Profits in poultry keeping solved

Front matter

Historic, archived document

“THE BRIGGS SYSTEACL

PROFITS IN POULTRY'KEEPING

Contents

PAGE CHAPTER I— Briggs’ Poultry Plant - ee ie eee 5 1 7 CHAPTER II — Failures and How to Avoid Them - 10 CHAPTER III — How to Erect and Run a FIO JEL RENE for Profit 12 CHAPTER IV — Location of:a Plant - - 12 CHAPTER V—Laying Out a Plant - - Ss 13 CHAPTER VI — Specifications for the Model eas fine House Se alo: CHAPTER VII — Directions for Constructing the Sos LES INS Bloree 15 CHAPTER VIIL— Making of Hoppers -- - 20 CHAPTER IX — Care of Layers. - aa MS 6 oe 21 CHAPTER X — An Egg Plant. for Profit are ae =) aD CHAPTER XI— Processed Feeds and How to Produce Them - 26 CHAPTER XII — Summer Care - Se Bil CHAPTER XIII —A Free Range Plant salah Teast abou le 34 CHAPTER XIV — Caring for a Yarded Plant - - - 36 CHAPTER XV — How to Build an Ideal Incubator House Se 38 CHAPTER XVI — How to Run an Incubator ay ict ) y= ent OS CHAPTER XVII — Chicks raised Nature’s Way ee ey Wels 41 CHAPTER XVIII — Hatching Baby Chicks for EEE - - - 45 CHAPTER XIX —A Perfect Brooder - - 46 CHAPTER XX — Raising Broilers— Bowel Trouble, It’s foams and Cure a IO =) OS eee 49 CHAPTER XXI— Cold and Roup - PU ce oy) CHAPTER XXII — Caring for a Plant where! W heat or SSS IS Cannot be Bought - - 53 CHAPTER XXIII — When and How to Start in Poultry Business 54 CHAPTER XXIV —A Leghorn Plant for Profit -— - = 56 CHAPTER XXV—A White Wyandotte Plant for Profit - - 59 CHAPTER XXVI—A Combination Plant for Profit, Fruit, Poultry and Bees - - 62 CHAPTER XXVII — Loss of Breeders Diets Heavy Laying Season 63 CHAPTER XXVIII — Molting - 64 CHAPTER XXIX — Feeding and Selection of Large Breeds Important - Ess 65 CHAPTER XXX — To Erect a Yarded Plant - = Of, CHAPTER XXXI — Fireless Brooder. Tricks of the Trade, ete - 68 CHAPTER XXXII— Duck Culture - = 09 CHAPTER XXXIH — Packing Eggs for Hatching and Market - 72 CHAPTER XXXIV — Telling “the Sex - = er CHAPTER XXXV — Keeping Eggs Clean in the Nests SE 74 CHAPTER XXXVI — Summary Se ee ee ree SoS o/c! BricGs’ “SECRETS IN POULTRY CULTURE”

Secret of Success in Handling Early Chicks eens US) Secret of Raising Late Hatched Chicks =) Let Pc eee 79 Secret of Large Egg Yield - - - - - = =O, Secret of Feeding Unthreshed Grain in Winter =.) as eae 81 Secret of Getting Begs Every: Monthy— =) 0-8 se Se Secret of Curing White Diarrhoea. -'.- |- <= = @2aeae 83 Secretof CurinesGapes) = = =) = = Secret Formula for Lice Powder - = = = = =" = 84 Secret for Making Liquid Lice Killer - - - - - - - 85 Secret of Raising Turkeys - - = 20 (Sen 86 Secret of Dry Mash for “Baby Chicks = = ce = = oO Secret of Dry Mash for Laying Fowls - - - - - = 87 priolerbou liom bie tuivlery Y ~.. - ano Co 1) ef Congress under Sec. 59, © CLAS 4% G0 n—

Rew GUN E 6

CHAPTER I Briggs’ Poultry Plant

In the summer of 1909 I transferred to the publishers of “Poultry Success,” of Springfield, Ohio, the right, title, and ownership of the copyright and property of this book, and all future editions; and entered into a contract to continue my investigations and experiments, and to include all my new ideas, discoveries and secrets in new and revised editions of “Profits in Poultry Keeping Solved,” to be published by “Poultry Success.” Under this arrangement the revised Fourth Edition was published by The A. D, Hosterman Company, publishers of “Poultry Success,” in the Fall of 1910. The object of myself and the publishers is to get out a new edition as often as it seems advisable, so as to give the public the benefit of my latest experiments which have proved of value.

In 1908 I bought a farm of 60 acres upon which I have since lived and carried on my experiments. This farm was especially adapted to building one of my free range plants upon, and where I could entertain my friends, who are always welcome and made to feel at home.

I am now keeping on my plant nearly 2,000 layers of the very choicest Single Comb White Leghorns to be found in this country, and these are housed and cared for exclusively on my famous free range system. These, with over 2,000 more, mated on outside farms are all cared for in the same manner as those at home. Thus I am in fine shape to handle my trade in eggs for hatching in large and small lots, besides baby chicks in season.

I now have 38 houses on my home plant for poultry alone, both old and young. I have 14 colony houses, 8 x 16, where all my young stock is raised on free range. These colony houses are in rows upon a four-acre field, divided by a four-foot wire-netting fence from my layers, and this ground is set out to peach and plum trees which gave us a fine crop of fruit this year, and makes an ideal place for growing young stock.

I spare no pains or expense in growing my young birds. My aim is to restock part of my plant each year with pullets which are about one year old when the breeding season starts, and I also raise several hundred grand cockerels for breeding, which I have a large market for. Nearly all my pullets are hatched in February and March, which means that I hatch from my greatest layers, as the best layers will be laying in January and February. The poorer the layer the later in the Spring will she start to lay. No eggs laid contain greater vitality than those laid first, so in this way I am not only developing a heavy laying strain, but birds of the greatest health and vigor.

I have at present 23 laying houses, all filled with Single Comb White Leghorns of the highest quality. Most of these houses carry 75 layers each. In front of my dwelling, across the highway, I have a five-acre field with a fine stream of water running through it, making one of the most natural locations to be found hereabouts for poultry. I carry nearly 1,000 layers in this field. ‘They are one-year-old Single Comb White Leghorns of exceptional quality. This ground is composed of sand and gravel—a more perfect soil cannot be found for poultry. The balance of my layers are kept on high limestone ground under my special system of cultivation, and gives grand results.

I have also built, since the last edition of my book came out, a large incubator house, 30 x 30, on a side-hill. The basement is filled with incubators, and the upper story is used for a feed house. I also use the basement of this house for processing my oats.

During 1913 I contemplate building another large incubator house, 20 x 75, or larger, to hold two mammoth incubators, as my baby chick business is outgrowing my present capacity. I will run 35 290-egg incubators during 1913, and expect to be able to ship 70,000 baby chicks.

Visitors are welcome at my poultry plant any day except Sunday. Do not fail to pay me a visit if you come this way. My place is located three-quarters of a mile from Pleasant Valley depot, on the old P. E. R. R., now owned and run by the New York, New Haven & Hartford R. R. All trains from Poughkeepsie Bridge Depot stop at Pleasant Valley. To reach my place from station, turn to left, walk to hotel past the front and turn to the left, walk north by the hotel and straight ahead until you reach my place—fifteen minutes walk from the depot. If notified I will meet you at the station with my automobile,

RESIDENCE OF THE AUTHOR, AT PLEASANT VALLEY, N. Y., AND WHERE HIS GREAT EXPERIMENTAL POULTRY PLANT IS MAINTAINED AND OPERATED,

CHAPTER II Failures and How to Avoid Them.—Secrets of Success

I feel that I must say a few words at this time to the old poultry raisers, as well as to the new ones. It may surprise many to know that some of the largest poultry plants in the country have gone out of business in the last few years simply because they tried to run their plants contrary to or against nature.

I took a) little trip in August of 1911, and visited some of these large plants and observed enough to convince me as to why they failed. As a rule they are so pressed for cash early in the Spring they sell too closely the eggs produced for hatching and for baby chicks. The result is they keep none for their own plant until May and June, and their own plant is therefore stocked with a lot of late-hatched weakly chicks which they try to grow up for next season’s breeders. The result is a lot of undersized pullets lacking in stamina, are placed in their yards for breeders. This plan is followed for two or three years and the next thing is a lot of sick birds full of roup and the plant is out of business. Late-hatched chicks have not the stamina, and being weakly are subject to all the diseases known.

My birds grow in vigor each year and are among the greatest layers in this country, and there is no reason why others cannot do the same if they follow my methods. Thera is no other way to my mind, that one can build up a successful poultry plant; one that will pay a profit for years to come.

Labor is another item that has helped to put many of the large plants out of business. You may ask why I do not built up a plant capable of carrying 10,000 layers. I will tell you. Competent labor cannot be found, and I prefer to handle only what business I can look after personally, for in no other way can you do a satisfactory business with the public. I personally pick out all stock shipped from my plant, as well as pack all eggs, crate all baby chicks, and personally look after every detail. In this way I have built up a wonderful business, a thing anyone ought to be able to do if they give it the same personal care. I conduct my plant so as to produce the greatest layers and at the same time get more vigorous birds yearly.

My first eggs are placed in the incubators so as fo hatch the last Saturday in February. This is my hatch and these chicks are kept on the place.

POULTRY RAISING 1d

The next eggs are put in to come off the next week on Monday that is nine days from the first. With this hatch I fill all remaining brooders on my plant. The balance are used to fill my first baby chick orders.

I have thus placed out chicks to replace my breeders before I ship out a single baby chick order, and the result is my pullets are all hatched from the very best layers on my plant, for the greatest layers are always laying in January and February and the eggs laid during these two months hatch chicks with the vigor and stamina of the hen.

These chicks just live and grow from the start, and begin to lay in July and August, and lay a number of eggs until in October or about November Ist, when many of them

GENERAL VIEW OF BRIGGS’ POULTRY PLANT Operated according to the system described in this book will pass through a moult, and when they start to laying again in January they are yearling hens and make the very choicest of breeders. In this way you can depend on your poultry plant being a success. This is truly the secret of success of any plant. :

*Crel Oll is very important to use in keeping all germs and lice down. Also Little Red Hen Tonic should always be kept on hand in cases of emergency.

*Editor’s Note :—‘Crel Oll” is manufactured by the Caledonia Chemical Company, Caledonia, New York.

CHAPTER III How to Erect and Run a Poultry Plant for Profit

I will now tell you how to erect and run a poultry plant on an entirely new system for saving labor and money making. A plant for the farmer as much as the business man; a plant that can be run by an amateur, so that without experience it can be made to pay a profit from the start. It is conceded by men who know, that ninety-five out of every one hundred who start make a failure in the poultry business. The reason for this is because they go entirely opposite to nature in caring for them. A hen in her wild state roosts in trees and feeds on seeds of various kinds, worms and insects of every description, and when you shut her up in a yard you make a prisoner of her. Under these conditions she is fed on mashes of various kinds until she is sick and out of condition and the natural result or consequence is she does not lay more than 1% the eggs she is capable of doing, in some cases not an egg. Hens kept under such conditions in many cases die of roup or cholera or other malignant diseases.

Another very important thing we can learn from the hen in her wild state is that she always lays her brood of eggs during the spring time, hatches and raises her chicks when the ground gives up a crop of worms and various other insects, and by the time the chicks are fit to wean, dry weather of summer comes on and worms and insects become scarce, and the result is the hen lays no more eggs during the year.

Now, in order to keep hens laying the year round, we must produce spring-time conditions the year round. And there is nothing that can take the place of insects equal to green cut bone but this is very hard to obtain in most places, and especially on a large scale, therefore, as a rule, we must use beef scraps in place of it.

CHAPTER IV Location

First of all we must have a suitable location. This is a very important thing if you are going in the poultry business for profit. If you do not own a farm and wish to buy one, by all means spend some time and get one suitable for the business. I advise not less than fifty to seventy-five acres. One with a nice big orchard on it is most desirable. By all means get a place with one or more streams of water running through it, and if these streams are fed by springs so much the better. Under no circumstances buy a place for the poultry business unless it is well watered, for this is where a great amount of labor saving comes in, moreover, the poultry will do much better—this is nature.

Get a place, if possible, sloping to the south, with gravel- Iv or sandy soil. Sixty acres will carry five thousand layers nicely and leave room enough to raise six thousand youngsters if it is laid out right, besides furnish pasture for your horses and cows, leaving room for garden and various other things you will want ona farm. An ideal poultry farm should be inclosed with a five-foot fence of wire netting and two barb wires over this. It should also have a base board of rough hemlock sunk two inches or more below the surface of the ground. This makes a plant practically proof against all kind of animals, and there is nothing that has more enemies than chickens. This is all the fence you will need on your plant, as a rule, unless you go into fancy breeding or wish to divide your cockerels and pullets, in this case you should fence in the fields. Your hens must have free range if you want results and you should remember the profit lies in eggs. Therefore, an egg plant is what you must have to make money. A plant of this kind laid out right and handled properly can be run by the labor of one man most of the time, as under my system labor is reduced to the minimum. High cost of labor has put more poultry plants out of businss than any other one thing.

CHAPTER V Laying Out a Plant

Build the laying houses on both sides of the stream of water far enough away to keep on high ground. Put your houses 60 to 75 feet apart according to your ground, allowing from 60 to 75 Leghorns to a house; or fifty Wyandottes, Rocks or the larger breeds. Colonize your flocks in this manner, then you will have no further trouble, as nearly every hen will go in her own house.

To flock or colonize them, put your hens in the house and keep them shut up for three days, letting them out on the third day one hour before dark. Your hens get acquainted in the three days they are shut up together and will ever after that run together and return to their own house to lay and roost. After trying houses of various kinds and styles, I have never found one that suits me so well as the one illustrated below and will later describe. I consider it the most perfect house built at the present time—and also the cheapest of construction.

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LAYING HOUSE

THE BRIGGS MODEL

CHAPTER VI Specifications for the Model Laying House

Following is a list of the lumber that is required to build a house, such as is referred to in the preceding chapter:

Three chestnut planks, 2 by 8 by 20 feet long.

Thirty-three boards, 1 by 8 by 16 feet long, tongued and grooved.

Thirty-three boards, 1 by 8 by 14 feet long, tongued and grooved.

Twelve hemlock, 2 by 4 by 20 feet long.

Five 2 by 3, ten feet long, for roosts.

Three windows, one 8 by 10 glass, six panes each and 2 canvas covered frames.

This house is ten feet wide, twenty feet long, four feet high at eaves, with double pitched roof made of tongued and grooved boards, so that roofing of any kind is not required. A roof of this kind will never leak, to any amount, if put up with lumber well dried out.

Cypress is the best of all lumber for these houses as it will stand the weather far better than any other kind, and will last for many years without decaying. White pine is the next best and the only other kind of lumber that can be successfully used where no lining paper or roofing paper is used. Second quality lumber will answer every purpose if you use judgment in cutting it and putting it on, but you must have your lumber good and dry, so it will not shrink apart.

Use the best lumber on north side and end of house. A view of the frame illustrated elsewhere will aid you very much in building your first house.

CHAPTER VII Directions for Constructing the Model Laying House

I will now try to tell you very plainly how to construct these houses, so that anyone that can use a saw and hammer ought to be able to build them.

First square up two planks twenty feet long, then take your third plank and make two planks ten feet long each Now spike your twenty-foot plank on vour ten-foot plank, using twenty-penny nails, and you have a box twenty feet long and ten feet four inches wide outside measure.

Saw six pieces of 2 by 4, four feet long, then saw out each one of these 2 by 8. These make your corner posts and also your center posts. Spike these firmly on your plank box, one in each corner, and one in the center of house, letting the 2 by 8 piece come on your plank. Nail from inside and let flat side come towards ends. This will make your outside even. Then saw four pieces 3 feet 4 inches long to double your corners with. These nail from plank up on each end. This will make them all even on ends and sides. Now take a 2 by 4, just 20 feet long, nailing one on each side flatways on top of your uprights even with ends and outside. Now takea2 by 4 ten feet four inches long, saw two inches out of each end, drop this in center of house on your plank, which drops bottom two inches below level of plank; spike firmly both ways. This keeps your house from spreading and is also a division. Take a 2 by 4 nine feet eight inches Jong, spike this at end of house, opposite end from door, between your 2 by 4 even with top of plate. This piece stays and keeps your end from spreading and is also used to nail your end boards to. Now take two more 2 by 4, saw ten feet three inches long,

ILLUSTRATION OF FRAME

THE BRIGGS’ MODEL LAYING AND BROODING HOUSE

POULTRY RAISING ari nail one in center of house to upright under plate, nail the other at end where your door goes in same way, using a twenty-penny nail—just one in each end—as both of these come out after your roof is on. These are used to keep house from spreading and are also used in putting roof on, as we lay a 20-foot plank on them to stand on in nailing the roof on. Now saw two sets of rafters, each rafter 6 feet 8 inches long. Heel must fit on plate and have your top come together nicely.

Make a pattern and keep it for future sawing, as you may have trouble fitting the first pair.

Nail each set together on ground, then spike firmly on to your plates even with outside in each case. After this, put in a ridge, a 2 by 4, 19 feet 8 inches long. Spike this in peak between your sets of rafters, letting flat side come even with south side of house and upper edge even with peak. Spike firmly through end of rafters, using three spikes in each end. Then fit a pair of rafters in center of house, raising your ridge in center a little above a level. Then put in two cross-pieces, three feet from peak on each side. Spike firmly through end rafters and center rafter, as your roof boards nail on these. Now put in your door studding in center of end. Then make your door about thirty inches wide, according to the width of your boards, and about six feet high. Put in a 2 by 4 on each side, setting bottom on plank and sawing on top to fit under rafter. Now put a short piece on top and you have your frame complete, except a 2 by 4 from door frame to corner of house, to nail your end boards to.

Now you are ready for the siding. Take, if you use white pine, 1 by 8, 16 foot boards. Take 16 boards, sawing each in four feet lengths. This gives you 64 boards, four feet long. Begin at a corner, nailing one inch from top of plate, as your roof boards come over these and just pass it. See that you get your joints perfectly tight.

After putting on both sides put on your ends, up and down same as siding. For roof boards saw 14 foot boards one-half inch from center. This makes one-half of the boards just one inch longer than the other. Now plane off the groove in first board. Let this project two inches over end of house. Put on the south side first using your shortest boards nailing them about three-eighths of an inch from the peak, as the boards on north side nail over these, and in this case you use no ridge board.

Your roof boards should be very dry, and if put firmly together, you will have no leaky roofs.

DIAGRAM OF END OF HOUSE

Next saw out openings for your windows and curtain frames. One opening for each.

Just back of the center of the south side cut opening for a glass window, nail a 2 by 4 lengthwise for window to slide on. Put your other opening in towards front from center about two boards from center of house and under plate, just the same as the window opening was placed and fit a frame covered with muslin instead of sash in this opening. See illustration.

Saw a hole for letting out fowls in front part of house under the two openings and put in a slide which may be slid sideways with your feet.

Now place your roosts. First, nail a strip up and down seven feet from back end. Put a 2 by 4 block on plank to keep this strip out so window will slide in between. Now nail a seven foot strip from end of house to your short strip sixteen inches below top of plate. Do this on both sides and on these boards lay your roosts 2 by 3 ten feet long. About 5 of these gives sixty hens plenty of room. You can notch your board one inch to lay them in. Do not nail them.

Put in your feed hoppers and nests, and your house is practically complete.

POULTRY RATSING 19

Nests

I will tell you in this connection how to make one of the handiest and best nests I know of, one of my own invention, very simple in construction, one anyone can make, who can use a saw,and hammer. Take a tongued and grooved board (yellow pine is the cheapest), 7 1-2 inches wide 16 ft. long sawed in two making two 8 foot lengths. Take 3 of. these 8 foot lengths,.cleat them together with 4 cleats about 21 inches long leaving 1 inch at back for nest to rest on a long cleat nailed to side of house when nest is put up. Nail another board on top of this in front which forms the front of your nests. Now saw 9 pieces 13 inches long and put one every foot. Nail these inside of board which forms your front by nailing through this board into each strip. At end of these 9 pieces nail a 4 inch strip entire length 8 feet, and you have 8 nests complete. In order to put a steep cover on your nests so no hens can roost upon the nest, you saw 6 boards same length as the bottom of your nests about 22 1-2 inches long, and saw on a slant from back side or from side of house to

ILLUSTRATION OF ONE SECTION OF NEST BOXES

20 BRIGGS AS YsiEMa@b your front board so the nest is about 1 board high in front and 3 boards high in back. For a cover lay yoer first board even with outer edge of nest. The next board is nailed firmly to the 3 partitions also your next which will come to the siding just under plate; now hinge your first board to second, then all you have to do to get your eggs is to raise your hinged board which gives access to all eight nests. The hens enter the nests at either end, on side nearest to wall of your house. I nail these nests against back side of house about 18 inches from floor. Leghorn hens easily jump into them. For larger breeds it is best to nail a short board at each end, 4 inches lower than opening. I find this set of 8 nests sufficient for 75 layers. ;

CHAPTER VIII Making of Hoppers

Your feed hopper should be made large enough to take a bag of feed of one hundred pounds, sufficient to last a flock of sixty layers near two weeks. To make this, take a common hemlock board, twelve inches wide, for bottom and ends,

VIEW Feed Hopper

ILLUSTRATION OF FEED HOPPER saw a piece two feet long for bottom, two pieces three feet long for ends. Nail these together. Now use tongued and grooved boards for back and front. To put in your back, fit your first board inside of ends, letting it come on bottom in center of hopper and top edge of board even with back of hopper, putting rest of back boards even with outside. Better put rest of boards on outside. Now for your tront put first board one inch from bottom and one inch from your other board letting top of board come even with outside front of feeder, then board up on outside. This lets your feed come out in front. Now put a four-inch strip across front at bottom. This keeps your hens from throwing out the grain.

You can also make a three-department box for oyster shells, grit and charcoal, which should be kept before them at all times—grit to grind their feed, oyster shells for lime in making shells, etc., and charcoal for a regulator.

Another hopper which can be made at small expense and is grand for feeding beef scraps is as follows: Get a box at grocery store, say 15 inches long, 5 inches wide, and 10 or 12 inches high; now board this box up tight; only leave a 3-inch opening across entire front of box at top. Fill this box with beef scraps; hang on a nail by boring a hole near the top and your hens can eat until it is empty and no bother about clogging. Other sizes of boxes will work just the same. You can use one double this size for other feed. Your hens put their heads in this 3-inch opening and eat. Hang box close to the ground. These boxes will cost you nothing at grocery stores where you trade.