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Show August 1971 UTAH FARM BUREAU New type coops sunlight. are ventilated but don't have large open windows for lues To Show Steady Growth is reduced adding to the cost. per bird molt" Many poultryment but probably more choose to replace operators hens with younger ones as production reduces to a low economical level. By the time a chicken is old enough to start laying in the hen house a poultryman usually considers that he has invested about $1.15 to 1.30 per bird. If hois continue to lay at 80 percent production level and the price of eggs remain high profits can be obtained from the operation. Disease is always a threat to production and must be evaluated constantly. Poultryman Stanley Sumsion who maintains about 20,000 birds in his production flock has developed some techniques that have proved successful and have eliminated otherwise costly ' and time consuming jobs. Mr. Sumsion has so constructed his coops so as to make possible through ventilation systems, a constant atmosphere favorable to production year around. He is careful to see that the humidity, temperature, light and other factors are constant and support the highest possible production level. Most of his work is automated or His laying hens are caged, per cage. Many poultrymen make two layers of such cages to semi-s3-- o. 4 utilize the floor space more economically. There are problems associated with doublings :up however. Increased ventilation, more labor associated with removal of droppings and egg gathering becomes more laborious. These problems are solved satisfactorily and many continue the practice. It is interesting how each man develops a method that works" and thus he continues. Once success is achieved it is hard to argue that another way is better. Mr. Sumsion has designed and hired built for him a vehicle that functions as a "dozer" to push the droppings from under the cages into a trench that runs across his coops at the middle. This machine is a small compact car frame redesigned with the operator positioned at the side so as to be riding between the rows of caged chickens while the dozer machine" moves under the cage to remove the droppings. Once the droppings are pushed to the center of the coop into the trench, Stan has a loader that will operate in and out of the trench to load the droppings into a truck or otherwise for removal from the premises. There are more cost and receipt figures that ought to be considered to complete the overall view of the operation. For example, Mr. Sumsion considers, that under the conditions on his ranch 100 hens will eat about 5 pounds of feed per day while in production. If the hens are laying 75 percent the cost would be 25 lbs. feed per 75 eggs. At 72 percent that would be six dozen eggs or four lbs, per dozen. Feed delivered premixed to the farm and placed in bulk bins costs about $3.50 per hundred weight. This would be per pound, inis 24-2- 3c " available can save cos. would then mean that feed cost alone would be 14c per dozen. When the other cost, the initial the buildings, labor, management, taxes, insurance, depreciation, equipment and miscellaneous expenses are considered most poultrymen consider that a dozen eggs cost between 26c and 29c per dozen to produce. Hens are sold for per lb. when discarded and is reflected in per dozen egg cost. Thats a return of per disposed hen. Now a consumer may say that sure makes eggs a profitable business. The current egg prices wouldnt support that view. Every poultryman hopes for good prices that seem to come around once every ten years. After the eggs leave the farm an additional cost for transportation,, processing, cartons and distribution in the stores to the consumers is about layer, 4-- 6c 15-2- 0c 12-15- 1 c. It must be recognized that eggs being sold from the farm for about 20c per dozen at a production cost of 26c isnt too profitable. Poultrymen are hoping the price will increase toward fall. Talking with Stanley Sumsion about the nutritive value of eggs and his recommendation for eating eggs he said, "I cant say too much except that it was announced that the astronauts were fed steak and eggs before flying to the moon." Mr. Sumsion points jut that the most significant consideration is to see other operations that are successful. There is little need to make all the mistakes on your own. M s Qg sumsion ranch es eggs of a special size from the cartons. Mike Bromely's 60,000 ocessing at B and T Farms. ar. hHV |