78 



RHODE ISLAND REDS 



A good view of this weaning section of the brooder house 

 with the upper halves of the windows open and showipg- 

 part of some 1200 fine well-grown pullets is shown in the 

 accompanying illustration. Another view of one of the long 

 poultry buildings shows well-grown pullets and cockerels 

 enjoying the shade. 



At Elm Farm preference is given to pullets hatched in 

 April or before May 15th and to cockerels hatched from 

 March 15th to May 15th. As soon as the cockerels begin to 

 annoy the pullets they are separated from them, culled care- 

 fully, and the culls sold to market as broilers or roasters. 

 The sales of cull cockerels and pullets as broilers, fryers and 

 roasters go a long way toward paying the cost of rearing the 

 young stock saved for breeding and laying. The hatching 

 season usually begins about the first of February and^ends 

 by the middle of June or the first of July, depending largely 

 upon the demand for day-old chicks. Practically all eggs 

 produced on this plant, except those intended for home use 

 are sent off by express on the same day on^^which they are 

 laid. 



Feeding methods 



No regular system of feeding is employed at Elm Egg 

 Farm. Only good, sound grain is purchased and the supply 

 found at Elm Farm was the best grain we have seen this 

 season. As a rule the young chickens are fed dry, com- 

 mercial chick food being preferred after a first few feeds of 

 stale bread crumbs and milk, squeezed dry. A well-known 

 standard brand of commercia,l chick food is used almost ex- 

 clusively in addition to a dry mash made of one-half "Ver- 

 mont" mixed feed (a mixture of wheat bran and fancy mid- 

 dlings, equal p,arts), and one-half best beef scrap. To this 

 is added about 10 per cent of oil meal (old process linseed 

 meal). This is used to promote feather production and to 

 put a gloss into the plumage. The dry mash is kept before 

 the growing chicks all the time in addition to the regular 

 feedings of chick food. The dry grain chick food is fed at 

 frequent intervals until the chicks are well started, when 

 they are put on a four-times-a-day feeding ration until they 

 are able to take whole wheat and cracked corn; then the 

 regular meals are given three times daily. 



The breeding and laying stock is not fed a fixed or regular 

 ration but has a variety of wholesome food, the grain depend- 

 ing upon the season, the variety available and the market 

 prices. For hot weather feeding the fowls are given two 

 meals a day of mixed grain consisting mainly of oats, wheat 

 and a little cracked yellow corn. "Montana" heavy clipped 



View of one of the breeding and laying houses, Ebn Egg Farm, 

 for broody hens in the foreground. 



Carrying crate used on Elm Egg Farm, Mansfield, Mass., showing 

 Khode Island Red broilers before and after dressing. 



white oats are given the preference. A quantity of these oats 

 arrived during our stay on the plant and they proved to be 

 of exceptional fine quality, firm, well filled and running about 

 40 pounds to the bushel. In addition to the regular feedings 

 of mixed grain, beef scrap and shorts or "Vermont" mixed 

 feed are kept before the fowls all the time in separate pans, 

 boxes or food hoppers. 



The winter or laying ration for both laying and breed- 

 ing stock differs considerably from this summer method and 

 a moist mash is used, feeding at night about one hour before 

 roosting time five or six days a week a moist crumbly mash, 

 all the birds will clean up in from twenty minutes to half an 

 hour. This mash is made up as follows: Mixed feed (a 

 mixture of bran or shorts and fancy middlings, equal parts), 

 about 70 lbs.; yellow meal, 10 tbs.; cracked corn, 5 to 10 lbs.; 

 whole oats, 5 to 10 lbs.; beef scrap, 10 tbs.; cut alfalfa, 10 

 per cent of whole. Grain is all mixed dry, alfalfa scalded 

 before mixing with the mash. One teaspoonful of salt is 

 allowed for each 12 quarts of mash. Often the grain is not 

 mixed, but is added to the alfalfa and the water in which 

 it was scalded in a large food cooker, each ingredient being 

 added separately and the whole 

 mash stirred until it is only moist 

 and crumbly. The morning feed in 

 winter consists of a mixture of whole 

 corn, 40 lbs.; amber or macaroni 

 wheat, 40 lbs.; Montana oats, 20 lbs.; 

 mixed and scattered in deep, clean 

 rye straw litter. A fair-sized hand- 

 ful of this mixed grain is allowed 

 for each bird in the pen. Occa- 

 sionally a little kaffir corn, barley 

 or buckwheat is added to the mixed 

 grain, according to price and con- , 

 venience in obtaining the supply. 

 As before stated, all rye straw 

 used for litter is grown on the 

 place. 



The eggs intended for shipment 

 are packed or boxed in a building ad- 

 joining the cook house. Those sold 

 for hatching purposes are carefully 

 wrapped in excelsior, then packed 



Breaking up coop used 



