Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-05-07

ne writer OF inc lbilOWlDE aGIlClP mas
compiled some highly interesting matter
on the subject
Tho illustration shows the beautifully
teathcrcd Single Comb Buff Orpinstons
During the 30 or more years that have
been engaged in poultry culture az a bust
ness I have Witnessed the death of hun
dreds of pct theories. such as the egg
type the nest egg, controlling sex in eggs.
thundor storms destroying matches. the
presence of the male for egg production,
etc. In those days nothing could have de-
stroYed those theories but subsequent OK
permenting and Investigation have turned
the pet ideas Of our forefathers into jokes
/ well remember theory my father
held firmly to regarding the cause of tho
cape worm. He was engaged in poultry
work on quite an extensive scale, about
1870 He contended that lice produced
gapes When a chick was infested with
vermin they gradually era wcd up to the
head of the bird, entered its nostrils, ana
got down into the throat This caused
the chick to gape--hence the name
Another theory that is even hard T..
down at the present day is the nest c-..
1t has been contended for years, and. g..
] said, still upheld by certain classe-
that unless there are eggs i'm a nest tn.
hen will not lay. one old lady once tpl3
mo that the way she induces her hens to-
lay plentifully is to put half dozen
china nest eggs in the nest Old Biddv
seeing the collection, grows enthusiasts
and adds another and so on. It was not
until the trap nest came into general us
that this theory began to totter. Nest
eggs are not used in trap nests. and our
phenomenal records all come from trap
nested stock.
MALES DON'T HELP EGG LAYING.
An equally popular theory was that the
presence of the male is necessary in the
pen to encourage egg production. On
some of the largest poultry egg farms in
the country no males are kept except in
the breeding pens. If the attentions Of
the male are necessary for egg laying,
these large farms would have failed. The
mission of the male is to fertllize and
not make eggs.
We have a theory to-day that is equally
as bad as any just mentioned, namely,
the theory that the color of the shell
indicates the richness Of the contents of
the egg. In some sections the demand
is heavy for brown eggs. and in othcra
| for white eggs Each champion will de-
| clare his choice is one Of fine flavor, Tho
truth is, nothing flavors the egg but food
Would a brown egg laid by hen that
| had been foasting heavily on fish, or ON
ions. be superior to a white egg laid O..
| hen that was given pure, sound gra
and vice versa?
The egg-tYpe theory received a snv..
Knockout when the trap nest gave the
phenomenal record to a Brahma hen, and
subsequently to birds Of the American
no 70
hen in shape and style much Of the
Leghorn order
For years there existed a theory that
in case a heavy thunder storm arose to-
wards the end of hatch, all life in those
eggs would he destroyed, Repeated cX-
perimcnts proved that such ideas wcre
without foundation, and one of the best
tests | ever knew happened while ! was
pne year visiting poultry farms in New
England. a very heavy thunder and
lightning storm came up one afternoon.
The thunder fairly shook tho buildings.
Up in the hay loft n hen had stolen a
nest, and being very determined to set
the farmer had given her some eggs
The hatch was about due when this storm
arose. The lightning came down and
struck the barn, and within a short dis
tance of her tore off the weather board
the building. After the storm was over
the farmer crcpt up to the loft expecting
TO find Biddy dead. Instead she was
peacefully setting on her eggs and in
a day or two afterwards brought out
good hatch,
AS TO RROODY MATED HENS
There are stin many who belive that
mated hens will become broody before
minated ones | have had occasion to
watch this theory for the PAST 10 years,
and have found that there is nothing
to II. Each year we have quite num-
her of hens minated, selling these eggs
for table purposes Carefully kept rec
ords show that we get a. many broodies
from our minated nocks as we do from
our breeding pens. We have also learned
1--WE use trap ncsts) that the early brood
les are those that have given us the
heaviest egg production during the winter
months.
Another old theory IS that the small
or pigeon sized egg, is the last Of
the litter 1t was generally believed that
that particular hen had wound nm her
laying for the season. On the contrary.
our records show that two DAYS after
laying these eggs the normal size is again,
produced, | remember how some Of tho
farmers looked upon such eggs with sus-
picion. They We're declared "unluclv"
and must not he brought into the house.
In order to break the spell the command
was to throw them over the house chin
hey.
Another theory was that when the egg
smooth on the end it will produce "A
pullet, and when 1t had "A zig-zag mark
Or quirl on one end 1t was sure to pro-
luce a rooster. Repeated experiments
have proved that there Is nothing what
EVER in such a belief.
NO WAY TO FORETELL Sen.
There Is no method known to foretell
The sex of eggs, and yet this theory
oates back to the early ages, Even Colu-
ella, the grand source of poultry an
liquity, wrote: 'Gf all males are desired,
pet only the pointed eggs; If all females,
BET the rounded ones"