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Teaching Poultry Husbandry by the Project Method
Teaching Poultry Husbandry by the Project Method RICHARD
LEACH
California State Polytechnic School, San Luis Obispo, California (Presented at Annual Meeting, August 1938, received for publication September 6, 1938)
nature except the degree work which is transferable to degree granting institutions. Since more than 80 percent of the students take the three year technical curriculum the following discussion will be confined to this phase of the work. The freshman at California Polytechnic begins his major work in poultry right in the first quarter of work, and carries five or more credits of poultry major for each quarter while at California Polytechnic. A total of 63 quarter credits in poultry major is offered in the three years' work in addition to six credits in general poultry mechanics, six credits in poultry farm structures, and nine credits in poultry carpentry. All other related courses such as the biological sciences, English, and economics are taught to supplement the student's major and to give him a broader training in agriculture. The major courses in poultry husbandry are centered almost entirely around the problems of the commercial poultry plant. The entire Polytechnic poultry plant is student operated, giving each boy actual productive project or supervised practice work. Courses such as feeds and feeding teach the student the basic requirements of nutrition, how to compound and prepare a ration, even to mixing the mash, then finally to study the results of feeding in his project work. Our campus poultry plant of more than 2,000 birds gives us excellent facilities for practical training. The unit is operated as much as possible as a commercial plant
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MPLOYMENT possibilities in the commercial poultry industry consist largely of positions for young men who have technical training and the necessary experience and skills to carry all production operations. The positions open for young men in the poultry industry may be compared to those in an industrial plant. Here a few men of highly professional engineering ability are needed and a few for common labor jobs but the largest requirements are for young men who can do the skilled operations between these two extremes. The college graduate in poultry husbandry who has received extended training in the fundamental sciences and theory based on research findings in one or more fields finds it difficult after graduation to fill the skilled managerial positions in production. Often during the entire four year course he has had little actual experience in the care and management of birds. This frequently tends to lead his interests away from the farm and production practices into endeavors of an advisory professional or experimental type. Our efforts have been devoted to training the college man to go back to the farm or into the commercial plant with the necessary experience and technical knowledge for more efficient production. Our students have the choice of three curricula or courses of study. They make take a two year vocational course, a degree transfer curriculum, or the three year technical curriculum. All curricula are terminal in
E
TEACHING POULTRY HUSBANDRY BY THE PROJECT METHOD
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with each student doing his share in its has certain prescribed goals or requireoperation and management. Each year we ments of accomplishment to be completed pedigree-hatch about 2,500 chicks with an before they are awarded. The minimum equal number of flock matings. We trap- requirement for any certificate or for nest about 750 to 800 pullets each year graduation is project experience of a keeping accurate records of all individual recommending caliber of one year with and family performances. Each season we laying hens, one year of trapnesting, and raise several hundred meat birds for mar- at least two successful broods of chicks. ket and about 300 turkeys. A large perEach student's project is separate so that centage of our sales is through retail chan- he can keep an accurate record of his nels. During the past year we made about operations. At the beginning of the project 6,000 different sales and dressed about he makes a budget and plan of his antici2,000 birds for market in the project pro- pated operations for the year. He purgram. chases his feed each Monday for the The entire care and operation of this weekly requirements of his pen from the commercial plant is done by the students cooperative feed room. Each evening he except for some of the pedigree work and cleans and brings in his eggs to the cothe supervision provided by the staff. Each operative egg pool operated by some fellow student selects a pen or unit or some phase students. The eggs are graded and sold to of the operation and carries it as his the best advantage, then a credit tag is project. He is entirely responsible for the issued to each student for his eggs on a care and management of his project and graded basis. The project record book he shares in what returns or profits his pen shows the percent production, feed cost earns. Last year we had a total of 20 per dozen, percent large extra eggs, pounds projects in egg production and 21 in of feed consumed per 100 hens per day, brooding. The students made a total of and mash-grain ratio. His record also in$1,190 as their labor income. All opera- cludes the post-mortem findings of any tions in the plant are carried on by the birds that die as well as other records of use of a revolving project fund which is production. also used by other departments of the Those pens that are mated for hatching school. In addition to the student earnings purposes give the student additional exthrough their projects they were also paid perience in selecting hatching eggs, care of from the earnings of the plant, $1,250 for the males, and an opportunity to compare labor such as marketing and odd jobs the hatching results of his pen with others around the plant. in the plant. During the laboratory periods In addition to working toward a diplo- as well as before and after class hours he ma at graduation the student works learns the operation and management of toward a Certificate of Recommendation. the 12,000 egg cabinet incubator which the This certificate states that the student has department operates for about four demonstrated his ability to efficiently per- months. form some phase of the poultry operations During project and laboratory activities such as brooding or laying flock manage- the students also gain actual practical exment, hatchery management or turkey pro- perience in vaccinating, blood-testing, and duction. culling. Each operation is done so many There are a total of eight certificates times during their course and at a time that a student can earn. Each one of these most applicable to good commercial prac-
190
RICHARD LEACH
The students then spend a second week with one of the large turkey dressing and grading plants. Here they spend one day with the pick-up truck, bringing birds from the ranches, then a day in sticking and scalding birds. They go through all operations of picking, wrapping, grading, and packing, even to following the finished product to market. In all cases they wear their overalls and participate in the various operations. Their thesis or term paper includes the organization and managerial set-up for a complete commercial sized turkey ranch of 2,000 to 3,000 birds. Here they work out their map and farm layout, methods and costs of producing poults, feeding methods and food formulas, and brooding and rearing procedure. The whole farm pro-
gram is worked out in detail to the point of efficiency factors such as the total cost of producing a pound of meat, labor cost per pound, and overhead cost per pound. The winter quarter seminar course is for poultry plant management. This requires one week's practice in one of the large commercial egg plants, usually of 30,000 to 40,000 birds, then a week at one of the large specialized pedigree breeding farms. Here they learn various methods of operation supplementing their earlier class and project work. Their thesis for this course is the outlining of the operations and management of a diversified commercial poultry ranch. If they have a home plant to which they plan to return after graduation the program is worked out with that in mind; otherwise it is for the type of ranch that they hope to own in the future. The ranch for this plan includes at least 2,000 laying hens with facilities for the production of their own chicks, the raising of at least 1,000 meat birds and at least 200 turkeys as well as a home garden or orchard. In most cases these plans require the use of at least 10 acres of land with facilities for some range rearing of pullets. In this plan the entire year's operation is worked throughout so that it involves all phases of production as well as the business operations such as marketing, financing, and record keeping. The spring quarter seminar course is in hatchery management. In addition to the supervised experience here in commercial hatcheries they prepare advertisements for various types of publications. They also prepare news stories and a complete record keeping system for their hatchery. They work out a breeding program for their own flock and arangements for cooperating between flock owners. There is considerable opportunity here for them to develop originality in their bill board signs, follow up circulars, and hatchery catalogs
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Michigan on June 28, 2015
tices that they become quite efficient in these operations. During the junior or last year the student may elect each quarter to work toward one of the advanced certificates by taking the seminar courses. These are advanced courses in management requiring special skill and ability as well as supervised practice work. During the fall quarter he may take turkey production. This includes a three credit course, two weeks of supervised practice in a commercial turkey plant, and a thesis involving a complete program worked out for the management of a commercial turkey ranch. Usually the department head arranges to send each young man to some of the state's leading turkey ranches for a week as sort of an apprentice. Here he works in all phases of the ranch's operations including feeding, sanitation, hatching, brooding, marketing, and breeding. In most cases the college has had excellent cooperation with the commercial men in helping the students and has received many fine letters from the poultryman recommending the students.
TEACHING POULTRY HUSBANDRY BY THE PROJECT METHOD
business for themselves or to help dad following graduation. The rest seek employment with ranches and hatcheries to gain more experience and to gain capital before starting their own enterprises. Placement of recommended students trained in this manner has not been difficult; in fact, there have been two or three positions open to each graduate. Graduates begin in lower salary positions but make rapid progress. A survey shows that practically every graduate has moved to a higher position than the one in which he was placed within six months. Some with exceptional ability have moved to superintendents' positions with 6 to 20 men under their supervision within two years from graduation. This method of teaching attracts young men from commercial ranches to higher education. Its purpose is to improve their home conditions and raise standards of living. It is for the young man who wants to learn by doing.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Michigan on June 28, 2015
as well as arrangements of their hatchery, poultry plant, and sales procedure. These advanced courses are of a great deal of value to the students since they are each individual projects pertaining primarily to their personal interests. It gives them an opportunity to gain practical experience in several leading ranches and hatcheries which frequently leads to employment after graduation. In working out these detailed plans the young man learns to follow a continuity of thought and to plan through a series of processes. He learns how to apply in the business of poultry production all of the practical skills of his previous courses and his knowledge of production methods. This system of teaching poultry husbandry by the project method encourages the young men to go back to the farm or on producing ranches after graduation. We find nearly 90 percent of our students have a ranch of their own as their goal in life. In fact about half of them go home in
191
LEACH
California State Polytechnic School, San Luis Obispo, California (Presented at Annual Meeting, August 1938, received for publication September 6, 1938)
nature except the degree work which is transferable to degree granting institutions. Since more than 80 percent of the students take the three year technical curriculum the following discussion will be confined to this phase of the work. The freshman at California Polytechnic begins his major work in poultry right in the first quarter of work, and carries five or more credits of poultry major for each quarter while at California Polytechnic. A total of 63 quarter credits in poultry major is offered in the three years' work in addition to six credits in general poultry mechanics, six credits in poultry farm structures, and nine credits in poultry carpentry. All other related courses such as the biological sciences, English, and economics are taught to supplement the student's major and to give him a broader training in agriculture. The major courses in poultry husbandry are centered almost entirely around the problems of the commercial poultry plant. The entire Polytechnic poultry plant is student operated, giving each boy actual productive project or supervised practice work. Courses such as feeds and feeding teach the student the basic requirements of nutrition, how to compound and prepare a ration, even to mixing the mash, then finally to study the results of feeding in his project work. Our campus poultry plant of more than 2,000 birds gives us excellent facilities for practical training. The unit is operated as much as possible as a commercial plant
[188]
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Michigan on June 28, 2015
MPLOYMENT possibilities in the commercial poultry industry consist largely of positions for young men who have technical training and the necessary experience and skills to carry all production operations. The positions open for young men in the poultry industry may be compared to those in an industrial plant. Here a few men of highly professional engineering ability are needed and a few for common labor jobs but the largest requirements are for young men who can do the skilled operations between these two extremes. The college graduate in poultry husbandry who has received extended training in the fundamental sciences and theory based on research findings in one or more fields finds it difficult after graduation to fill the skilled managerial positions in production. Often during the entire four year course he has had little actual experience in the care and management of birds. This frequently tends to lead his interests away from the farm and production practices into endeavors of an advisory professional or experimental type. Our efforts have been devoted to training the college man to go back to the farm or into the commercial plant with the necessary experience and technical knowledge for more efficient production. Our students have the choice of three curricula or courses of study. They make take a two year vocational course, a degree transfer curriculum, or the three year technical curriculum. All curricula are terminal in
E
TEACHING POULTRY HUSBANDRY BY THE PROJECT METHOD
189
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Michigan on June 28, 2015
with each student doing his share in its has certain prescribed goals or requireoperation and management. Each year we ments of accomplishment to be completed pedigree-hatch about 2,500 chicks with an before they are awarded. The minimum equal number of flock matings. We trap- requirement for any certificate or for nest about 750 to 800 pullets each year graduation is project experience of a keeping accurate records of all individual recommending caliber of one year with and family performances. Each season we laying hens, one year of trapnesting, and raise several hundred meat birds for mar- at least two successful broods of chicks. ket and about 300 turkeys. A large perEach student's project is separate so that centage of our sales is through retail chan- he can keep an accurate record of his nels. During the past year we made about operations. At the beginning of the project 6,000 different sales and dressed about he makes a budget and plan of his antici2,000 birds for market in the project pro- pated operations for the year. He purgram. chases his feed each Monday for the The entire care and operation of this weekly requirements of his pen from the commercial plant is done by the students cooperative feed room. Each evening he except for some of the pedigree work and cleans and brings in his eggs to the cothe supervision provided by the staff. Each operative egg pool operated by some fellow student selects a pen or unit or some phase students. The eggs are graded and sold to of the operation and carries it as his the best advantage, then a credit tag is project. He is entirely responsible for the issued to each student for his eggs on a care and management of his project and graded basis. The project record book he shares in what returns or profits his pen shows the percent production, feed cost earns. Last year we had a total of 20 per dozen, percent large extra eggs, pounds projects in egg production and 21 in of feed consumed per 100 hens per day, brooding. The students made a total of and mash-grain ratio. His record also in$1,190 as their labor income. All opera- cludes the post-mortem findings of any tions in the plant are carried on by the birds that die as well as other records of use of a revolving project fund which is production. also used by other departments of the Those pens that are mated for hatching school. In addition to the student earnings purposes give the student additional exthrough their projects they were also paid perience in selecting hatching eggs, care of from the earnings of the plant, $1,250 for the males, and an opportunity to compare labor such as marketing and odd jobs the hatching results of his pen with others around the plant. in the plant. During the laboratory periods In addition to working toward a diplo- as well as before and after class hours he ma at graduation the student works learns the operation and management of toward a Certificate of Recommendation. the 12,000 egg cabinet incubator which the This certificate states that the student has department operates for about four demonstrated his ability to efficiently per- months. form some phase of the poultry operations During project and laboratory activities such as brooding or laying flock manage- the students also gain actual practical exment, hatchery management or turkey pro- perience in vaccinating, blood-testing, and duction. culling. Each operation is done so many There are a total of eight certificates times during their course and at a time that a student can earn. Each one of these most applicable to good commercial prac-
190
RICHARD LEACH
The students then spend a second week with one of the large turkey dressing and grading plants. Here they spend one day with the pick-up truck, bringing birds from the ranches, then a day in sticking and scalding birds. They go through all operations of picking, wrapping, grading, and packing, even to following the finished product to market. In all cases they wear their overalls and participate in the various operations. Their thesis or term paper includes the organization and managerial set-up for a complete commercial sized turkey ranch of 2,000 to 3,000 birds. Here they work out their map and farm layout, methods and costs of producing poults, feeding methods and food formulas, and brooding and rearing procedure. The whole farm pro-
gram is worked out in detail to the point of efficiency factors such as the total cost of producing a pound of meat, labor cost per pound, and overhead cost per pound. The winter quarter seminar course is for poultry plant management. This requires one week's practice in one of the large commercial egg plants, usually of 30,000 to 40,000 birds, then a week at one of the large specialized pedigree breeding farms. Here they learn various methods of operation supplementing their earlier class and project work. Their thesis for this course is the outlining of the operations and management of a diversified commercial poultry ranch. If they have a home plant to which they plan to return after graduation the program is worked out with that in mind; otherwise it is for the type of ranch that they hope to own in the future. The ranch for this plan includes at least 2,000 laying hens with facilities for the production of their own chicks, the raising of at least 1,000 meat birds and at least 200 turkeys as well as a home garden or orchard. In most cases these plans require the use of at least 10 acres of land with facilities for some range rearing of pullets. In this plan the entire year's operation is worked throughout so that it involves all phases of production as well as the business operations such as marketing, financing, and record keeping. The spring quarter seminar course is in hatchery management. In addition to the supervised experience here in commercial hatcheries they prepare advertisements for various types of publications. They also prepare news stories and a complete record keeping system for their hatchery. They work out a breeding program for their own flock and arangements for cooperating between flock owners. There is considerable opportunity here for them to develop originality in their bill board signs, follow up circulars, and hatchery catalogs
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Michigan on June 28, 2015
tices that they become quite efficient in these operations. During the junior or last year the student may elect each quarter to work toward one of the advanced certificates by taking the seminar courses. These are advanced courses in management requiring special skill and ability as well as supervised practice work. During the fall quarter he may take turkey production. This includes a three credit course, two weeks of supervised practice in a commercial turkey plant, and a thesis involving a complete program worked out for the management of a commercial turkey ranch. Usually the department head arranges to send each young man to some of the state's leading turkey ranches for a week as sort of an apprentice. Here he works in all phases of the ranch's operations including feeding, sanitation, hatching, brooding, marketing, and breeding. In most cases the college has had excellent cooperation with the commercial men in helping the students and has received many fine letters from the poultryman recommending the students.
TEACHING POULTRY HUSBANDRY BY THE PROJECT METHOD
business for themselves or to help dad following graduation. The rest seek employment with ranches and hatcheries to gain more experience and to gain capital before starting their own enterprises. Placement of recommended students trained in this manner has not been difficult; in fact, there have been two or three positions open to each graduate. Graduates begin in lower salary positions but make rapid progress. A survey shows that practically every graduate has moved to a higher position than the one in which he was placed within six months. Some with exceptional ability have moved to superintendents' positions with 6 to 20 men under their supervision within two years from graduation. This method of teaching attracts young men from commercial ranches to higher education. Its purpose is to improve their home conditions and raise standards of living. It is for the young man who wants to learn by doing.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Michigan on June 28, 2015
as well as arrangements of their hatchery, poultry plant, and sales procedure. These advanced courses are of a great deal of value to the students since they are each individual projects pertaining primarily to their personal interests. It gives them an opportunity to gain practical experience in several leading ranches and hatcheries which frequently leads to employment after graduation. In working out these detailed plans the young man learns to follow a continuity of thought and to plan through a series of processes. He learns how to apply in the business of poultry production all of the practical skills of his previous courses and his knowledge of production methods. This system of teaching poultry husbandry by the project method encourages the young men to go back to the farm or on producing ranches after graduation. We find nearly 90 percent of our students have a ranch of their own as their goal in life. In fact about half of them go home in
191