additional costs and savings, it is likely that mechanization can be carried 

 further with the larger and more specialized enterprises. 



Pen Arrangement, Size, and Seqence. 



Rearrangement of equipment within pens can frequently yield potential 

 time savings. A relatively small amount of labor need be invested, but unless 

 the proper re-alignment of equipment is devised, time savings may be small. 

 This indicates the need for considerable advance planning before rearranging 

 equipment within pens. 



However, with respect to pen size, it is somewhat easier to demonstrate 

 labor savings with large pens instead of small ones. Reductions in feeding 

 time and travel distance by removing partitions to enlarge pens were ob- 

 served in a Pennsylvania study.* Most new construction of commercial 

 poultry units in New Hampshire incorporates large pens. Table 12 presents 

 some examples of the effect of pen size upon man minutes required daily to 

 feed 100 layers. 



Table 12. Influence of Laying Pen Size on Labor Efficiency in Feeding, 4 New Hampshire Farms 



Because of a limited amount of data suitable for classification, it was 

 impossible in this study to demonstrate conclusively the effect of number of 

 pens in sequence upon feeding time. However, it is not difficult to diagram 

 the potential savings in travel distance under different conditions. A number 

 of pens in sequence are probably more efficient than a like number of single 

 pens, but as with other factors, there is undoubtedly a point at which the 

 number of pens in sequence becomes so great that efficiency drops sharply. 

 Just what this number is in each case would depend upon the feeding method 

 (all-mash or mash-scratch-pellets) and upon the capacity of means used to 

 transmit feed to pens (hand, carrier, automatic feeder). 



The Diverse Nature of Housing and Handling and Feeding Grain. 



An appraisal of housing facilities on New Hampshire poultry farms 

 reveals great variability between farms and even on the same farm. There 

 are scattered individual units of small dimensions, remodelled barns, con- 



* Bressler, G. 0., Labor Saving on Pennsylvania Poultry Farms, Penna. Agr. Exp. 

 Sta. Bui. 532, Aug. 1950, pp. 49-50. 



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