The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-10-10
GOOD EGG MACHINES.
Inteliisent manipulation Leads 20 Lar
ger Egg Production

IntelIigent Manipulation Leads 20 lar
ger Egg Production.
Ten years ago a careful, industrious
man, wellposted to begin with, procured
600 single comb White Leghorn hens
with the intention of breeding them
strictly in the line of egg production and
large size even shaped eggs. When he
began the first year the flock averaged
150 eggs to the hen. He watched each
carefully and bred only from those lay
ing the greatest number of large perfect
eggs and studied the size, form, style,
weight and motions. By careful OBJ
servatiols governed all the time by egg
production, he soon became able to Sc
lect good layers at sight Here is his de
scripSion of the White Leghorn hen that
may be very generally depended upon to
produce the greatest number. of eggs:
She should be large boned, with
rather long legs and neck, long ON the
back, deep up and down behind, with
legs set fairly well apart, breastbone
somewhat prominent, flesh hard and
strong. in good condition, but not fat,
comb rather above the average in size,
eyes bright and full, disposition lively,
not timid but more inclined to follow
after and crowd about the attendant
than to fly at his approach. large consum-
ers of food when fed regularly and given
chance to exercise.
He keeps fifty hens in house 10 by 20
with a run of two rods by eight. As to
feeding he says: Il want none of the
so-called patent egg foods but plenty of
good, clean, sound grain, such as oats,
wheat, barley, corn and buckwheat,
using largely of mixture of the first
two. A mixture of ground oats and
corn, equal parts, with their weight of
wheat bran added and the whole moist
ened up with skim milk makes up the
morning meal when the hens are always
hungry and are always allowed all they
viii eat in fifteen or twenty minutes. If
there is any food left in the trough at
the end of that time it is taken away
Whole grain is fed at noon and night
and is scattered so the hens will have to
exercise to get it. Always see that they
have enough to eat before they go to
roost. A little skim milk is given in the
forenoon and pure water is constantly
supplied. No musty or impure food of
any kind is fed, for it is believed that it
would not only impart an impure flavor
to the eggs but it will prove injurious to
the health of the fowls. l believe in
strict cleanliness at all times and in all
places. Heavy, full feeding with the
best grain foods and light ration of
green food once day in summer of kale
or clover cut fine, and in winter of roots
such as turnips, beets, carrots, ETC. /
ind that L cannot reduce the heavy grain
ration in the full laying season with
more bulky food without loss. The reg
uiar light feed of green food gives appe-
tite and relish for grain foods and keeps
the digestive organs in good condition, "
He says further: I find the most SER
1ous trouble in finding a change of cocks
OF an egg laying strain. l must have
strong cocks, bred as carefully as the
hens in the line of egg production. And
for change am forced to get breeders
to make special birds for me. :"
This poultryman now has a national
reputation as the most successful egg
producer from given number of hens.
He finds it very much more profitable
to breed for eggs rather than for feathers
and points. 1t would be of interest to
have "a few of this poultryman's hens
veritable egg machines before
several of the so-called expert Judges of
poultry and see how high they would
score the birds. Here we have an intel |
hgent man who has experimental until
he knows he is right He may be Just |
right for his location, environment and
foods. He also has small dairy farm
garden and fruits. The man without
any of these could follow this plan only
IN part. He might be forced to feed
patent egg food and few drugs in place
of the skim milk and green foods. But
the main point is. to get $50 instead
of the average of $50 eggs yearly from
each hen.