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Show Poultry Records Show Decrease In Laying Hens By Carl Frlschknecht, Assistant Extension Poultryman The summary of the Utah poultry poul-try record keeping project issued recently by the extension service at the Utah State Agrcultural college col-lege indicates that the poultry population of the state has been considerably reduced during the past year. In October 1931 the size of the average flock In the state, as reflected by the 192 reports that were received, was 920.9 birds, compared with an average of 772.9 birds in 208 flocks In October Oc-tober 1932. This is a decrease on the average of 254.0 birds per flock or 15.9 per cent. The decrease in number of chickens in the state is further shown by the change that has taken place in the carlot shin- ments of eggs from Utah during j the period from October 1931 to! September 1932 compared with the! same period a year earlier. Only : 777 carloads of eggs have been shipped out of Utah during the past poultry year beginning October Oc-tober 1931 and ending in September Septem-ber 1932 compared with a total ol 1127 carloads of eggs shipped during dur-ing the same months a year earlier. ear-lier. This represents a decrease of 350 carloads; or 210,000 cases; or 6,300,000 dozens; or 75,600,000 eggs. The summary also shows that the average egg production in October Oc-tober 1931 was 8.1 eggs per hen while In October 1932 it was only 7.8 eggs per hen. Inasmuch as the weather in October was ideal for egg production in Utah, the decrease de-crease this year is due no doubt to the fact that fewer pullets were raised and a greater percentage of old hens, that usually molt at this time of the year, are being carried over in the laying pens. Additional items that show a decrease in October 1932 compared with the same month a year ago are the percent of the birds that died from prolapsus and accident and the percent of the cooperators that were weighing marked birds. The average egg production from the pullet flocks in October, compared com-pared with that received from the hen flocks, is also 'interesting. Thirty-four flocks containing an average of 394 hens produced an average of only six eggs per hen as compared with an average of 11 eggs produced per pullet in 22 flocks containing an average of 563.2 pullets. Copies of the October poultry record keeping summary, which contain additiorial information, may be secured by writing to thH , Extension Service, Utah State Agricultural Ag-ricultural College, Logan, Utah. |
