modern poultry farming

606 Pages·2012·26.29 MB·English

MODERN
POULTRY FARMING
By
Louis M. Hurd
Extension Assistant Professor of Poultry Husbandry
Cornell University
Rurat SCIence J'eries
The Macmillan Company, New York
6
194
Copyright, 1944, by
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.
All rights reserved-no part of this book may be
reproduced in any form witbout permission in
writing from tbe publisher, except by a reviewer
who wishes to quote brief passages in connection
with a review written for inclusion in magazine
or newspaper.
Third Printing.
NLVSIIVRl
\\\\ \\\ \\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\\\\\\\1\
00633
A Second Revised Edition of Practical Poultry Farming
Copyrighted 1928, 1931 by The Macmillan Company
PRINTED lIt THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
TO
My MOTHER,
LENA R. HURD,
WHOSE COURAGEOUS AND PROGRl!.SSIVE SPIRIT
WAS AN INSPIRATION TO ME TO
UNDERTAKE THIS WORK
Preface
THIS book is prepared as a practical guide for both large
and small poultry keepers and those interested in start
ing a po,u ltry enterprise. The practices and methods are those
most commonly used by successful poultry keepers and are
based on scientific principles.
The author desires to express his appreciation to the follow
ing members of the Poultry Department at Cornell University,
who read or approved parts of the manuscript in their particu
lar field:
Mr. F. E. Andrews ....... feeding, caponizing and general man-
agement.
Professor H. E. Botsford ... egg marketing.
Dr. J. H. Bruckner ....... breeding methods.
Dr. G. O. Hall ....•. , .... breeds and breeding, selection and poul-
try marketing.
Dr. G. F. Heuser ......... feeding.
Dr. F. B. Hutt ......... ·. genetics.
Dr. W. F. Lamoreux .....• genetics.
Dr. L. C. Norris ......... vitamins.
Professor E. I. Robertson .. feeding and vitamins.
Dr. A. L. Romanoff ...... incubation.
Professor L. E. Weaver .... management.
Professor E. Y. Smith ..... turkeys.
Also to other members of the staff who made suggestions
and other contributions to the book.
The author wishes to express his appreciation for the as
sistance of Dr. E. L. Brunett, who read and approved the chap
ter on diseases and made several valuable suggestions. Dr.
A. M. Goodman and F. L. Fairbanks of the Department of
Agricultural.Engineering of Cornell University for their sug
gestions· on poultry house ventilation. Chapters V and XIII
vii
viii PREFACE
are taken partly from Cornell Bulletins Nos. 153 and 410
written by these men.
Many of the pictures were especially taken by the author
for this book. A number are from the files of the Poultry De
partment at Cornell University. In some cases illustrations
have been taken from books or experiment station bulletins or
have been supplied by commercial concerns, fof which the
author wishes to express his appreciation. Credit has been
given in all such cases.
Although there is more information about poultfY than ever
before, it has not made the management of a flock. any easier.
If anything, it has added to the many' conflictin~ ideas with
regard to the best methods or practices to follow in caring for
a flock. Every poultry keeper, therefore, needs to study, read
extensively, and think clearly before starting an enterprise.
Changes in practice should then be made cautiously and only
when they are based on sound scientlnc evldence i'ltlITl rerra'o\e
sources.
Ithaca, N. Y. L. M. HURD
Contents
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE BUSINESS OF POULTRy-KEEPING • 1
II. STARTING A POULTRY ENTERPRISE • 8
III. CHOOSING A BREED.. • 22
IV. INVESTMENT, RETURNS AND EXPENSES IN POULTRY
FARMlNG 39
V. POULTRy-HoUSE CONSTRUCTION 54
VI. A HOUSE FOR LAYING HENS 79
VII. HATCHING THE EGGS 98
VIII. R!"QUIREMENTS FOR BROODING CHICKENS • 131
IX. BROODING, FEEDING AND REARING CHICKENS. 159
X. CHOOSING A RATION. 189
XI. FEEDING THE LAYING STOCK • 217
XII. VITAMINS • 238
XIII. ARTIFICIAL ILLUMINATION AS A MEANS OF INCREAS-
ING EGG PRODUCTION • 255
XIV. MARKETING EGGS 264
XV. MARKE'flNG POULTRY 298
XVI. CULLING AND SELECTING POULTRY BY EX'l'ERNAL
CHARACTERS 348
XVII. SELECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF BREEDERS FOR EGG
PRODUCTION 377
XVIII. PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING POULTRY FOR EGG PRODUC-
TION 403
XIX. POULTRY DISEASES . 421
XX. TuRKEYS, GUINEA FOWLS AND PEAFOWLS • 501
XXI. DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS. 531
XXII. PIGEONS • 555
XXIII. PHEASANTS 562
ApPENDIX 571
INDEX. 583
Ix
MODERN'
POULTRY FARMING
I. The BusIness of Poultry-Keeping
POULTRY-KEEPING is interesting because it gives
pleasure as well as profit to persons of both sexes, all ages,
all walks in life m all sections of the country It is useful
alike on the farm and in the CIty back-yard, In the cold North,
in the sunny South, in the hIll and mountain country, or on
the plain It may be conducted as an exclusive business or as
a sIde line It affords pleasure and profit for rich and poor
ahke In fact, It IS the universal agricultural industry United
States census reports show that poultry is more generally kept
on farms than any other kind of hve-stock (FIg 1) It is a
health-giving recreation to thousands, as well as a means of
support
FIg 1 The number of ch"kens onjarms over three months of age In 1930 A largejrae
tlOTl oj the poult'JI_produced In the United States comesfrom the Middle West and M,ddll
AtlantIC Statts U S D A
Few realize how large the poultry business is today, due to
the fact that it is spread out over such a large area The units,
though small, count up quickly.
1
2 MODERN POULTRY FARMING
In 1941 the combined gross farm income from chickens and
eggs in the United States was $1,172,466,000. The per capita
consumption of chickens, dressed weight, in the United States
in the same year was 20.3 pounds; eggs, 345.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRY (Figs. 2, 3, 4)
As an occupation, poultry-keeping is comparatively new,
although poultry has heen raised for domestic purposes or
Fzg 2 Eggs produced on farms In 1939 About half of the eggs produced In the Unzted
States comejrom ajew states In the Mzddle West U S D. A.
otherwise for over thirty centuries. No attempt was made to
keep poultry in any extensive commercial way until within the
last half century. Fifty and sixty years ago there was very
little scientific or general information in regard to poultry
keeping. Practically no farms kept as many as 1,000 fowls,
or even 500. Few if any tests were made at experimental sta
tions, and even farm papers had given little attention to this
occupation, while colleges had not taught it in any form.
Today, however, practically every state college is teaching
the science of poultry husbandry and many are doing ex-
THE BUSINESS OF POULTRY-KEEPING 3
tensive experimental work also. There are hundreds of young
men and women graduating from these institutions with special
training along this line. Thousands of others in all parts of
the country have become expert through long years of expe
rience. It is not uncommon now for poultry-farms to keep
5,000 or more hens. The business of raising chickens is no
longer merely a source of pin money for the farmer's wife,
but rather, an interesting occupation giving employment to
thousands.
Per cent
265
250
235
220 POpulatlOn of
1890 = 100"/0 ..--- Humans
205
/..--,
190
./"
175
../" /' .................... 1"W.ch cows
lbO
-
/~ ............. ............•...• ~ .. .
1"1~
130 /".............. . ............... Sheep
110105 ~../ .."~ ---.-----------'-./,.... ........... ......._ ./... ./.._.,- ... '-..........".,-".".. .. -.--.-__- "~'.-I-~.. OSWthienre cattle
............. .. _....-
85 Turkeys
70
55
40
25
10
1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 ·1940
Year
Fig. 3. Trends in numbers of principal farm animals from 1890 to 1940. U. S. D. A.
Statistics 1941.
One result of the rapid development of the poultry industry
has been the broadening of the field of specialization within
it. This has been stimulated by the rapid increase in the
amount of poult~y kept and the newer methods of caring for it.