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Show 1 Livestock And Farm News Poultry Raising Is A "Natnral" For Utah Farm Industry There is little likelihood that Utah farms of the future will vary much in size from what they are at present, unless they get smaller, says Dr. Lawrence Law-rence Morris, Utah State Extension Exten-sion poultryman. Poultry is particularly suited to small farms and part time farming. In 1915, poultry was the main source of agricultural income for eight states, including includ-ing Utah and seven New England Eng-land states. The 1940 census showed that 11,568 farms in Utah reported less than 100 hens. There was an average of only 29 hens per farm, with only 3S94 farms having more than 100 hens. This means that 75 per cent of Utah's farms with chickens, have less than IS per cent of the total number of chickens. It also means that 75 per cent of our farms have insufficient chickens to bo of economical importance, Dr. Morris continued. con-tinued. . Utah has a poultry marketinr svstem equal to any In the country and with its present marketing setup could handle several times the volume of eggs and poultry It now handles, Ive said. Poultry management practices prac-tices have changed materialh during the past few years. These changes have resulted in greater ease In caring for the poultry flock and a great reduction In the time Involved. In-volved. These management changes include multiple deck layinr houses, larger pens with less partitions, family-sized layinf cages, and deep litter for the floor. Litter is left on the floor several sev-eral months or even one or more vears without changing. The litter should be kept dry. This is done by starting the new litter during the summer and gradually add to It until It is six or eight inches dee Hydrated lime added at the rate of ten pounds for each 100 square foet of floor space aids in drying out damp areas, the extension poultryman advised. Changes in roosting quarters and types of nests have also reduced needed labor. Runninr water has replaced small water containers. All these changes have not taken the risks out oi poultry' keeping or have they necessarily increased the profits prof-its per hen, but they do mean that a flock of 200 to 500 hens can properly be cared for in one or two hours each day In early morning or late afternoon with a little attention to egf gathering during the day. A hen properly cared for will return a labor income $1 to $2 per yar above costs. So with a flock of 200 to 500 hens, you could make $200 to $1000 extra income per year. "Utah is especially suited for this type of poultry keeping, in conjunction with our large commercial flocks. Not only would this poultry add materially mater-ially to the income of our farm and part time workers by millions mil-lions of dollars each year, but it would furnish a source of employment for our boys and girls," Dr. Morris pointed ox "With poultry they could learn a good vocation as well as prin ciples of thrift and responsibility." |