20 X. II. Agb. Expeeiment Station [Bulletin 265 



Tn many instances, the use of extra labor resulted from lack of avail- 

 able capital rather than from lack of understanding of the problem. 

 Farms with inadequate equipment were considering changes to save 

 labor as fast as their capital warranted. 



Practicallv every farm contributed some rather ingenious labor- 

 saving method or device. On one farm the operator had practically cut 

 out the large amount of labor necessary to clean dropping boards by 

 merely placing his roosts over a wire-mesh frame. The droppings thus 

 required cleaning only a few times a year. In spite of the fact that this 

 method was wasteful' of space it suited that particular poultry-man's 

 conditions. On several farms were found home-made automatic water- 

 ing devices, automatic switches for turning on lights in laying pens, 

 central heating plants for brooding, carriers and many other devices 

 for saving labor. 



Hired Labor 



On the small farms about 8% of the total labor, or 339 hours, was 

 hired, and on the large farms 69%, or 7934 hours. The cost of this 

 labor averaged $128 on the small farms, and $2837 on the large farms. 

 The nine farms in the 501-1000 bird size found it necessary to hire 38% 

 of their total labor, which represented an out-of-pocket expense of 

 $64.1. 



In contrast to these rather large expenditures for labor was the situ- 

 ation on certain individual farms. For instance. Farm 18, with an aver- 

 age of 1117 layers and a baby chick business, hired only 250 hours of 

 labor, representing an expenditure of only $84. In other words, on this 

 particular farm of over 1000 birds only 7% of the total labor was 

 hired. The efficiency comes from well-planned daily chores and a well 

 organized plant layout, 



This matter of hired labor is of tremendous importance to the indi- 

 vidual poultryman, and with threatened lower margins will in the 

 future need to be given more attention. The size of business must be 

 adjusted to the available labor. On a one-man plant, sufficient layers 

 should be housed to use the operator's time to best advantage. The 

 number will, of course, depend on the physical ability of the operator 

 and the type of poultry business. The operator who expects to keep a 

 year-round man should plan not only to have business of sufficient size 

 to keep both the hired man and himself busy but to use the time advan- 

 tageously. Some of the farms have more layers than one man can care 

 for conveniently, and yet not enough to keep a hired man employed to 

 advantage at all times; under these circumstances the operator and the 

 man put in the time but do not operate efficiently during- most of the 

 year. An increase in size of business beyond the point where outside or 

 additional labor must be employed should be planned only when the 

 additional income will more than offset the additional expenses, includ- 

 ing the cost of extra labor. 



