1922.] Californian Poultry Raising and Marketing. 



2,000 being a frequent quantity. The cockerels are separated 

 at the earliest possible moment. Success is only due to de- 

 tailed personal attention to such matters as feeding, ventilation, 

 control of light, and care that the chickens do not damage each 

 other by toe-picking, overcrowding and so on. 



Houses. — The Chamber of Commerce of Petaluma encour- 

 ages the use of trap-nests and modern hen-houses by means of 

 egg-laying contests and kindred activities, while, as will be 

 shown later, the methods of the co-operative egg-marketing 

 association make it to the interest of the poultry farmer to use 

 the most scientific methods possible. Many of the Petaluma 

 ranches still retain the " Colony " type of hen-house with a 

 common run for several houses, but these are being supplanted, 

 whenever possible, by more modern types of houses. The 

 scheme now^ being adopted is to provide a house accommodating 

 some 3,000 hens, the house being divided into sections each 

 holding about 250 birds. A separate run is provided for each 

 section, and where possible, a double run system is used, the 

 runs either being arranged on both sides of the house or divided 

 longitudinally on one side only. 



Trap-nest systems appear generally to be confined to ranches 

 producing eggs for hatching, and the majority of the farmers 

 rely on their experience in judging the qualities of a hen, 

 combined with the system known as ' * Hoganising 

 (i.e. the handling test). 



The houses of the poultry-farm owned by the hatchery de- 

 scribed below may be taken as typical of the principle upon 

 which Petaluma farmers worlv, though in practice possiblv not 

 many of the ranches are so scientifically organised throughout. 



The houses on this ranch, some 50 ft. long by 20 ft. wide, 

 are built to accommodate 500 hens. They are lighted by 

 muslin-covered windows and by electric Kght. The roosting 

 perches run lengthways, are movable, and on one level. They 

 are wide enough for the hen to perch without gTasping with the 

 feet, as this form of perch is considered to be less tiring for 

 the hen, and hence to contribute something towards its egg- 

 lavino- capacity. Beneath the roost is a dropping board, some 

 B ft. in. from the ground and 12 in. below the perches. 

 These arrangements leave the wliole of one side and one end of 

 the house for trap-nests, which are placed at a height of about 

 4 ft. from the ground, to make egg-collecting easy. 



One trap-nest for every three hens is found to be 

 sufficient, eggs being collected every hour, and credited to the 



