Contents 



Introduction 1 



Bulk Feed Handling on the Farm 3 



Availability of the Service 3 



Accessibility of the Farm Storage 5 



Cash Savings on Purchase Price of Feed 7 



Indirect Savings 8 



Alternatives, Benefits, Costs 9 



Effects on the Labor Force 11 



The Efficiency of the Grain-Feed Operation on Poultry Farms 12 



Unit Size and Specialization 12 



Pen Arrangement, Size, and Sequence 15 



The Diverse Nature of Housing and Handling and Feeding Grain 15 



Non-Mechanized Handling of Bagged Feed 16 



Mechanized Handling of Bagged Feed 16 



Gravity-flow Installations 17 



Installations for Handling Bulk Feed 19 



Incorporating Existing Equipment When Shifting to Bulk Feed .... 19 



Time Requirements in Feeding Laying Hens 24 



An Appraisal of Several Feeding Arrangements 27 



Time Savings in Replacement Rearing 29 



The Efficiency of the Grain-Feeding Operation on Dairy Farms 33 



Improving Efficiency Through Location and Rearrangement 35 



The Nature of Facilities for Receiving, Storing, and Handling 



Grain 36 



Some Grain-Feeding Arrangements for Dairy Farms 37 



An Appraisal of Several Feeding Arrangements 38 



Dry Cows and Young Stock 41 



Conclusions 42 



Acknowledgments 



The authors are appreciative of the time given and the interest 

 displayed by over 100 poultry and dairy farmers, and of their 

 efforts to provide working data on feeding operations and arrange- 

 ments for handling feed on the farm. Acknowledgment is due John 

 Holmes and Kenneth Taylor for their outstanding work on field 

 surveys; and to E. T. Bardwell for his preparation of many of the 

 illustrations. The manuscript was critically reviewed by Professors 

 K. S. Morrow (Dairy Husbandry), Richard Warren (Poultry 

 Husbandry), and H. N. Colby (Agricultural Engineering), and the 

 authors are indebted for their constructive comments. 



