When the Colony Houses are in use they are cleaned and rebedded every two or three weeks, as required, during the first part of the Spring. After the first part of the season is over, say from July 1st., they are not cleaned as often for the reason that there is very little dampness, and so long as the Houses remain dry, the cleaning is not required.
The cost of feed in the last two years has gone up materially, and it now requires an outlay of about eighteen cents to raise a Leghorn cockerel to broiler size. The cost of raising a pullet to the laying point is forty-two and a half cents, which includes cost of incubation. The pullet, through her first ten months of laying, costs $1.15.
It is somewhat difficult to give a fixed figure as to the cost of caring for the coming breeder through the time of moult, during the months when she is producing eggs for hatching, and up to the time when she is shipped, in August, eleven months in all. Different seasons and different flocks of birds vary in the amount of food necessary during these months. Our records show, however, that the output of eggs through the moulting season from the birds which we are carrying for hatching eggs has always been enough to show a profit over the feeding cost. It would be safe to figure that the outlay will be between one dollar and forty and one dollar and fifty cents. These amounts, as given, represent the cost of feeding and the cost of labor.
CHAPTER XXXII
Prevention and Treatment of Diseases
Diseases in poultry generally come from neglecting sanitary conditions. A damp house, filthy drinking fountains, musty and sour foods, or a general condition of filth, bring diseases, whether the birds are kept in large or small flocks.
An ailing bird should at once be removed and isolated, and, unless it shows immediate signs of recovery, the best remedy, and the safest, is the hatchet. The constant and systematic spraying of the roosting closets, the drinking trough platforms, underneath the dropping boards, and in the corners between the sections, with Kerosene Oil and Crude Carbolic (and it must be remembered that the solution used for spraying is one-half gallon of Crude Carbolic to five gallons of Kerosene Oil, when the birds are in the House), will eliminate all danger of contagion, provided the Houses, in all other respects, are kept in a proper and cleanly condition.
When the pullets are first put into the House, in the Fall of the year, it is wise to watch with great care that individuals in the flock do not develop the “snuffles,” which mean increasing trouble of a more serious nature if allowed to go without attention.
The washing of the drinking cups of the fountains with Kerosene Oil, and Potassium Permanganate in the water once a week, will, in most cases, keep the flock immune from trouble. Spraying is one of the best cures for colds, as it not only restores the affected bird to health, but clears up the danger of infection which, otherwise, might result in spreading disease among the whole flock.
We have never had a “run” of any disease at The Corning Egg Farm. Gapes and White Diarrhœa—the most dreaded of all young chick diseases—are unknown on the Farm. This is attributed to the strong vitality and vigorous condition maintained by fresh air housing, cleanliness, sanitary regulation, and by giving sweet, wholesome food and plenty of pure, fresh water.