber and make the bottoms which is cut 2 ft. long and nail, using 6 d. nails for these draws. Bore about 8 1-2 in. holes in the bottom for drainage. One can put galvenized iron on the bottoms of these draws and let it turn up on _ the edgcs or sides of the draw about 2 inches and. nail with lath nails and clinch ali that comes through on the inside. With a 10 d. nail punch about a dozen holes through the iron bottom, having one at each corner to drain off any surplus water, should you over-sprinkle them. This by far makes the best bottom that will never wear out but costs abevt 55 cents per draw more. Place your cases in a room, or basement or incubator cellar that you can regulate the heat or temperature and keep it between 55 and 75 degrees above Zero, and set your cases over either a linoleum or cement floor, so if you sprinkle a little too heavy it will drip on this kind of a floor and can be kept wiped up handily and the room will show no sign of dampness from the oat growing. This System of Oat *prouting is worth many times the cost of this beok to any one if you have no more than a dozen chickens and want winter eggs. As this feed will produce the eggs, and if one has breeding stock, you cannot help but ap- preciate it as this feed will cavse your eggs to be fertile, if you have good vigerous stock and the chicks will be stronger. To sprout oats I figure two of these cases with a total of ten draws makes a set, as it takes about ten days to mature the oats for feeding if the room has been kept a little cool. This gives a draw per day which holds 2 bu. of finished feed. I use three No. 1 galvanized iron wash tubs in connection with each set. Every other day I take 1-2 bu. of dry oats and soak them in one tub by covering with water over night in the Oat Growing room. In the morning I take one tub and piace three bricks on end a- bout the edge, and take the other tub that I have punehed full of holes with a nail and set on the bricks in the other tub. I now pour the soaked oats and water and all into this tub with the holes in the bottom and here I let them stand for 48 hours, but I stir them up every night and morning, then I divide them betwcen two draws in the rack keeping them stirred up every night and morning, sprinkling them at the same time with water, using a common sprinkler pot. If one has water pressure at hand one can sprinkle with a hose having a spray nozzle. When the oat sprouts are about one inch long, they are the best to feed Baby Chicks after ten days old, but they can be kept and fed with good results and profit, when the sprouts are 4 in. long, to laying hens. They are at their best when about 2 in. long, when each draw will be full, holding 2 bu. which comes from a peck of good dry oats, making 8 bushels from one, costing from 4 cents to 9 cents per. bushel, according to price of oats. CRANE’S SYSTEM D3 Fig. 25. 2 Fig. 25. This Half-tone illustrates the famous X-Ray Incubator, made by the X- Ray Incubator Co., of Wayne, Neb.. that I have fullv demonstrated and tested, and hay- ing used many of the popular makes, I believe this machine ig the best and the cheapest to run, made. See their Ady. in the back of this book, also subject “Incubators and Brooders”’ elsewhere. 54 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE Sprouting Oats in the Open Ground in Summer This is entirely my own invention, or discovery so far as I know. I soak the oats over night just as when used in the sprouting racks. During the three early months of spring, and late fall months, this method has proven a great success, with no shade, but through the hot summer weather, I believe it can be done the same way by building a shade of lath overhead, and on the south and west sides of the plot of ground you’ wish to use for this purpose, by placing the lath about 1-2 in. apart. One might have to irrigate them in some way during long dry spells cn account of the hot sun in this climate. I have not tried out this hot weather shade part of this yet, but I believe it will work alright. After selecting the place you wish to use for this purpose, either spade or plow the ground quite deep and pulverized well. Take a hoe and run trenches about 3 in. deep and 12 to 15 in. apart, now drain the water off the oats that have soaked over night and sow them about 1-2 in. deep in these trenches and cover them with about 1-2 to 1 im. deep and pat them down. If you will soak them 24 hours ahead of sowing, but draining the morning after setting them to soak, they will come up a day sooner. They come up very fast, and thick, raising the dirt with them and when they have raised the earth over them about an inch, or is even with the surface of the ground between the rows, I take a garden rake and take off the earth in between the rows. This will leave the oats as square on top as if they had been sheered off like a hedge, and they will be just right to feed young chicks, by digging them with a spading fork and shaking the dirt out of the roots and by the aid of a wheel- barrow, I wheel to all the houses and feed in the sod. They should be fed to laying stock at the time they are about two in- ches high, but can be fed with profit when five inches long, and they like them so well that they will eat them in preference to anything else and it makes one of the best feeds one can give for eggs, or conditioner. One can use the oat sprouting hacks herebefore described in summer if they have a basement that can be kept cool, anywhere from 55 to 80 degrees above zero. Incubators and Brooders The question always arises with anyone when the time comes to buy, which shall I buy, or which is best. Right here let me say after having more or less experience with incubators for over twenty years, and some years hatching 10,000 eggs, and after inventing and manufacturing a fireless incubator some twenty years ago, and making the subject a study all these CRANE’S SYSTEM 513) Fig. 26. Fig. 26. This Photo was taken of our Egg Department, showing how we store Eggs for Hatching,or otherwise; using the Star Egg Carrier & Tray Mfz. Co’s., cases, that holds twelve dozen each. Each case has twelve Cartoons that holds one dozen each, and the egys stand on end. so by turning the case end for end, it turns the eggs all at once. See subject “Storing Eggs for Hatch- ing,’ elsewhere; also Star Feg Carrier & Tray Mfg. Co’s., Ady, in the back part of this book. 56 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE years. I am delighted upon finding on the market what I term an Ideal Incubator, which is a pleasure to operate; While I consider the same time there are many good standard incubators on tlic market; I have nothing to say against them, and many of thvm are good, yet taking all in all, everything considered, I consider my favorite has many advantages. ‘iherefore I an. using the X-Ray Incubator, the machine with the Glass Top, as manufactured by the X-Ray Incubator Com- pany otf Wayne, Neb. This machine | find after running it several times comes the neaiest to perfection, and is the easiest regulated, and the cheap- est running, at the same time giving the best results, and is far superior to any machine that I have ever looked over or used. The arrangement of air circulation, the caring for the ehicks until ready to take away form the machine, is simply ideal in this machine, and the advantage cf having every egg in plain view at all times has a great advantage at hatching time, as one ean see what to do, and when to do it, and enabels one to get a strong healthy chick from nearly every good egg, and the Automatic Regulator by eutting off the blaze of the lamp thus stopping the flow of heat as well as saves the fuel, making it positive in regulation, and cheap’ in operating. I cften leave the City for a day at a time, and I always know the machines are doing their duty just the same, and the getting up of nights to look after them is all unnecessary. I never had it to do with the X-Ray ,as the automatic trip is bound to eut off. the blaze before the machine overheats the eggs, after the machine is once regulated. Directions for running this ireubator will be found with this machine, as well as with all other makes, and it is best to follow the rules laid down by each manufacturer generally, and you will be near the right track. Yet I will add a few useful hints practiced by many old experienced incubator users that will not be found in any of the manufacturers’ directions, and will save you the cost of this book on nearly every hatch you undertake. First, select your eggs for the incubator and place them in the tray or trays so that the small end of the egg points down- waid slightly, and arrange the egg in rows so they fit closely, and you will get more into the tray until the first test, which I usually do on the 5th. or 7th. day. The white egg the 5th. day, and the dark egg the 7th. day. Usually you will find a few unfertile eggs, which you take out, giving more room in the tray. But save these unfertile eggs to hard boil for the little chicks’ first food, and feed some until a few days old. Second, after eggs are all in the tray, take a dish of water about the same temperature of the eggs and sprinkle them well CRANH’S SYSTEM ot Ow other Father @ ~ { ~ \ ar te ~ ‘PM x ' \ Sie —s { \ ™~ ~ | \ ~ \ j ' \ \ ( \ Be i) \ NC ’ \ S ~ 1 \ X ' \ SS ! 3 3 ' (4 Vis (ay ‘\ SRS NES { aie UN { Be \ Se { N \ SS i i . s S \ x ‘\ XN SS N\ CS Ge Fig. 27. Fig. 27. This drawing represents a Chart for line-breeding, whereby one can produce practi- cally two new strains from a single mating or pen in three, or five generations. See subject, “Line Breeding,” elsewhere. with the fingers as a lady does the clothes she is about to iron, and immediately place tray in the ineubator that you have already heated up and regulated ready to receive the eggs. Eggs less dS 6000 LAYING HENS ON 1 ACRE: than three days old do not require this. Third, on the 10th. day of the hatch take a large pan with water about 2 1-2 in. deep, heat to a temperature of 98 to 104 de- grees, and place all the eggs in this water and let remain for one to two minutes, and return to machine at once wet, and close up machine quickly. Repeat this on the 18th. day. When you first discover eggs piping see your sand in moisture pans under the tray is good and wet, close the machine and keep it closed until all chicks are hatched, or due to be hatched, never opening the machine; unless you see that they are coming too slow on ac- count of being toe dry and in such case have a dish of hot water ready and some woolen clothes, open the machine quickly, wring flannels out of hot water as hot as you can handle, lay over the eggs, chicks just coming, and just out and _ all, close the machine quickly and leave twenty minutes; then open the machine as little as possible and draw out the flannels and close the machine quickly, and cover the glass if in an X-Ray machine with papers or pads ,being careful not to cover the vent holes on the top of cover ot the machine at the corners; this you will find will assist the balance of the hatch and the chicks will all come out nicely if they have not been neglected too long. Now in the X-Ray machine when the chicks are all hatched, or you think they are through you can remove the tray, chicks shes, and all and place the chicks in the bottom of the machine, close down the cover and run the machine about the same as for hatching, and leave the chicks here for the first thirty-six to forty eight hours without feeding or water, when they will come out of the machine fully ripe, ready to eat, drink, and are strong ready to battle for hfe in this world. If you will follow the rules laid down by your Incubator and these useful hints you will hateh every strong useful chick and raise it too, if fed, watered and housed properly. BROODERS. They are two kinds—Heated and Fireless. Of late years the Fireless Brooders have come into prominence to a great extent, as it has been difficult to get a Brooder that would be self-reg- ulating at all times, when chicks were in, or out of it. It was on this account that I invented my Washtub Fireless Brooder, as is illustrated herein, in Figs. 23, 24 and 40, and for description, and directions to build see ‘‘Fireless Brooders’’ I have used this. Fireless Brooder for three years, and until this year have used nothing else, and we have had the best of suecess; but on account of the extra time involved in Brooder breaking the chicks, I tried the X-Ray Heated Brooder, as it was claimed to be self-reg- ulating at all times, and I must say that I was very much pleas- ed with it. JI run four broods with it, and never lost a chick from brooder causes. The three first broods were kept in the CRANE’S SYS Incubator Room with the run facing a window, and the last, I set the Brooder in one of my Chick Raising Houses. I have the large size Brooder and it just fit the west end on the galvan- ized iron floor and I let the run down on the dirt in the east end through the day, and after the chicks were a week old, I set an- other of my houses, so its west end met the east end of the one that had the brooder in, and took out the end panels where they jomed and hooked the two houses together, so the chicks had both houses to run in. In a double house of this kind which covers a space of 3x12 ft. I raised 50 chicks until they got too large for. the brooder, then I took out the brooder; but the latter half of this time I used no fire in the brooder at all. I never had to show a ehick the way in; They seemed to know where to go as_ they needed warmth from the moment they were put in the brooder. I put alfalfa meal on the floor of the brooder, and would scatter steel cut oat meal on this daily, and they would work scratching for it by the hour, as it is as light as day in the brooder, and just the required temperature, as the automatic regulator cuts the lamp blaze off the moment it gets a degree too warm. I con- sider it a pleasure to raise chick- ens with an. X-Ray Brooder, as they seem to grow better, and do better, and I believe a chick that cannot be raised in this brooder shculd not be raised. TEM “BOAT JI Se Buoy -asodand sty} 10g JoxIVU 9y} UO SoyoUNd Jo'sexeU JUIBYIp ‘2013Ipou B Buidsoy Jo asodind oy} 10F ‘syo1yo 9[}41[ INOA YIVUI-90} 0} SABM ZUAIOYIP UI9}XIS MOYS 0} VP¥U SBM BuUIMBAIP SIU, S¥ pO} aq UB WIYALYD OY} 9UOP [JAM JI pUk ‘pur JOU Op Ady} PjO OF 10 ABP B UIYM $90} BY} Suryoung [B19A05 sl o10U], 83 “Sl "92 “Sta ée