The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-24
Champion Producers Usually
From Ii to 8 Pounds I'm
der Standard Weight.
SAME WAY IN ALL BREEDS
Fault May Not BE With Heavy
Birds, but With High
Standards.

oirus, ~ statement just made by one
OF our greatest poultrymen and one Of our
best students OF the problems OF egg pro-
duction. The weights OF the birds entered
in the national egg laying contest con-
Quoted at this place FOR the past three
years and the egg records all Indicate
that this statement is absolutely true.
No matter what the variety may be- II
pullet OF that variety makes IA good egg
record, upon Weighing her we find she Is
usually from one-quarter 20 three pounds
under standard weight. Lady Showyou
the White Plymouth Rock hen which laid
PSI eggs In our first contest. only weighed
six pounds, being " pounds under stan
dard weight. Missouri Queen, the X. G.
White Leghorn pullet which led last year
and made record OF 260 eggs, only
weighed 20. pounds While there IL no
standard weight for this variety, vet this
pullet was the smallest OF thirty-slx
pullets Of this variety which were In the
contest.
The highest record we have ever had made
by barred Plymouth Rock, the pulles
was l u pounds under weight. rhe Black
Langshan which made the best record
was nearly two pounds under: White
Orpington, two pounds under; White
Wyandotte. one pound under: Silver
Wyandotte. three-quarter pounds under
Bun Wyandotte, one-half pound under I;
Bun Orpington two pounds under Black
Orpington. two pounds under; Black
Minorca, "a pounds under. and so on
through almost the entire list OF varieties
On the other hand the majority of the
pure bred hens which make the poorest
egg records are UP to standard weight or
considerably over. as rule. Not more
than 10 10 20 per cent OF the best laying
puiIets OF any variety are ever UP 70
standard weight. During the past three
n aga k1Ns IA la. -
hundred breeders. and our experience is
that this Is usually true. no matter what
variety II may be or from what breeder
they may come.
With dairy COWS. tho best producing
Jerseys and Holsteins are not OF the beef
type. One OF the leading dairy experts
or this country once said to me when
showing me his high producers: "These
are our very best cows. out Il sometimes
disgusts me to hear visitors crltlcise them
and make uncompl!mentary remarks about
these cows. and then compliment our
heavier, fatter dairy cows OF the beef
type which give but very little milk or
butterfat."
Can It be that we have our standard
weights on some varieties n triie too
high? We know OF one quite prominent
breeder OF Barred Plymouth Rocks In
this State who has often Dragged about
having "A strain OF Rocks that were from
pound TO three pounds above standard
weight That same breeder is now dis
| posing of his entire flock because they do
not lay enough eggs to pay the cost Of
production. We think II best to have the
standard for all things quite high, for the
| per cent. OF those who reach their ideals
| Is quite small. We doift advocate breed
| ing small birds. but we do think we can
overdo the thing and ruin all chance OF
profitable production by going to the other
extreme. Simply because "A hen or pullet
| was pound or two under weight and was
| "a good producer healthy and vigorous,
would certainly not discard her from
I my breeding pens Ii might he well to
/ give this matter some thought.
II you haven't yet Matched all the
chicks you need this season l would still
continue incubation. While we are firm
J believers In early chicks, yet many good
| show birds and many good producers are
| Matched In June. July. August and even
| in September a great deal depends upon
the season and the condition OF the breed
| ing stock. Eggs are usually cheaper from
now on, and It's worth the effort at least
| II Is so II you are short on young stock
one year ago We started swat the
| rooster" campaign In this State among
the farmers and poultry raisers. and We
established what we call rooster day
| This work has since been taken up by
! Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and other
/ OF Agriculture is now cooneratiny 20 mar
| the good work along Nillions n, dolla rs
| worth OF eggs are lost each SEASON and
made nbsoiItely unfit for food hecanse
the eggs are fertil!zed and the germ grows
and develops during the hot weather An
| egg doesn't have 10 ba in an incuhato,
for Incubation 10 take Mace The tam.
perature In the average living room ~,
the average country store ia higb ennugb
| In hot summer months 10 render ON
fertile egg unfit for food long before ma,
: egg reaches the consumer.
! Saturday June baa hesp %, ,rar,
as rooster dav" I'm Missouri, 1'hr
breeding season will nract,cailv ha Con-
Guided by that time Nearlv nj, h,ver,
and dealers in the State have agreed ~
pay a higher price for males on tSa, Sa y
and most Of them have agreed 10 nav on,
70 two cents a dozen more for clean. Trash
infertile eggs than for the ordinary rnr
of eggs. All males will be confined killed
or sold on that date. II is NOT necessa p,
| to kill or conf,ne valuable males I'M, the,
can be confined or sepn rated ,ron, ,ha 10 %
ing hens The Increase in nrIce ~ aeg,
in Missouri OF only one can, a dovan MI
mean an annual Increase ~ oysr ssao M,
each year 10 Missouri farmsrs a. nd roni,r >,
raisers. II ought 10 be a universal mac
tlce for the poultrymen and ssrnsr. n,
this country 10 market infertile e1y. dur
ing the hot summer months Ths s,vin,
would be tremendous. In Mlssour, aIon,
It IL estimated that the annual loss /,
about 13,O00,0OO. Not only would W,