The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-28
Trapping Is Only Practical Means of Determining Lineage for Purpose of Pedigreeing Poultry-In- dividual Records Must Be Kept
Knowing Heavy Layers Is First Step to Elimination of B0arder Hens and Se- lection of Good Breeding Stock
By PROF. HARRY R, LEWIS Poultry Husbandman, New Jersey Agri- cultural Experiment Stations.
 Copyright, 1915,

Poultry Husbandman. New Jersey Agri- cultural Experiment Stations. Copyright 1915,
 Nearly every successful manufacturing industry has efficiency as it's ideal Most factories have a. system for checking up the work of their laborers, and the
 superintendent can easily tell which workers. Efficiency is as important in the poultry industry. The poultryman should have a system by which he can weed out the loafers from the hard workers of his flock. In this article Pro- lessor Lewis explains the advantages of trap nesting and how it should be done. Pedigree poultry breeding Is a term which means the keeping of the breeding records which will enable the poultryman to determine the exact lineage or, as it were. the genealogy of his birds. Such
 a record. together with record of per- fprmance, or egg production, enables him to breed consistently for desirable quail | ities. The importance of individual egg records to a poultryman who desires to build up his flock in reference to egg production cannot be too strongly em- rha sized The keeping of records from individual
 birds makes it possible to eliminate in | ferior individuals, and in the same way I to breed only from superior ones If individual records are to be kept, the trap nesting system must be followed. Pedigree breeding and the establish ment of different lineage necessitate four operations. First, the making of 1 special matings, using small number 1 of females and one male: second. the 1 trap nesting of the flock throughout at l least the winter and spring months; third the marking of matching eggs and pedi- gree hatch, and. lastly. the permanent | marking of all pedigree matched chicks. It will readily be seen that in the operation | of pedigree breeding the trap nest Is a fundamental factor, for without 1t the l ability of the individual birds to produce or lay the eggs which they fay could not l be determined. Trap nests, if intelligent 1 ly used, aid. then. in picking out the best producers and eliminating the poor lay | CTS. and also aid in eliminating such birds as are affected with disease, such as white darrhoea.
 Trap Nests Must Be Ro0my When constructing trap nests, or de- | termining upon the type to use, the fol- | lowing points should be considered. The l considerable depth. so that the eggs will | not be trampled upon while the hen is waiting to be removed About 12 inches
 in width, 1 to 20 inches in depth. with a
 height of IA inches. Is a very satisfactory size. The trap nesting arrangement
 should be so delicate that the bird cannot enter without causing the door to lock
 behind her automatically. This keeps her from leaving the nest and prevents other hens from entering.
 l Special care must be used that the trap nest Is so built that only one hen can enter at a time, for if two get into the
 nest, it Is impossible to identify the eggs. The trap nest arrangement should be so designed and placed that 1t will remain free from obstruction. such as nesting | material, which might hinder it's proper working. Simplicity in the manner of 1 trapping is a very desirable feature. The | fewer working parts there are, the bet l ter, as they are less liable to get out of order and make less noise operating Individual Records Vary Greatly l Egg laying contests have done one im- portant thing for the American poultry
 man, namely, they have shown him that birds differ greatly in their ability to produce, that in a normal flock of one 1 hundred birds, there are a few birds which lay eggs during the year, and other birds which lay a considerable number. Il6 average, UOWtNcI, IS dUOut Olo Hull dred and twenty Knowing that this diff 1 ference exists in individuals. the poul- l tryman who does not attempt to deter mine which are his bOarders and which the producers, and by knowing which they are eliminate the former and breed ] from the latter, is not building up a fu- ture successful business
 A great advantage of the trap nest, then. is the possibility of determining the individual production of each bird in the flock, and secondly, after knowing this production. the eggs laid by the heavy producers can be pedigreed, matched, and chicks produced from only the better hens.
 Description of Trap Nest The improved Connecticut trap nest shown fin the accompanying diagram is provided with swinging door with a gravity trigger. When the bird enters the nest, she is compelled to raise the door and pass under This releases the weight of the door from the trigger and allows 1t to fall, removing the support from under the door. As the bird en- | ters the nest, the door swings shut and l is held by the lower or pointed end of 1 the trigger. The nests should be made | of light, durable material and so con structed that they will be well venti- | lated.
 1 The trap nest should be visited fre- Qu6nLly or US D6neIlIS VIII De greatly l impaired. It is undesirable to confine 1 the layers for a longer period than is necessary. In the spring, when the birds are laying heavily, it will be necessary I to visit them often. A definite schedule should be planned out and followed. It ] is best to visit the nests and collect the eggs at approximately the following I hours--9. 10. Il. IF, and 4.
 Special Record Must Be Kept ia aScautio1 hof cio1 should be posted in the pen near the nests on which the band numbers of the birds arc placed in vertical column at the left, and the days of the month in q horizontal column, so that all the att tendant has to do when recording the eggs is to make a mark in the square opposite the band number under the l proper date. The band number should be read immediately on taking the bird 1 from the nest, and after recording on the sheet the bird should be placed on the floor gently. and in short time even Leghorns will get accustomed to this additional handling, and will be much tanned thereby
 During the matching season, when 1t is desirable to pedigree incubator eggs they should be carefully marked on the small end showing the pen from which the egg came and the female that laid it. After the bird is released and the egg collected. the nest should be care fully reset for future layers
 How Belle Of Jersey Was Produced Belle of Jersey, record hen, bred at