ames E Rice MEMORIAL POULTRY LIBRARY CORNELL UNIVERSITY ALAamane 7 "350 THE GIFT OF ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY New York STATE COLLEGES OF AGRICULTURE AND HomE EcoNoMIcs AT CORNELL UNIvERsITy COPYRIGHT 1916 BY GEORGE G. NEWELL All Rights Reserved ‘A1aayQ pue yySry st UUM — Areaiq: pue xed st yoy HM WSBIN 38 Alopeg 33q Jo mai, apisino Foreword It is the author’s intention, in this work, not only to sup- ply detail knowledge of how to care for poultry, but also to offer the reader something on the order of a post-graduate study. Details will be gone into because they play a part, and have a bearing, on the new viewpoints presented. “Coming events cast their shadows before them,” and the observant poultryman can often visualize conditions in such a manner as to sense the necessity of changing diet, or sur- roundings, before the cause of such a necessity has worked to his detriment. Heredity and environment are two big factors in egg pro- duction; but environment has, in the author’s opinion, fully as much influence on production as heredity. A third factor exists, which heretofore has not been recog- nized as essential, which is under our control, this factor be- ing the length of the hen’s business day. The wild jungle fowl, through changed conditions, and the accumulation of the results of these conditions as trans- mitted by heredity, has been bred and fed to lay a greatly increased average number oi eggs annually; and in the same manner, and for the same reasons, we can, by providing still better environments, further materially increase production— thereby adding to the pleasure and profit of poultry keeping as a business proposition. THE AUTHOR. PART I An Outline of Present Conditions CHAPTER I—FEEDING AND CARE Page Gare and. Reed, ine- General, ss: hi02 wicudis couse laded dius aegis @ eid eavaeten 9 Balawemig: the- Ratontse <2 aaccqog ee curedanur sce oes as aewerensine S4teiones 10 Conditions Should be Watched and Noted 12 What: to: Pee dls.css as tuccese gees van mabe ol otnaletena ace awa & 13 Under Peeding: sscnaxees we vanealia Sene 22h se ae ee ee es oe ee 15 Over Feeding. .2ce.cseee saree ae eaee: Pe ees ee ee ay 16 CHAPTER II—HOUSING AND APPLIANCES Avitomatic: Feeders: siicns di teptieie tah edeeae dhe wae awe 19 Fussing Vs. Economy of Time............ccceee cece cscs ccssaces 20 Water (Problems: 99 shessains eid sa getgina we eho wan ees ee ore OES 20 Housing; Ventilation and Lights s:0 cos s-weses canes sence voauue os 23 ‘Erap: Nesting: 2a ae 48 * 18 8-64 May 6 10...“ 39°C 18 7.02 June 20 4 Roostets ciscccadamnes 16% “ 12 1.98 a 27 2 TRONS) oid sececds aa aos mamas 8 “ 15 1.20 July 3 Le me. eiaintent on anes 4 « 15 .60 ee 1 Cockerel ............ 1% “ 18 Dh a 20 LORY ipso seas nddiaid td atauas a “15 60 “ 25 3 Cockerels ........... 4%‘ 322 99 August 24 8 Oe asa sates Aad se 128 19 2.28 " 4 me. ahaa cra’ ahaa 6 19 1-14 “s 29 2 eT eT oe ons 19 57 September 12 3 Maal caseaens adie 6 * 19 1.14 19 4 Be od Bia Sanu crssenseye 8 18 1.44 26 4 EG Sd sasslaiavt-a pals 7% “ 18 1.35 October 3 4 ere CG 18 1.44 a 3 Se uae etal eat 7% “ 18 1:35 as 17 3 AE SB asec ates 8 “ AZ 1.36 November 1 TD ROOStER sesume a eccrees eck 4 “ Sold alive 1.25 Total ......... 27814 $49.56 &3 A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION Longer Day Effects on Health and Vigor The effects of a longer business day, on the health and vigor of the flock, are almost immediately noticeable. Within two or three days, the fowls seem to begin to fill out, their feathers begin to take on a gloss, and their combs begin to redden. After a lapse of one week’s time, under the new conditions, one would scarcely recognize them as being the same flock. Enjoying the Lengthened Day Combs gradually increase in size, and get a deeper red color. In a few days, the appearance of the flock shows the identical changes which occur, under natural conditions, when spring arrives, and the birds are able to get outdoors on the ground and on the grass. Many, when first nibbling on this idea of a longer busi- ness day for the hens, seem to get the impression that the hens are forced, by the new conditions, into laving eggs, and that, therefore, they will soon wear out. A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION 89 If we were to really attempt to force laying, by the use of drugs or condiments, such reasoning would likely prove correct. By lengthening the day, however, we are doing noth- ing of the kind—we are merely placing before the hens an opportunity to help themselves, at will, to whatever they need, for a longer period in each twenty-four hours. As absolute proof that a longer day is conducive to health and vigor, rather than the reverse, we have here the records of a flock, under these so-called forcing conditions, yielding well in eggs in the winter of 1913-1914; and, with the longer day, an increasing yield from January 21st, until the natural longer days of spring, and then right on through the summer. We now come to the time of all others when the lack of vigor, as a result of the supposed debilitating influences of the conditions under consideration would appear, namely, the moulting season. A glance at the tables furnished, shows a gradual de- crease in egg yield from August 11th until August 21st, when the birds were in such a heavy moult that the dropping boards were literally covered with feathers. Other seasons, we would expect the yield to drop off en- tirely when the fowls were in the condition shown at this time. The combs would shrink, and lose nearly all their color, the fowls would stand around in a listless manner, as if they were tired of life, and altogether present a more or less bedraggled appearance. Now was thought a good time to “Ask the birds, their judgment is good,” as to whether a longer day, at this time, would help them obtain sufficient nourishment to sustain the drain on their systems, incident to growing a new crop of feathers, and at the same time lay eggs. To ask them whether, in their judgment, they were played out as a result of having had such long days in the past winter of cruel treatment, in being forced off their perches so early in the morning, and kept off their perches, by the glare of the light, so late at night. : Judging by results in winter and spring, we had a some- what sure feeling of what the answer would be; but one never can be positive of such things, until they are put to the actual test of practical experience. 90 A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION After the light had been turned on, the birds did not hesitate, by their actions and appearance, to herald their joy at the seeming return of spring. They took on new life, filled out in flesh, combs turned red and increased in size, and the ~ The Pullets in a Busy Night Scene new feathers came in as if by magic; and, to show as proof that the long business days of the past winter and early spring had no evil effects on the hens, they commenced to increase in their egg yield, in the middle of a heavy moult, and not only laid right through the moult, as will be seen by the table, A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION 91 but the hens also laid as well all through the winter of 1914- 1915, as did the pullets raised in 1914. The author feels that a study of these records will prove, more conclusively than anything he could say, that a longer business day, not only does not tend to debility and deteriora- tion, but also that, for a poultryman who is not afraid to feed his flock a sufficiency of balanced rations, a longer day is the one thing lacking and needed to preserve vigor, to prevent debility under trying conditions whether due to moulting or extremes of cold temperatures, and to enable his flock to pro- duce eggs abundantly at all seasons. The theory has been advanced, and used, that the moult can be forced, or brought on, by reducing the feed to a mini- mum for a short period; and afterward the period of moulting be shortened by increasing the quantity of feed and adding an extra supply of oily feeds such as sunflower seeds or linseed meal to help the fowls in growing their new coat of feathers. The same reasons are responsible for the moult brought on, out of season, and against the poultryman’s wishes; when early hatched pullets and hens moult at the beginning of winter. The sudden call for increased feed, on the arrival of cold weather, catches the birds unprepared and unable to procure what they need—hence the moult. With a longer business day, and plenty to eat, even the old hens do not seem to suffer from, or mind, the moult even in the dead of winter. We had about four such hens which had not moulted in the fall of 1914.*“Fhese hens went about their business in zero weather losing feathers and making new feathers as if nothing unusual was transpiring. Late hatched pullets will be in a position to mature, and develop winter layers, with the aid of the benefits derived from a longer business day. End View of Pullet House CHAPTER VII Practical Application of Proven Theories Production Possibilities What are the possibilities in egg production? This is < very interesting question, and one which is hard to answer. The records given herein for 1914 show an average pro- duction of 138.33 eggs from each member of the flock, based on an actual number of single hen days. These records show this as a possibility without question—that whole flocks can average 138.33 eggs a year. This average also counts in all the pullets as being mature at five months from hatching. The conditions for producing in this flock are far from being the best or ideal. First, the limited quarters on a city lot preclude the possibility of raising enough young chicks, each year, to enable the owner to cull out the pullets as closely as would be advisable. Few flocks of chickens develop evenly, under identical conditions, for all the individuals in the flock. Some seem to thrive out of all proportion to the others; others thrive fairly well, and still others only half as well as the condition of the best members of the flock would lead one to expect. Some few in the flock may seem to be continually far behind, in the race for development. After the pullets have developed, and get near to laying age, and get their complete plumage, these differences are not so noticeable, except for the few really inferior birds. First. If enough chickens could be raised to cull so close- ly as to leave in the flock only the birds showing exceptional vigor, at say three months from hatching, one could reason- ably expect greater health and vigor in the flock, and, as a consequence, far greater returns in eggs. Second. The condition of soil in the yards, which soil is a heavy clay loam, makes this soil pack very easily, inter- fering to a great extent with the opportunities for the birds to wallow, and exercise outdoors in the open season; also, in 93 94 A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION order to keep these yards in a sanitary condition, they must be frequently limed. Third. The owner of the flock having to leave home before seven a. m., and not being able to arrive home again before seven thirty p. m., and often not before ten to eleven thirty p. m. week days (including Saturdays) his opportuni- ties for putting into practice the principle of “Asking the birds, their judgment is good,” were, of course, greatly limited. At night the automatic feeders had to be filled for the next day, the dry mash, grit, oyster shell, and charcoal hoppers had to be seen to, and replenished when necessary, and the water fountains filled and put in place. In the morning the green feed of sprouted oats, cabbage, or whatever was available was taken down, and the houses opened up before leaving home for the day’s business. In this way the work for the good wife was cut down to feeding the moistened mash, once a day, and gathering the eggs. Business is business, and the keeping of poultry in the rear of the lot was only a diversion in an extended experiment, over a number of years, in the possibilities of a problem in economics. Business came first, and could never be neglected for a hobby. We have read of individual hens producing two hundred eggs and over; and these records, many of them, come from reliable and authentic sources. We should always set our ideals high, in order to strive to attain them; and, if we suc- ceed in actually reaching our ideals, we should not be satisfied, but should advance our ideals to a higher point—thus always having something ahead of us worth striving to achieve. Much depends on the breed, and the different treatment needed to successfully handle each breed. With the heavier breeds, susceptibility to broodiness must be reckoned with as a hindrance and a handicap. With the Mediterranean breeds this handicap of broodiness is greatly cut down. For laying purposes, the concensus of opinion in the United States seems to lean toward White Leghorns. These birds, under proper care and feeding, are certainly efficient “eee machines.” : Judging by past experience, and taking account of the handicaps under which he has operated, the author has no A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION 95 hesitancy in placing the productive possibility of White Leg- horns, when handled as a business proposition, as an average of two hundred eggs a year from each hen, in large flocks, under proper care, with liberal feeding of balanced rations, and with business days equalized in length, by artificial means, sufficiently to enable the hens to manufacture their product. The figures given herein, on the comparative production for the years 1913. and 1914, were chosen, for this purpose, because the flocks matched better for these two years as to the number of birds and the corresponding ages of the birds making up the flocks. The two years being consecutive are also better for comparison. As noted before, on Page 55, the birds in 1913 contained pullets, one and a half year old, and two and a half year old hens at the beginning of 1913; and pullets, one and a half year old, two and a half year old, and a few three and a half year old hens at the beginning of 1914. Thus there were a few hens in the flock over four and a half years old at the begin- ning of 1915. The author has records of much better production in 1911, which follow, and these are given to show that for great production, under the best conditions with a natural day, the age of the fowls has a good deal to do with the number of eggs produced. The tables for 1911 show an average production, for the whole flock, of one hundred fifty eggs. This flock contained pullets of 1910, and fifty-nine pullets hatched May 18th, 1911, and in this average, of one hundred fifty eggs, these 1911 pul- lets are figured in as being matured birds at four months and eighteen days old on October Ist, 1911. The tables for 1911 show an average production for the adult fowls hatched May 30th, 1910, of one hundred seventy- eight eggs. All these fowls were nineteen months old at the end of the year of this record. The reader will thus be in a position to note that even with the handicap of age of the adult fowls, and the lower average for the year 1914 as compared with that of the year 1911, because of this handicap, the fall and winter production of 1914-1915, with the aid of an artificial day, compares very 96 A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION favorably with the fall and winter of 1911-1912, and conclu- sively proves the value and aid of a longer business day. The following table will show this quite clearly: Adult Fowls Adult Fowls Fall and winter of 1911-12. Fall and winter of 1914-15. No hens in this flock over 20 Some hens in this record over months old at the end of this 4% years old at the end of this period. period. No. of Hen No. of Per No. of Hen No. of Per Days Eggs Cent Days Eggs Cent Sept. eco 1,434 545 38 %’ Sept. ...... 2,969 1,156 38.94% Obs soaaueis 1,457 367) —- 25.19% OCt, wdexrs 3,004 1,191 39.65% NOV. tsacce 1410 201 14.25% NOVe wasecd 2,822 822 29-12% DEG: cneklees 1,445 273 18.89% Dec. ...... 2,826 556 19.67% Jane eviencs 1,426 93 6.52% JAM. nce 2,790 789 28.24% Totals ..7,172 1,479 20-62% Totals .14,411 4,514 31.32% When it is remembered that the reasons, previously given, to show the advantages of a longer business day, demonstrate that these reasons merely add one (and that a heretofore neg- lected and essential) factor to the summer conditions, neces- sary to good egg production, the above comparison will serve to emphasize the great importance of this factor in profitable poultry keeping. Not over thirty-seven per cent of the adult fowls in the fall and winter of 1914-1915 were of the same age as the adult fowls in the same period of 1911-1912—the other sixty-three per cent had a handicap of one, two, and some of them three years, to overcome. It is reasonable to suppose that, if fowls of such ages were able to outstrip their youthful competitors during the moulting season and in the winter months, because of the advantages of a longer business day, the young stock would have made a much better showing than they did, for this same period, if the length of their working day had been equalized. Taking these comparisons under consideration, the two hundred egg goal, previously mentioned as being possible. does not seem at all unattainable for whole flocks of voung and vigorous birds under “A Revolution in Egg Production.” From an average of one hundred seventy-eight eggs per annum to an average of two hundred eggs per annum does A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION 97 not seem such a great increase, in the light of the results shown in the preceding chapters. AVERAGES AND PERCENTAGES. Single Total No.of No. of Hen Monthly No.of Per Remarks 1911 Hens Days Days Hen Days Eggs Cent January ..51 xX 3L = 1581 1581 664 42% February ..51 X 28 = 1428 1428 835 58.48% March ....51 xX 29 = 1479 1 Hen 50 x 2 => 100 1579 1105 70 % Out 3/2 April ..... 50 « 30 = 1500 1500 1105 73.67 % May . 50 « 16 = 800 1 Hen 499 x 15 = 735 1535 1021 66.51% Out 5/6 June ..... 49 x 30 = 1470 1470 837 56.94% July ...... 49 % 31 = 1519 1519 915 60.23% August. ...49 & 22 = 1078 1 Hen 48 x 9 = 432 1510 843 55.83% Out 8/22 September .48 & 24 = 1152 1 Hen 47 X 6 = 282 1434 545 38 % Out 9/24 October Hens ...47 xX 31 = 1457 1457 367 25.19% Pullets ..59 xX 31 = 1829 1829 28 1.53% November Hens ...47 xX 30 = 1410 1410 201 14.25% Pullets ..59 xX 30 = 1770 1770 271 15.32% December 1 Hen Hens ...47 XX 19 = 893 Out 12/19 46 xX 12 = 552 1445 273 18.89% Pullets ..59 & 31 = 1829 1829 588 32.15% Totals 23296 9598 41.15% Totals for Adult Fowls only 17868 8711 48.75% NOTE—41.15% of an Egg a day for 365 days equals an average of 150 Eggs from all Birds in the flock. 48.75% of an Egg a day for 365 days equals an average of 178 Eggs from all Adult Fowls. The Year Book of Agriculture for 1910 recognizes the importance and immensity of the value of our egg production in the aggregate. In a chapter on “The effect of the present method of handling eggs on the industry and the product,” the following excerpts will give the reader an idea of the 98 A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION economic importance of “A Revolution in Egg Production,” if such a revolution is generally carried on: “During the calendar year 1909, 4,256,320 cases of eggs were received in the City of New York. Each case contained 30 dozen, hence there were 1,532,275,200 individual eggs, or enough to permit of a per capita consumption per annum of 321. * * * * * According to the report of the Secre- tary of Agriculture for 1907, “More than $600,000,000 must be regarded as the value of the poultry and eggs produced on the farms in 1907. The amount may easily be larger. This industry has advanced at such a rapid rate that no arithmetic can keep up with it.’ Again in 1908, he says, “The eggs and pou produced on the farms are worth as much as the * * * * hay crop or the wheat crop,” the latter being aman at $620, 000 ,000 for 1908. “In eggs and poultry, then, we have an agricultural pro- duct of enormous money value, considered either individually or by comparison with other agricultural productions. * * * * * The output of eggs is steadily growing, but the de- mand is growing even faster than the supply, due to the increased price of meat, as well as a preference for eggs as food; hence, the price of eggs has gone up. In 1899 the farm price was 11.15 cents per dozen, as an average for the United States; in 1909 the average was 19.7 cents. * * * * * These are the prices to the producer, not the customer. The latter pays from fifty to one hundred per cent more than the producer receives. Some of the reasons for the increase to the consumer will be discussed in this article.” Averages and Percentages There is an old saying that “figures don't lie; but many so-called average and percentage records are wide of the mark, because they are based on erroneous methods of arriving at results. This is especially true as to the averages and per- centages in egg production. When a hen drops out of the race, she does not do so con- veniently at the first of the month, but may ask the poultry- man to dispense with her services, or she may quit by request, at any time during the month. A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION 99 To arrive at the average number of hens in any one month, we must understand that we cannot either deduct a hen dropping out, say, on the 5th of the month, from our number of hens; nor can we leave such a hen to be accounted for in the figuring as having equal value, in the results, with those in the flock for the full month. The only way we can get an exact percentage is to figure on the number of single hen days, and divide this number into the egg record, for the period for which we want the percentage. This method is shown on Page 97. Suppose we have a flock of one hundred sixty hens for the first ten days in a month, then sell off sixty hens, leaving one hundred hens for three days, and then sell off forty hens, we would have left sixty hens in the flock for the rest of the month. The erroneous way sometimes used to figure this per- centage, would be to add the numbers up for each period, and then divide by three (the number of periods) to get the aver- age number of hens in the flock; thus 160+100+60=320, and 320+3=107. This figure would be multiplied by the number of days in the month, and then the result would be divided into the number of eggs to show the average percentage of eggs laid, by each hen, of a possible egg per day. Suppose we try this on a month of thirty-one days with an egg record of 1,192 eggs. We get a percentage of 35.94 per cent. If we figure this correctly, we should multiply 160*10= 1,600 ; 100*3=300 ; 60X18=1,080; and 1,600+300+1,080=2,980 single hen days; which, divided into the number of eggs for percentage, in this case 1,192, would make an exact percentage of forty per cent. This shows a difference of over four per cent due to wrong method of figuring. The errors of this method may show errors as either more or less than the cor- rect results. Using this method for our 1914 production, we had re- sults as follows: 100 A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION AVERAGES AND PERCENTAGES FOR ADULT FOWLS IN 1914 Single Total No. of No.of Hen Monthly No. of Per Remarks 1914 Hens Days Days Hen DaysEggs Cent January ....160 * 31 = 4960 4960 777 15.67% February ...160 & 13 = 2080 1 pullet out 2/13 159 & 15 = 2385 4465 1943 43.52% March .....1599 Kk 6 = 954 1 pullet out 3/ 6 158 x 4= 632 1 hen out 3/10 157 & 8 = 1256 1 hen out 3/18 156 x 2= 312 1 hen out 3/20 155 & 11 = 1705 4859 2278 46.88% April aaeees 155K. 15 == 2325 l hen out 4/15 154« 5= 770 1 pullet out 4/20 1443 x 2= 286 1 hen out 4/20 131& 5= 655 12 hens out 4/22 119 & 3 = 357 4393 2369 53.93%12 hens out 4/27 May) Gece < 119 x 6= 714 10 hens out 5/ 6 109 & 25 = 2725 3439 1858 54.03% Jin: ze sacs 109 & 27 = 2943 2 hens out 6/27 107 X 3= 321 3264 1650 50.55% July accces 107°. 3 = 321 l hen out 7/ 3 104 & 17 = 1768 1 hen out 7/17 103 & 11 = 1133 3222.) 1448 44.940 August ....103 & 31 = 3193 3193 866 27.12% *Sub Totals 31795 13189 September ..103 x 3 = 309 3 hens out 9/ 3 100 x 7 = 700 2 hens out 9/10 98 & 20 = 1960 2969 1156 38.94% October .... 98 & 18 = 1764 2 hens out 10/18 9 & 5 = 480 1 hen out 10/23 9 xX &8= 760 3004 1191 39.65% November .. 95 & 16 = 1520 1 hen out 11/16 94x& 7 = 658 2 hens out 11/23 92 & 7 = 644 = 2822 822 29.136 December .. 92 & 18 = 1656 2 hens out 12/18 90 X 13 = 1170 2826 556 19.67% Totals 43416 16914 38.95% NOTE—38.95% of an Egg a day for 365 days equals an average of 142.16 Eggs from each Adult Fow! in the flock, for the whole year 1914. *These sub-totals are carried over to the next table. A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION 101 SUPPLEMENTARY TABLE TO INCLUDE AVERAGES AND PER- CENTAGES FOR PULLETS WITH THE ADULT FOWLS. Single Total No. of No.of Hen Monthly No. of Per Remarks 1914 Birds Days Days Hen Days Eggs Cent September .103 XK 3 = 309 3 hens out 9/ 3 100 x 7= 700 2 hens out 9/10 98 x 20 = 1960 T 34 3003 =1173 39.06% October ....t152 & 18 = 2736 2 hens out 10/18 150 * 5= 750 1 hen out 10/23 1449 & 8 = 1192 4678 1520 32.49% November ..149 & 16 = 2384 1 hen out 11/16 148 * 7 = 1036 2 hens out 11/23 146 x 7 = 1022 4442 1243 27.98% December ..146 X 2 = 292 1 pullet out 12/ 2 145 x 8 = 1160 1 pullet out 12/10 14x 8 = 1152 2 hens out 12/18 142 «x 9 = 1278 1 pullet out 12/27 141 « 4= 564 4446 1207 27.18% Totals 16569 5143 *Sub-totals to August 31, 1914 31795 13189 Grand Totals 48364 18332 37.90% NOTE—37.90% of an Egg a day for 365 days equals an average of 138.33 Eggs from each hen or pullet in the flock, for the whole year 1914. *These sub-totals are brought over from the previous table, to add in with this table, to show the averages and percentages for the whole flock. +34 days added to cover 17 Eggs for Pullets beginning to lay. +54 pullets raised. Press Comments on the Experiment. When the author found that his experiment with a longer business day, for the hens, correlative and supplementary to his liberal and regular feeding of balanced rations, was a suc- cess, he decided that an economic fact, of such importance, should be given to the public, in tangible form, as soon as sufficient data had been accumulated to present a preponder- ance of results to make its success apparent, without oppor- tunities for skepticism. 102 A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION Having succeeded, where others had failed, in discover- ing the real reason for low egg production in fall and winter, by well cared for flocks, the author felt a pardonable pride in wishing the public to know the facts, and to be benefitted by his discovery. Of course, an experiment of this kind could not escape a certain amount of local publicity, because such a new event as an “egg factory” running full blast after dark, could not very well be hidden from the view of passers-by on the street —either afoot, or in automobiles or other conveyances. Through some channel, of which the author has no knowl- edge, the “Chicago Tribune” editorial staff was informed of the fact that the author was using electric light in his poultry houses; and they called him up on the phone, at his place of business, on January 4th, 1915, with a request for an inter- view on the subject. Realizing that having started out to get information they would succeed in getting what they wanted in some manner, the interview was granted, and they sent a photographer out to take a few pictures. On January 5th, 1915, the following pictures and write- up appeared in the “Chicago Tribune.” The pictures were taken by flash light, after dark, and show the ‘egg factory” in actual operation. FOOLS CHICKENS; GETS MORE EGGS G. G. Newell Installs Electric Light in Coops and Hens Work Overtime. George G. Newell is an auditor. Figures and statistics and chickens are his hobbies. Efficiency is his watchword. Back of his residence in Congress Park there is an inclosure forty feet square in which he keeps what he calls his “150 egg machines.” The “machines” belong to the feathered tribe known as White Leghorns. He expects and obtains eggs from these “machines” with the same regularity and accuracy as he does figures from an adding machine. Gets 18,000 Eggs. He says he has obtained 18,000 eggs from his “machines” in the last year, or an average of an egg every third day for each fowl, and expects to bring this average up to an egg every other day for each hen during 1915. All the hens are laying now and he sells the eggs for 50 cents a A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION 103 dozen. Mr. Newell attributes his success to the fact that his chickens live in two electric lighted coops, go to roost by electricity, and get up at the beck of 100 candle power. “I figured the whole problem out in black and white,” said Mr. Newell. “I found that my chickens were not laying much in winter. They’d go to roost earlier in the winter months and get up later. I figured they didn’t have sufficient daylight in which to eat the necessary amount of LLL x SOOT r TTT NHN ANANTH ARAN ANNAN ANNA Plays Electric Light Joke on Chicks and They Lay for It. food and to get the required amount of exercise for good laying. I estimated they got about sixteen hours of daylight in midsummer and only about seven hours in midwinter. I decided to strike an average of their waking hours. Up at 6 a.m. “At a cost of about thirty dollars I installed a one hundred candle- power tungsten lamp and a two candlepower incandescent lamp in one chicken house and two sixty candlepower tungstens and a two candlepower lamp in the other. These I connected with switches in the house. “As soon as the alarm clock goes off at six or a little after in the morning I turn on the switch and the chickens get up, thinking it is 104 A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION daylight. The lights are turned off at eight or eighty thirty, when it is full daylight and the neighbors’ fowls are just arising. “When it begins to get dusk, along about four, my daughter Dorothy, or my wife turns on the lights and they are kept going until nine at night, when I turn all out except the two candlepower lamps. These give just a sufficient amount of light to give the appearance of dusk, and the chick- ens begin going to roost. I leave the small lamps lit all night, so that if any of the chickens want to get up at night to eat they can do so. Average Jumps from Twenty-six to Eighty-three. ‘Eleven days after the lights were installed the daily average jumped from twenty-six eggs to eighty-three. During the moulting season under the old custom, when most of the food was going to feathers instead of eggs, I got only eleven eggs a day. Now I get fifty-two a day during the moulting season. It is merely an experiment in efficiency, and I hope to improve on it.” “Chickens think,” said Mr. Newell. “If they know they are going to get plenty of food the next day they’ll lay. By my method I keep them thinking they are getting the same amount of daylight all the year around, and I’m keeping them thinking all the time.” This article was either copied, or a new article made up from it, in the press in many papers throughout the United States. A clipping sent the author from Dunkirk, New York, had reproduced the pictures in the “Tribune” and as an insert picture had the following: The following was given me by a friend as having been taken from the Can Biancisen Call.” “CRUELTY TO HENS IN DARKEST CHICAGO.” “They Have to Get Up at Six O’clock in the Cold Winter Mornings. There is an ingenious gentleman in darkest Chicago who takes about the meanest advantage of his hens that has come to our atten- tion. Under the solar conditions obtaining in Chicago, midwinter A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION 105 dawn is not due until about eight o’clock in the mornng, and so a natural hen is not supposed to quit her downy roost until that hour. But this Chicago man has equipped his hen house with electric lights. These he switches on at six o’clock in the morning. The poor hens are aroused by the glare of light and their consorts loudly crow to hail the dawn of artificial day. Down from their roosts troop the fowls and straightway they make for their nests. With some twelve hours of light before them, the hens busy themselves in laying, and every hen does her duty once every three days, which is a better egg laying average than obtains when there is no electric light inducement to laying. As natural darkness comes over Chicago, the gentleman turns on the electric light, and until nine o’clock the poor hens are kept awake, under the delusion that it is still daylight. Such cruelty to the hens should be punished. The man ought to be forced to eat a dozen eggs every day.” The “Electrical World” of February 6th, 1915, had the following: | “EGG PRODUCTION INCREASED BY ELECTRIC LIGHT” “According to the testimony of Mrs. George G. Newell, of *Brook- field, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, the effect of using artificial light in her chicken house to simulate the long days of summer has been the trippling of the egg output of her hens. In their tungsten-lighted compartments these estimable chickens now average one hundred fifty eggs per hen per year. A total of 18,000 eggs was produced in the Newell coops last year. The increase in the productiveness of the hens has resulted, it is explained, from the duplication of summer lighting conditions dur- ing the dark days of winter. It was Mrs. Newell’s theory that the hens did not lay many eggs during the winter months because they spent more time on their roosts and had less opportunity for scratch- ing about for food. At a nominal cost the electric service of the Public Service Company of Northern Illinois was extended to the hen house. Each of the two sections is provided with a two candle- power lamp and a one hundred candlepower cluster. At 6 a. m. on dark winter mornings when the family arises the lamps are switched on in the coops. At once the feathered occupants are roused to the day’s activity of scratching for food. After the appearance of daylight outside, the lamps are turned off. With the return of dusk in the late afternoon they go on again, and they con- tinue to burn until eight o’clock, when all are turned off except the two candlepower units. These lamps give a low illumination, simu- lating dusk, and the hens at once prepare to go on their roosts. *Brookfield, Ill. has three depots and three postoffices, called Hollywood, Brookfield and Congress Park. 106 A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION Fifteen minutes later, when all are in place, the small ‘dusk’ lamps are extinguished and darkness reigns on the chicken house until the next morning. Two weeks after the present lighting system was installed the daily egg output had risen from twenty-six to eighty-three. accord- ing to the owner. Fifty eggs a day are now obtained during the moulting season, in comparison with eleven eggs a day secured under the former artificial lighting conditions.” This is a very fair article, except for the error in the last line, where it gives the impression that other artificial lights were previously used. Judging by the letters received, the “Chicago Tribune” article aroused a general interest. This article, and all the others which the author has seen, with the exception of the one here reproduced from the “Electrical World,” show that the subject was treated in either a humorous or sarcastic vein; and left the inference to the readers that it was cruel, tricky, or humorous to subject the hens to a longer business day. The economical importance, of the subject. seems to have been left to the reader’s own ability to draw his own deduc- tions, and to read between the lines. Corroborations of Long Business Day Benefits. The first, of whom the author has knowledge, to follow in experimenting with a longer business day was Mr. J. C. Kline, of Congress Park. He seemed to take some interest in accounts of the experiment and its results, but did nut -eem to get enthusiastic, until he saw the plant in operation at the end of the summer of 1914. He equipped his poultry house with electric lights, and has received full benefits since in the supply of eggs in the fall and winter. The next to follow was Mr. J. W. Allen, of Riverside, Illinois, to whom electricity was not available at the time. The author procured three Air-O-Lanterns, which produced a 300-cp light, with a consumption of one quart of gasoline, for from twelve to fifteen hours. Mr. Allen got one of these lanterns, and after putting the same into use began to receive returns in eggs within three or four days. Mr. Maurice L. Newell, a brother of the author, got an- other of these Air-O-Lanterns to try on his poultry farm in A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION 107 Michigan. He had been skeptical right along about the effi- ciency of light—attributing the author’s good egg yield to other causes. His egg yield in November, 1914, however, had dwindled to twenty-two eggs in twenty-one days, and on November 26th the author took him an Air-O-Lantern, which was installed in the poultry house. The following extract from the letter of November 2lst from Maurice L. Newell, will give some idea of the condition of the flock: “Some of those early moulters, you know they started to moult in July, well they came just up to the laying point— red large combs, etc., and in good flesh—one or two started to lay, then they quit and are now in their second moult around neck and losing tail feathers. Also some of the year- ling hens have done the same, and while the pullets are look- ing well, and some have large lay-over combs, have so far not received an egg from them.” A few days later the author got word from his brother, that he was shipping eggs to Chicago in case lots. Mr. William Trefzger next installed electric lights in his poultry house. On February Ist the author wrote him as follows: “Congress Park, Ill, February lst, 1915. Mr. Wm. Trefzger, 8541 South Sangamon Street, Chicago. Dear Sir: Knowing that you have kept poultry for a number of years, and that you have recently installed electric lights in your poultry house, I shall appreciate the favor if you will write, giving me the results obtained from your experiment. I am enclosing a stamped and addressed envelope for your reply, which will greatly oblige, Yours very truly, GEO. G. NEWELL. And received the following reply: 8541 South Sangamon Street, Chicago, Ill, February 3rd, 1915. Mr. Geo. G. Newell, Congress Park, Ill. Dear Sir: I have received your letter dated February Ist, 1915. You will remember my conversation with you about the middle of last December, in which I asked you what caused my pullets to suddenly stop laying, and your reply that it was due to the short days. At that time I could not see it your way. Within a few days I spoke to you twice again on the same subject. On the latter occa- sion you volunteered the theory: 108 A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION First, that, as I had told you, my pullets were laying well, and would probably have continued to do so, falling off gradualy as the winter progressed. Second, that the sudden change to cold weather which fell below zero at our place on December 14th, made a sudden call on the systems of the pullets for extra nourishment to maintain heat and vitality—thus forcing a curtailment in egg production. Third, that the weather remaining cold for several days, the pullets had not been able, on account of the short days, to get back into laying form; and probably would not do so until Spring unless their business day was lengthened. Sogn after, my house was wired for electricity, and I ran a wire out to the poultry house, and started the light January lst, 1915. The pullets, in the meantime, had gone into a heavy moult. The first effect noticed was that the moulting stopped imme- diately. Next there was a great improvement in the looks of the birds. Their combs began to redden and we began to get eggs the third day. We have in our flock six hens and twenty-six pullets. We did not keep any record of eggs, but they increased two or three a day until the fifteenth, when my wife suggested that, as we were getting so many eggs, we had better keep account of them. I enclose a calendar for January on which we kept this account. You will see on the fifteenth we got 16 eggs and then 18, 16, 18, 21, 22, 15, 24, 24, 19, 24, 19, 23, 19, 21, and on the thirty-first, 20 eggs, which is a total of 319 eggs in sixteen days. We had tried liberal feeding without results. This record is very good, especially so considering the cold weather. The ther- mometer read below zero several mornings, and fourteen below zero January 28th. I have been keeping poultry over twenty years, and never had such surprising results from anything. My wife was overjoyed, as she loves her poultry, and the sudden change from a condition, when we thought the whole flock would have to be sacrificed, to one of health and vigor, with the addition of good laying, was very gratify- ing to us. We think it is wonderful the way your theory has proved out in actual practice. Yours very truly, (Signed) WILLIAM TREFZGER. CHAPTER VIII Conclusions Trying it on the Ducks In the foregoing pages of this little book, the reader has been given an insight into the problem of egg production, and poultry keeping in general, from the author’s viewpoint. The whole subject has been put in such a manner, and the author has tried to state his premises clearly, so that the reader was not asked to take anything for granted. The whole book has treated the subject with reference to hens only as producers. The production of duck eggs has taken great strides in the last few years, especially with the Indian Runner ducks, which have been termed “the Leghorns of the duck family.” In the keeping of ducks, however, the author does not feel competent to speak from actual experience. By the pro- cess of deduction, it is reasonable to predict that the same general effects of a longer business day will apply equally well in the production of eggs from ducks as from hens; and, on this deduction, this question should be worth serious con- sideration by those engaged in this branch of the poultry industry. It is well known that the duck family are naturally more nocturnal in their habits than hens. Heredity and Performance The flocks which we use for heavy egg production must be produced from birds which are known to be good layers. The birds must come from vigorous stock in order to grow and thrive quickly into producers. Some seem to be prejudiced against breeding from hens which have laid well during the winter ; but, if heredity counts for anything, how are we going to produce good winter layers unless we breed from those which have produced eggs freely in winter? If hens do not lay during the winter, can we reasonably expect winter layers as a result of transmitted heredity from such hens? If hens do not produce well in the 109 110 A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION winter months, they cannot make up the deficiency necessary to qualify, as heavy layers, by any summer laying records. It is a safe conclusion that heredity alone will not give us good producers. Heredity must be supplemented by good, well regulated, and liberal feeding of balanced rations, to- gether with a plentiful and constant supply of good drinking water. Only in this way can we turn to full advantage the hereditary qualities, which were transmitted to our birds. We must give our flocks good quarters in which to work, and must keep these quarters in a wholesome and sanitary condition, as a requisite to that health and vigor, without which we cannot expect or obtain satisfactory results. “Playing electric light jokes on the chicks” will not make them “lay for it,” unless we give them plenty of opportunity to make use of this light. A longer business day will not feed the hens. Many will jump to the conclusion that artificial light by lengthening the day, will make their hens produce. Artificial light will lengthen the day, but will not and cannot be of any practical benefit to anyone who tries this innovation, unless such a person is also a liberal provider of food for his flocks. Egg Producing as a Business Proposition The author would place the value of artificial light to a flock of 2,000 layers at not less than $800 per year in in- creased production. This light, however, must be bright enough to flood the houses with light—not a mere glimmer. Nothing could be further from the author’s intention than to have the reader of this little work jump to the conclusion, from what has been written in the foregoing pages, that anyone can engage in the poultry business, and make a living or a competence, out of the business of producing eggs. Like every other business, this business requires study, and attention to business affairs; and to enter this business without the necessary ability, or qualifications, cannot help but prove disastrous. Many enter this business as a result of dreams that won't and can’t come true. This business has some advantages, however, over other businesses—chief among which is the fact, true in all civilized countries, that the market has not been, and is not likely to be, fully supplied with good fresh A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION 111 eggs at all seasons. What a bonanza would such a condition create in any manufacturing line, or in a wholesale or retail business. To illustrate how quickly a large flock of hens which are not producing can eat into a bank account, we have an example on Pages 59 and 60, where the feed in October, 1913, cost $26.13, and the production in eggs was only $7.91. A large flock on this same basis, would produce a large balance on the wrong side of the ledger in a short time. Even millionaires would tire of extended experience of this kind. If no profits are made, they at least expect to get their money back. To the generality of poultry keepers, in a small way, this would be the time when they would reason that they must cut down expenses and withhold the feed. To do so, however, would be suicidal; because, if that was done, the flock would not only remain in the non-produc- ing class all winter, but would still cause a necessary expense for feed. By liberal feeding at this time, the flock was en- abled to turn the scale in the following month, and do well all winter thereafter. Capital and Equipment for Large Flocks By careful watching, and close observation, large flocks can be housed and cared for more economically than small flocks. The labor can be cut down, by labor saving devices for carrying feed, litter, droppings, etc.; and the houses can be so constructed that they may be easily subdivided, at pleasure, by placing swinging doors in the divisions, in such a manner as not to be a hindrance or impediment to free ingress or egress. With automatic feeders in use, a grain conveyor could be so equipped, and without great expense, as to fill all the feeders, in succession, by the use of power machinery. Such arrangements, with an automatic supply of water, would enable the poultryman to care for large flocks with a minimum of expense. Only the actual expenses for material necessary for pro- duction have been gone into in the preceding chapters. The items of general expense, labor, interest on investment, etc., have not been gone into or taken up. These various items can 112 A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION be figured out to suit the needs and circumstances of each producer. As to the capital necessary to engage in this business, that also is a matter of individual judgment and opportunity. Some successful poultrymen have been saved from disaster by lack of capital, this lack compelling a safe and sure pace while gaining their experience. Instances could be cited of poultrymen starting out with large capital, minus a practical knowledge of what was before them, who used up their capital in gaining such knowledge, and gave up the ship in disgust at the results, or from inability to borrow more capital at the time when they had learned how to use it. On the other hand, instances could be cited of those vrho have had to do without capital because they had it not, or could not procure it, but who have started in, in a small way, and attained the necessary working knowledge as they went along, and who, as a result, have grown into successful and prosperous poultrymen. These varying results are accounted for when we con- sider that a poultryman must know his business, and if he has to learn the business, after engaging in it, a very large per- centage of losses with a small flock amount to but a few dol- lars; whereas the same percentage on a large investment is a very serious matter. Every man must do his own thinking, and if the reader’s thinking has been stimulated toward producing better eggs and many more of them, to his own pleasure and profit, it will be all the satisfaction desired by THE AUTHOR: eae Reset oe Siete af if Bi i pa) TAT a} TTT THE SHE Sat yay! HM peers irs Cerra rats Sepgep ister meee eee ae Sage eee eee Seater eens i : dt Speen ieeeseed it ei