The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-12-27

- 'iliS tlN lsNlloIS WHICH, y
feet the fertility of eggs ore of great
Importance in the poultry industry,
and this question has been studied at
a number of IA experiment stations in
the United States and elsewhere.
Too warm quarters for laying stock
and overlooking are commonly believed
to exercise an unfaNorahle Influence on
egg fertility. as is also n cold season.
The Way eggs are handled or stored is
also believed TO affect the proportion
which Will hatch. as are the conditions
under which Incubation occurs The
Nigor character OF the parent stock
ANA tie length of time the male bird
has been With The flock are also i'm
portait 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
duee a healthy chick under the ordi-
nary conditions of incubation. In 81
scenes OF Mcubator experiments at the
Rhode Island station, of S,ts7 eggs
tested So per cent. We're found to be
fertile, while only 4G per cent. of the
fertile eggs, or 3S.G per cent. of the
total numher of eggs hatched under
The conditions of the tests. although
under ideal conditions a greater hatch
NtNIt QCuDtleSS nave poem GDltllneu.
Experiments reported by G.. NJ. Cow
ell at the Name experiment station
showed thai there was us great Naria-
ton in the fertility as in the total egg
Yield of different hens, some producing
eggs that We're all highly fertile and
Others esss that were completely in
fertile, and. furthermore, that eggs of
ON individuals varied greatly i'm this
respect at different times. The OBJ
served facts did not indicate that a
heavy egg yield was a hindrance to
fertility, provided the hens were al
lowed to rest after n laying period be-
fore they began to lay again. Although
In general 1t seemed that infertility is
hkely to result after hens haVe been
laying long and heavily. it was not
found that this was always the case.
In This connection it should be noted
that the Nigor of the male bird is also
an important question.
The effect of the presence Of the male
bird ON egg fertility was studied Mt the
ONO state university with forty Leg
norm hens, which had previously been
kept without males. They were placed
IN pens with three male birds February
in and the percentage of fertile eggs
observed for nine days after mating.
This increased regularly from 0 on The
day of mating TO @ per e on the
eighth day after mating. July / the
males We're removed from the pens.
Tine fertility of the eggs was appar-
emily NOT materially affected until the
twelfth day after removing the roost-
els. Unfortunately the eggs
We're saved only fifteen days, and hence
II was not shown how long hens must
be removed from the male before all
the egg become infertile."
This point was also studied at the
Ontario Agricultural College and lex
perimental Farm. The hens were sep
Grated from the male and the eggs laid
eaeh day We're placed i'm am incubator
and tested With respect to their fertil-
Wy. or the eggs laid during the first
-four DAYS after the male vas removed
~ per cent. were fertile; of those laid
on the fifth day, 81 per cent; on the
sixth. 60 per cent; III the seventh, 40
on the ninth, . per cent, and on the
tenth all We're infertile.
y test Was also made with six law
ing hens 10 determine the time which
must elapse before eggs become fertile
after Il male is introduced. On the third
day 30 per Of the eggs were found
TO be fertile: on tho fourth, - per cent;
ON the fifth. so per cent; ON the sixth.
Go per cent; on the seventh, 40 Der
cent; ON the eighth GS per cent: on the
ninth, ~ per cent; on the tenth, "a per |
cent.
The Influence of the male or the total
number of eggs produced was also
With two lots. Lot ] consisted
OF !, pulleis, . hens. and ] cock; lot 9, |
OF . hens and 5 bullets of the same
as lot j. The test began Jan- |
nary l and lasted until Seprember 1
Both pens were fed and cared for in
inc Same way. Lot ] laid $50 eggs and
lot : laid 912 eggs. ut cam be seen
mat there WAS but very little difference
IN the number of eggs laid by the two !
WV
In tests made at the Rhode Island
the low percentage of cflicienrv
IN lncUhating eggs i'm winter has been
TO The conditions of the VIM or
and the hen-that is to say, it is
Canned that the winter embryos have
less Nitallty than spring embryos. The
experiments reported. however. showed
'hat Will" no entire lot of matches was
especially good for any month. there
were some in al: months that were
IN fact much better thon the
average for amy month. which was an
'i1olca'lon that the methods of incuba-
lioil tested We're at greater fault than
eggs and that the observed differ
ences III the proportion of eggs hatched
could not be attributed to the season
IN which the eggs We're laid.
a. .. Gilbert, the poultry manager of
ne canadian experiment farms.
that generous and gently slim,
Iatlons given 10 fowls kept i'm
ora poultry houses did not seem to af-
lect me strength of the germs of the
.77S l"'u DN lnenl, though similar IA
mons apparently affected the eggs of
nens kept in artihcany warmed QUAR-
lers- Eggs laid in early December by
g in artificially warmed houses
moved n greater percentage of strong
germs than was the case with eggs
aid later in the season. Eggs aid l7v
he same hens in early spring showed
: satisfactory percentage of fertility,
out the Weake germs. ."The rnost
s,ilklhs and gratifying results We're
from the fowls which. like
.iiehr parent stock. had never known
warm quarters. From 80 eggs laid lv
.hcse fowls in early spring-after lay
ng well during the Winters strong
hlcken were Matched. In contrast
Nltl this arc IL chickens from SO esrs
nN mems kept in warmed, but com
,ara'l.ely limited quarters" The re-
'ults as Il whole were strongly in favor
me average farm conditions of feed 4,
~ aha housing as regards the produc- ,
OF eggs with strong germs. !
Inc influence of cold and heat and !
ONE other conditions were studied :
'lth reference TO the Matching of eggs )
n a series OF tests published nv fIo /: