Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-12-26

90 oH~o
Importance in the poultry industry.
and this question has been studied at
a number of The experiment, stations in
he United States and elsewhere.
Too warm quarters for laying stock
and overlooking are commonly believed
to exercise al u~nfavorable influence on
egg fertility. as is also Il cold season.
The way eggs are handled or stored is
also believed to affect the proportion
which Will hatch, us are the conditions
under which incubation occurs. The
Vlsor and character of the parent stock
and the length of time the male bird
has been with the flock are also i'm
portant questions with respect to egg
fertility. AT the outset il should be
pointed out that fertility and hatch
ability are not necessarily identical.
An egg may be fertile but the germ
may not have sufficient vitality to pro-
duce IL healthy chick under the ordi-
nary conditions of incubation. In Il
series OF incubator experiments at the
Rhode Island station. of SCI, eggs
tested SO per cent. We're found to be
fertile, while only 46 per cent. of the
fertile eggs, or $50 per cent. of the
total numbe Of eggs, hatched under
the conditions of the tests, although
under ideal conditions a greater hatch
would doubtless have been obtained.
Experiments reported by G.. Nj. Cow
ell at the Name experiment station
showed that there was as great valia-
ton i'm the fertility as in the total egg
yield of different hens. some producing
eggs that were all highly fertile and
others Eggs that were completely in
fertile. and. Furthermore. that eggs of
some individuals varied greatly in this
respect at different times. The OBJ
served facts did not indicate that II
heavy egg yield az Il hindrance to
fertility. provided the hens were al
lowed to rest after Il laying period be-
fore they began To lay again. Although
IN general ii seemed that infertility is
likely to result after hens have been
laying long and heavily, it was not
lound that this was always the case.
IN this connection it should be ole
mat the Visor of the male bird is also
AN important question.
The effect of the presence of The male
bird on egg fertility was studied ;t the
ONO state university with forty Leg
horn hens, which had previously been
kept without males. They were placed
in pens with three male birds FEBRUARY
~ and the percentage of fertile eggs
observed for nine days after mating.
TINS Increased regularly from o on the
day OF mating To 50 per cent. on the
eighth day after mating. July 1 the
males were removed from the pens
Inc fertility of the eggs was appar-
emily not materially affected until the
'Nr'i'' ddy iltef removing the rOoSt-
ers. Unfortunately the eggs
We're saved only fifteen days. and hence
It was not shown how long hens must
ne removed from the maia before all
The egg become iniertile."
Ihis point WAS also studied NJ the
ontario Agricultural College and lIx-
i,erinlenta! Farm. The hens were sep-
arated from the male and the eggs laid
each day we're placed in an incubator
ana tested With respect To their lertil-
lily. or The eggs laid during the first
-FOUR days after the male was removed
~ per cent. We're fertile. of those laid
on the NTH day, 81 per cent. on the
sixth. so per cent; on the seventh. 40
per cent: on The eighth. IL per cent:
on the ninth, , per cent, and on the
tenth all were infertile.
A test was also made with six Law
ing henS to determine the time which
must elapse before eggs become fertile
after n male is introduced. OH the third
DAY 20 per cent. of the eggs were found
to be fertile; ON the fourth, AZ per cent:
on the fifth, 30 per cent: on the sixth.
Oo per cent; ON the seventh. 20 per
cent; on the eighth GS per cent: on the
ninth, 40 per cent; on the tenth, "A per
cent.
The influence of the male on The total
hummer OF eggs produced was also
tested with two lots. Lot ] consisted
of 8 puilets. . hens. and ] cock: lot ..
w - WI bilh ~ Ipi.tittS on the same
varieties rs lot i. The test began Jan
nary ] aud lasted until September /.
Both pens were fed ana cared for in
the same way. Lot ! laid $50 eggs ana
lot . laid so eggs. ut can he seen
that there was but very little difference
IN The number of eggs laid by the two
pens
In tess rnade at The Rhode Island
station the low percentage of efficiency |
III i~ncubating eggs in winter has been |
ascribed TO the conditions of the winter
egg and the hen-that is to say. it is
claimed that the winter emhryos have
less vitality than spring embryos. The
experiments reported, however, showed
that while no entire lot of matches was |
especially good for any month. there |
We're some in all months that We're
good, IN fact much better than the
average for amy month. which vas an |
indication that the methods of incuba-
tion tested We're at greater fault than
the eggs and that the observed differ
ences in the proportion of eggs Matched
could not be attributed TO the season
in which the eggs were laid.
A.. q, Gilbert, the poultry manager of
the Canadian experiment farms.
found that generous and gently slim
uiatlnS rat1ons given to fowls kept in
cold poultry houses did not seem 10 af-
feet the strength of the germs OF the
eSgs laid by them. though similar ra-
tons apparently affected the eggs of
mems kept III artificaliy warmed quar-
ters. Eggs laid in early December by
hens in artificially warmed houses
showed a greater percentage of strong
germs than was the case with eggs |
laid later in the season. I-ggs laid by
the same hens in early spring showed
a satisfactory percentage OF fertility, |
but the Weakest germs. The most
striking and gratifying results were
obtained from the fowls which. like
their parent took. had never known
warm quarters. From 50 eggs laid bv
these fowls in early spring-after lay
ing well during the winter-lS strong
were Matched. In contrast