Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-01-31
TO FURNISH FARMERS GOOD EGGS
State Experiment Station Wants POuI.
try Breeding Farm to In.
crease Output.

crease Output.
Oregon Agricultural College, Cor
wallis, Or, Jan. 31.-In order to be
able to furnish the farmers of Oregon
with more eggs for Matching and cock
erels for breeding from heavy laying
strains, and thus make the state an
exporter rather than an importer Of
poultry produce, the Oregon Expert
ment station will ask the present leg
islature for an appropriation for the
purchase Of some 80 acres for q breed
ing farm.
Since the establishment of the pOul-
try department of the station at the
Oregon Agricultural College five years
ago, the value Of poultry and eggs pro-
duced has increased between three and
four million dollars, and this is bound
to increase further with the activity
of the station experts. This has nat
urally added much to the wealth of
the state.
Production is increasing rapidly,
but where will the producer come in
il with increased production, he sees
his profits diminish?" asks Prof. Jas.
Dryden, poultry husbandman of the
station 1--WE are rapidly reaching a
point where the efficiency or egglay-
ing capacity of the hen must be in
creased If poultry keeping is to be
profitable.
with more productive fowls the
farmer will make more profit, even
though the consumer pays no more for
the eggs. BY proper selection of breed
ing stock as much may be accom-
plished in five years as in a hundred
under old methods Of breeding or lack
Of breeding.
Domestic fowls are descended from
the wild Jungle fowl of India which
laid about two dozen eggs year. Af-
ter two or three thousand years of
poultry keeping more than 25 per cent
of the fowls Of the country are laying
no more than the original jungle fowl.
This is largely because little SYSTEM
attic or intelligent efforts has been
made in the breeding to increase the
utility or egg-laylng qualities. More
over, 1t is difficult for the poultry
keeper to select from the flock the
good layers.
There is no known way Of picking
out the good layers from the poor by
any special shape or form Of hen.
Some of the best looking hens are
poor producers, and some of the poor
est lockers are good producers. The
only way is to use the trap-nost and
keep n record Of the number Of eggs
laid by each hen during the year.
AT the Oregon Experiment Station
we have found that the variation in
number Of eggs laid by average hens
of any one breed ranged from six to
2b9 year. Some hens will not lay
no matter how they are fed or cared
for. 1t is a question Of breeding. 1t
is not however question Of breeds, |
for so far as egg laying goes there is
little If any difference in the breed |
There is little purity Of breeding as to
egg laying IN the breeds Of poultry |
We have today
The average production Of the
fowls on oregon farms. accordIngt to
the census, Is IS eggs per hen At the
experiment station, with good care and
feeding, from average focks we sccur-
ed production of 1875 to 1jO a hen
and about 30 per cent do not lay
enough to pay for their keep,
"lf by proper selective breeding we
can eliminate the 30 per cent II viii
mean u tremendous Increase in the
profits Of the farmer. We have Sc
cured very satisfactory records the
past three years in our breeding work
and during the last year especially the
effect of selection Is strongly appar-
ent One pen Of fowls, for instance
bred from hens that laid over 200 eggs
each, averaged 22O eggs in the past
twelve months, They were all good
layers the lowest record being $50 {
eggs, the highest 25l. In the same pen
other pullets whose mother was a :
poor layer but whose father was the {
same MS those from the good layers.
averaged 1852 eggs.
"ln our breeding work TO Increasc d
egg production we follow two methods J
selection among our present breeds {
ard varieties, and crossing to cstab- ,
Nh II new breed or variety that win {
mCol In laying and general utility '
qualities believe that In two or !
three years more we can establish q
such n breed, The aim is to produce I
drst n breed having high egg-produc. d
lion, and second one with better meat !
qualities, or enc better adapted to the \