Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-04-28
Breeding Poultry for Eggs.


dren to acquire pocket money by
raising chickens for the market or pull
I lets for the production of eggs, the
poultry business within a comparative,
iy brief period has developed into one
OF the most profitable of farming in,
dustrieS. And It has passed the fad
phase, which few years ago urged
fancierS to breed for such curious
characteristics as bulk, feathers. comb.
ear-loheS and wavy cascades of top.
knot adornmeut, The experiment
has determined that with proper care
good layers can be coaxed to produce
eggs during the months OF frost, when
prices are high, and breeding has
been developed To such a nicely that
good allthe-yearround egg providers
can be Nropasated quite as successful
~ as dogs or horses are bred for
points or speed, says the Boston
Globe. Time was when hens were
not expected to produce during the
season OF snow, but the best CT breeds
known to the industry today would
just as steadily refuse 10 lay were they
neglected rs were the farm hens Of
20 years ago.
But things have changed, lnvesti.
gators have inquired into the why's and
wherefores of the hen with very sat.
isfying results They have discovered
that the well.hred hen is quite com.
petent and gladly willing to repay with
a profit for generous and intelligent
treatment both summer and winter
Those who know how to conduct tho
business of poultry farming are MAX
ing money. and as the demand for eggs
aad hroicrs will never be less the out.
look in that line of farm endeavor is
the mrSt encouraging, Breeding for
fancy fowl alone is an interesting fad,
but there Is little or no profit in Il,
The city man with comfortable In.
come who goes to his country home
for the summer can we'll afford to
strive for the peculiar characteristics
in chickens for his friends to gaze in
wonder at. but such birds plucked do
not appeal stronger to the marketman
than yellow.sFnned one of less eX-
pensive breed OF late years great
deal of attention has been devoted to
the wheedling of hens by intelligent
housing and good feeding into laying
when snow is on the ground and the
mercury low. Such heas mean profit.
especially when the price per dozen of
eggs initiates to the half-dollar mark.
This success has been achieved by a
great many breeders by exceedingly
simple methods; but breeding for pro
life layers as speed in horses is bred
for by selection and survival of the
fittest Is something new II is. too,
just bit startling, but 1t seems to be
quite as logical as breeding for de
sired characteristics in other animals.
For several years Prof Gilbert M
Gowell head of the stock-hreeding and
poultry department of the Maine agri.
cultural experiment station AN adjunct
of the state university in Oono has
devoted a great deal of attention to
this phase of the poultry industry,
The professor believes that there is
profit in the poultry business, but not
as II is conducted in connection with
other work on the farm. II Is "A large
field, but in order TO be successful In
1t one must make ii speciality; must
know the science and art OF incuba'
ton. brooding and egg producing.
These are the results of study and
experiment.
In November, 1898, Prof Gowell be.
gan tests for the purpose Of procuring
data relative to the egg production OF
hens, and also by selection and care
; full mating to improve the quality and
: increase the number OF eggs pro
duced II was decided to study in
diyiduals as well as hocks, and "a
do this with exactness the everyday
performance OF each ildiyidual bird
; should be known. Fiftytwo trap
nests were devised They we're so ar
ranged that when a hen entered to lay
she could not get out until released by
an attendant. and as each bird was
tagged record could thus be easily
kept of what she did Thirteen pens
were provided for the test They
were 10 by Is feet In size Four tap
nests 20 pullets and cockerels were
placed in each pen on the first day OF
November, and daily egg records We're
kept with each individual bird for a
year With some Of the largest yield.
ers the records were continued into
succeeding years.
Ar the end Of the first IL months
the birds that had yielded 200 or more
eggs of good shape. size and color
were selected for foundation stock, up
on which, with the additions made 10
them In succeeding years Of birds Of
similar quality, the breeding opera.
tio1s were to be based Prof. Gowell
went ahead on the theory that the laws
Of inheritance and transmission are as
true with birds as with horses and
dogs, sheep and cows, and he could see
no obstacle IN the way Of breeding for
egg production He was confident
that by breeding only from those
hfra. that u,ara 4hapnaafveo pnod nra-