OCR Text |
Show Laying Qualities of Old Hens. Wo know llttlo of tho laying qualities quali-ties of old lions. In tho main It has boon nssumed that a hen lays tho greatest number of eggs from tho tlmo sho Is ono yenr of ago until sho Is two, or from tho tlmo sho begins laying her first "clutch" till a year from that tlmo. It Is so woll sottlod In tho minds of somo of our poultry-men poultry-men that a hen will not ngaln equal her first porformanco In egg laying, that only pullets nro kopt and tho two-year-old hens aro killed off. This In gonoral Is porhaps truo, but what about tho exceptions? Wo know vory llttlo about tl j exceptions, as not enough experiments havo been mado to bring thorn to notice A few experiments ex-periments havo been mado with laying lay-ing hens and thoso havo seemed to carry out tho popular notion as to tho superiority of tho pullets. Thus, ono Instance Is cited whero two pens of Leghorns wcro kopt for throo years. Thoy avorngod 176 eggs per fowl during dur-ing tho first year, 132' during tho second year and 11CV4 during tho third year. Tho per cent of profit on food was 188 tho first year, 118 tho second year and ST tho third year. Thoro aro somo things nbout this test, however, that aro not shown. Ono of them Is tho Individual performances of tho birds. Woro thero not ono or moro that laid as many eggs tho second sec-ond or third year as tho first? Then how about tho wolght of tho eggs? Woro not tho eggs the second and third year heavier, each ono, than when tho hens wero pullets? Evory poultry poul-try raiser has notlcod that pullets' eggs aro usually very light and that tho eggs from maturo lions will run much heavlor. What was this differ-enco? differ-enco? Theso things must bo taken into consideration when summing up tho wholo matter for and ngalnst tho old lions. Wo doubt not that tho older birds havo moro In tholr favor than has over been granted. Wo know that now in tho market an "egg is an egg," and that a light ono frequently brings as much as a heavy ono. But that condition will not always lost. Tho tlmo will doubtless como, as It should, when eggs will bo sold by tho pound Instead of by tho dozen. Then tho mature hens will havo their tlmo of popularity. Ono poultryman says that ho keeps somo of hl3 best layers till thoy aro ton ycara of ago nnd that somo of thorn havo laid well till that ago. Thoro Is ono thing In favor of tho mature ma-ture hens and that Is that the birds hatched from tholr tjgs nro generally H moro vigorous than nro tho bird J H hatched from tho eggs of pullets. IB tiiifl is also piobablo that they aro mora ssia fertile and that one hundred of thff liifl eggs from maturo hens will glvo nj jH much larger porcen'ago of chicks jH than will tho llko number of eggs laldj H by pullets. Finally, tho real valuo oft tho maturo hen ns n layer can only be told by numerous cnrotul experU tl ments. A few experiments nro mis-! IH loading, for tho Individuality of tlio. birds In that cane assumes too mucin H Importance. No station Is nt thiol H tlmo making ary experiments that vo jH know of along this lino, nnd It Is not! bsssi probablo that private persons nro ty-i isiifl Ing to discover tho truth of this mat- H tor. It would bo Interesting Indeed, jH to follow tho carrying out of Usts to; il discover tho npprolmato truth of tho' siH relative valuo uf old and young hens fiH fur egg production. liiH |