The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-08-16
is THE HEN LAZY OR JUST CARE
IESS7

, LESS?
The American Poultry Association
i'm convention this week at Denver
Col has been devoting serious atten
ton to an alleged delinquency on tn,
part Of the American hen. II hai
been openly charged, and by persons
whose statements along such line.
carry much weight, that the American
hen is laying only eighty eggs a yeal
lat the present time when she should
as matter uf fact. be laying not less
than a hundred and fifty. In othel
words. the allegation is that the Amer
lean hens annual output at the present
time is seventy eggs short OF her av-
Ierage capacity. Taking her collective
ly, this means an annual loss of eggs
to the approximate value of 100000
600
Grant Curtis of the executive COM
mittee and other members of the as
ISOLATION who took part I'm the discus
sion expressed themselves, IL is re-
ported, as being convinced that the
American hens failure to rise TO her
potential opportunities is due alto
reason, so far as they could see. why
the hen should fall behind her produce
inf capacity, disappint those who have
| placed their confidence I'm her and
contribute to the high cost of living
She is better housed and better fed
. l.
ed by pleasanter environments and
more elevating influences than form
erly. Scholarly research and inven-
tive genius are enlisted for her uplift.
She is fed on inspected and certified
pure food. She Is not permitted to
expose herself TO the inclement wea-
Their. In many cases even her scratch
ing is done for her. Great care is ia
ken To prevent her breathing unsteri-
lied air. She may cackle freely only
when the temperature is favorable.
And yet she lays to little more than
so per cent. of her capacity.
To poultrymen perplexing and an
noying thing about all this is that she
was in the habit of laying to her full
capacity under the abhorrent condi-
tons existing before the limelight Of
the muck-rake was thrown upon her.
In the days when she had to get out
and chase angleworms and bugs or go
hungry, when she had the run of the
back lot, and was found now and then
futtering in front of a hesitating but
oil l.,
nobody paid attention to her. save
when she sigualed a duty performed
her output was invariably up to the
standard. Almost simultaneously with
the awakening of public sentiment i'm
favor Of her uplift, however, she ceas-
ed TO employ to the full those func-
tons with which nature has so gener-
Ously equipped her.
IL is n trihe strange that those who
should understand the American hen
best understand her least. So little
do they appreciate her position, her
attitude, her state Of thought that they
seem TO lose sight completely OF the !
main cause OF her apparent ineniciency, |
which, Of course, is discomfort occa- |
stoned by the revelations of the vari- |
Gus cold storage inquiries. Proof that |
EGGS laid by her ancestors at remote |
periods were still awaiting a favorable |
market, not only shocked the Ameri- |
can hen, but worse still drove her to
tn point of utter recklcssness. what |
matters H." we may assume to have |
req oncd, III I lay an egg today or
postpone II until tomorrow? The /
chances are that il will not be eaten /
or five, ten or fifteen years, or long
after ! have shufflcd off these mortal II
Gathers And so the egg that might
nave been laid today was put off until
omorrow. while the egg that would
ave been laid tomorrow was not laid
II all
or course, the present uplfted con-
lltlon Of the American hen renders her
more than ever sensitive to impress
ions that are not conductive TO her
productivity. This is a point To be
onsidered by those who are striving
o understand her. But she Is not lazy. /
FAR from IT, She has grown care
Esq because Of the manner In which
er product has been handled. Let
II hope that she does not become
holly Indifferent and quit laying al
Press Gazette.