The Corning Egg Farm book, by Corning himself

In any business, or occupation, that one attempts to carry on successfully there must be system. Nature teaches system, and the hen, as a part of Nature, is a very regular performer. She does everything on time, and at a given time, and if her routine is broken in upon she is a very much upset individual. The owner who rudely disturbs her routine suffers in the loss of eggs.

The schedule of work among the fowls on The Corning Egg Farm is without variation each day. In Summer the houses are always open and need no attention in the morning, but in Winter the drops are raised in ordinarily cold weather, as soon as it is light enough to enable the hens to work in the litter for grain. On very cold mornings the raising of the drops is deferred until the Sun is up, and when this is done the drinking cups in the fountains are filled with hot water.

Fixed Feeding Hours

As close to eight o’clock as possible green food is fed to all the hens, and, if the ground is in a reasonably dry condition, the green food for the cockerels is scattered outside their pen, and the entire flock is driven out of the House, where they are soon busy consuming the green food and whatever grain may have been left on the ground from their outdoor feeding of the previous day.

For a number of years it was the method at The Corning Egg Farm, between the hours of nine and ten o’clock, to make a gathering of eggs. This has now been abandoned for the reason that so many birds were disturbed on the nests during such an early visit to the House for gathering, and the first gathering now on the Farm is made at eleven-thirty.

In the study of feeding, extending over a term of years, it has been found that a considerable economy in time can be made, with exactly as advantageous results from the layers, by the following routine. Fresh water is placed in all the laying and breeding pens at one o’clock, P.M., and it is boiling water during the Winter months. Directly following the watering the mash is placed in the troughs, and the grain ration is scattered through the litter, both in Summer and Winter. It has been found that the hens work just as hard, and continue to do so, as they did when the mash and grain fed were given at hours which practically followed the Sun, that is, earlier in Winter, and later in Summer. In past years, the oats were fed to the flocks as a separate ration, at eleven-thirty o’clock. This we have discontinued. The grain ration is made up of cracked corn, wheat and oats, in varying proportions according to the season of the year.

Four Collections of Eggs Daily

At three o’clock another collection of eggs is made, and at five o’clock eggs are again collected, and at this last collection all the corners of the litter under the dropping boards are carefully searched for eggs laid by the wayward Biddy, who prefers her own scooped out corner to a good nest.

The Houses are closed for the night, according to the condition of the weather, and at this time still another collection of eggs is made. At seven-thirty the Houses are again visited, and all birds not roosting as they should be are removed from the nest boxes or windows and placed upon the perches.

Mash Fed in Afternoon

During the Summer months, when the birds are on Range, they are fed their mash and grain ration between the hours of two and three in the afternoon.

Throughout the year nothing whatever is allowed to interfere with the Schedule, and, if one would succeed with poultry a rigid adherence to regularity is most necessary.