POULTRY PROFITS 7r 



Table 3. Poultry Flocks Classified According to Labor Return per Bird. 



I-abor Return per Bird Number of Flocks Studied 



Dollars 1926 1927 



-LOO — 0.00 4 3 



0.00— .99 13 10 



1.00— 1.99 24 38 



2.00 — 2.99 40 39 



3.00— 3.99 24 18 



4.00— 4.99 18 14 



5.00 — 5.99 9 4 



6'. 00'— 6.99 10 2 



i.OO — 7.99 2 2 



8.00 — 8.99 2 



9.00 — 9.99 



10.00 — 10.99 



ILOO — 11.99 2 



Total 144 134 



farm busine.s.s. The individual poultrynian cannot change everything, but 

 he may have tlie opportunity of adjusting those factors which can be 

 controlled to offset adverse changes in others. 



It will be understood that not all of the causes of variation in labor 

 return have been included in this study. Some factors, such as daily 

 management of the flock, handling of disease and sanitation problems, and 

 other practices are not easily measured by simple flock records. Still 

 other factors were not available in the records in enough detail to be of 

 value. The final analysis was therefore limited to a study of the effect of 

 the following factors on labor return per bird: 



1. Annual egg production per bird; sum of the monthly averages for 

 each flock. 



2. Diversity of enterprise; credits from all sources except market eggs, 

 expressed in dollars per bird. 



3. Index of change in flock size; percentage that the average number 

 of birds is of the initial number. 



4. Price of eggs; sum of the monthly prices for each flock, divided 

 by 12. 



5. Fall egg production in the four months, September through Decem- 

 ber, expressed as a percentage of the total production for the year. 



Most of the flocks studied were composed of Rhode Island Reds, some 

 were Leghorns, and a few were othel* breeds. Since breed differences are 

 largely reflected through the factors just enumerated, breed was not in- 

 cluded as a factor in the study. 



Effect of Individual Factors on Labor Return per Bird 



Tlie results of the analysis are expressed in terms of the eft'ect of each 

 factor on labor return per bird. This was foimd preferable to measur- 

 ing the eft'ect on lalior return from the flock because dift'erences in size 

 of flock overshadowed the other factors when placed on that basis. 



Since a preliminary analysis showed no measurable relationship between 

 size of flock and labor return per bird, size of flock was not further con- 

 sidered anu)ng the factors affecting labor return per bird. So far as th^ 



