SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT [POULTRY] Part 2
Description
The original catalog description provided by the Ford Motor Company reads as follows: “As far back as 1,000 B.C. poultry keeping existed. America’s early period tells of the finding of chickens. Only in recent years has poultry been divided into varieties. There are 109 standard varieties.” Man feeding chickens in farmyard. “Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Orpingtons, and Rhode Island Reds have the combined qualities of being good eating and fair layers. They are called the general purpose class. Here are 3 generations of Rhode Island Reds.” Flock in field. “The husband of the second generation and father of the third.” Close-up of rooster. “Trap nests are used to ascertain the egg production of each hen.” Hens entering nests, doors closing behind them. “Upon removing the hen, the band number on its leg is recorded on both the egg and record sheet.” Farmer removing hens from nests, making record. “In hatching, the different pedigrees are kept separate.” Bowl of eggs, farmer placing them in net bag - bags of eggs in incubator, chicks hatching - close-up of chick hatching from egg, trying to stand. “Tagging the chicks with leg bands and marking web to indicate father.” Basketful of chicks, hands banding and marking one - close-up of web markings. “Chicken brooder.” Chicks in brooder. “After three weeks the leg band is removed and placed on the wing where it remains.” Hands holding chick, using small tools. “Ground food is easily digested and should be handy at all times, but there should be plenty of exercise and good clean drinking water too.” Chickens eating from trough, from ground, drinking from crocks. “When molting (shedding of old feathers and growing of new) a hen will not lay. Good layers are often judged by measuring the distance between the pelvic bones and from pelvic to keel bones.” Hands showing how measurement is made on two different hens. “A chicken with 10 primary feathers has not started to molt and will be a good winter egg producer; while a bird with only 7 primary feathers has been molting for 6 weeks and should be used for food.” Hands holding wings, primary feathers showing in fan. “Roosts painted with equal parts of crude oil and stock dip will eliminate mites.” Farmer painting roosts. “Great care is taken to keep the chicken free from lice.” Two workers dusting chickens. “A healthy bird and another in advanced stages of tuberculosis.” Two chickens on table, one lying down, other moving about. “But it’s time to roost in the chicken world, for tomorrow at dawn the barnyard inhabitants must be awakened by these living alarm clocks.” Roosting chickens. “The End.” “Ford Educational Library.” [1921]
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