Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-10-31
Does it Pay
To Trapnest? :?
BY G. L. Wood, Poultry Editor.

ness the breeder would engage
in and whether he Is in the business
for all the money he can make out
Of 1t. 1t is absolutely necessary for
the man who would sell high egg
yielding stock-and depend on rec
ords to make his sales, to trap-nest
his flock. These breeders have open
ed a new avenue for poultry profits,
in selling male breeders from heavy
layers to poultry raisers who want
some Of the 1914 egg-laying eff
cheney in their yards.
Leaving 1t for granted that there
will always be enough Of these pro-
ducers to supply the demand for
male breeders when they are wanted,
does 1t pay the average breeder to
trap-nest, and does his poultry sue
cess depend upon It? A very able
contribution on this subject has been
made by L. q. Keyser, Smithboro,
N. Y, which contains sound practical
facts taken from his personal expert
ences. We submit his views in part:
The aim Of the producer Of COM
mercial eggs is to produce the great
est number at the least cost. To
make egg production profitable the
Mems must lay well for at least $50
Of the 365 days in the year. We all
know there are many hens which do
not lay eggs enough to pay for the
feed they eat, while others are ex-
tremely profitable, II all the hens
were like the best hens in our flock
It would not take such a great num-
Der Of them to make a poor man
rich, while the poor layers can make
a rich man poor, BY careful selec-
ton and breeding the production Of
hens has gradually increased. They
lay more eggs now than they did
fifty years ago. At that time people
did not expect to get winter eggs,
nor did they expect hens to do much
during the summer and fall while
in the molt. The average farm flock
would lay only during the spring
months, and those who wanted win
ter eggs resorted to some method Of
preserving them.
Poor Layers,
Even now we have hens which do
not lay except in the spring, and
then only moderately These are the
kind Of hens the commercial egg
farmer wants to get rid Of, but from
a lack Of knowledge Of how to select
them or in tho belief that they will
do better later, they are retained,
and in many cases their eggs are
used for Matching, which Is very like.
ly TO result In breeding more poor
layers. or course, II does not imply
that because q hen is poor layer
her daughters will be, That depends
on the manner In which she 10 mated.
A prepotent male, carrying the lay
Ing instinct, is just as likely to Inn
part this quality TO the daughter OF
n poor layer as to the daughter OF
a good layer. Tho chances are that
tho cockerels from such o hen will
not carry OF impart the laying trait.
That 10 whore wo run tho greatest
chance IN breeding from poor layer,
Careful selection for typo and
vigor all breeders, and a knowledge
that tho breeding male had q heavy
laying mother may help 60 q certain
extent, but thoro will stlll bo many
poor layers. Many careful breeders
have installed trap nests and at-
tempted to breed up great laying
strain by their use. Most Of those
who have stuck to Il long enough
have succeeded, but owing 10 the
great amount OF labor involved many
have abandoned the use OF trap nests
or use them only during the breeding
season. This latter plan Is productive
OF good results whero one In able to
pick out the good layers when
mating the pens.
To make egg production profitable
we must secure large number Of
eggs, and whether Il pays best 70
keep q large flock Of moderately
good layers or a smaller flock Of
highly productive hena IA tho mas.