Excerpt from The Philo System of Progressive Poultry Keeping

Our experience in poultry keeping dates back over a period of thirty-five years, and the mistakes made during that time, if fully stated, would fill a book much larger than this one. While many of our mistakes were expensive and discouraging, we were determined to win out, and as the failures came, we had the opportunity to study the causes, and again start frorn the foundation to overcome the difficulties. Many times the discoveries were surprising to us, as they will, no doubt, be to you, and were not put down as facts until each of them had been tested for at least five' years, and many of them much longer.

We have learned that artificial heat supplied to chickens is not only unnecessary, but better poultry may be raised without it. The average ordinary heated wood brooder is too complicated and expensive, and there is too much danger of chilling, overheating or burning the chickens. When they come into this world they are supplied with an abundance of heat and all we have to do is to retain it.

When green cut bone is fed liberally to breeding stock, good eggs from which to hatch strong chickens cannot be obtained, neither are the eggs likely to be fertile.

The best two pound broilers can be raised when confined to a space of one square foot, when there are not too many in the flock.

Pullets may be properly matured in a space of one and a half square feet, and a laying hen can be made to do her best when given three square feet of space.

While it is generally understood that the largest egg yields from laying hens are obtained from the smallest flocks, the system has not been in general use. It is not uncommon to get six eggs from six hens in a flock, seven consecutive days. To get sixty eggs from sixty hens in a flock, one day in a year is hardly possible, and, as far as our knowledge goes, is not on record. Sixty hens properly bred and kept in ten colony coops should lay sixty eggs per day many days in the year, and at least twenty-five per cent. More eggs than the flock containing sixty hens; And if young chicks are to do their best, they must also be kept in small flocks.

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