Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-10-11
THE POULTRY YARD
Is THERE AN EGG TYPE?
BY ED WEBER
BY ED WEBER

We select and breed our hens accord ms
to any special shape of body hupi. i
thereby to get and MAINTAIN great lay
ers? These, and many 9th + folms VI
these questions, have come to US thru
the mail as well as at the shows. They
are not offhand questions, bu1 come as
the result Of deep thinking and som
practiclng. If there /" an egg typt for
your breed and ours, it can not be
pointed out any too quickly. We do
not care to waste time and money
hatch.ng and raising standard BIRDS
unless it calls for a body tnal will hold
organs to lay us large NUMBERS *
eggs.
If a certain shaped body will give
us stock that is OF the buSin> IS kind
we want to know ii surely, AID prIc-
tee getting II. From year 10 Year there
there have come forward men who de :
clared that they have proved to their
own satisfaction that there is an egg
type in hens, All signs sometimes
tan and there are exceptions to all
rules, but we are OF the opinion tina;
there is definite type IN poultry which
indicates proGurtIN eness, the same as
good dairyma1 finds that certain
characteristics an "a certain conforma-
ton in cattle indicate the productive
ness or non pruuuctiNeness of certain
individuals.
Same Principles Apply.
Among other things it is generally
agreed that to oe a good mixer a COW
must be healthy and vigorous, she
must have a big body or plenty of ca
pacity and she must nave a large udder
and large milk veins. The more we
study the productiveness in poultry the
more firmly we are convinced that the
same general principles apply to the
productive hen; that there is an egg
type in poultry and the day will come,
if it is not now at hand, when we can
tell in general way the good from the
bad by certain and definite charac-
teristicS. ...
OF course in the dairy business the
Babcock test is the final test of the
quantity of butterfat. and just so with
poultry the trap nest will perhaps al
ways be the final test. We believe that
any man with reasonable intelligence
who studies, year after year. the ques-
ton of selection and breeding for egg
production, will get a certain and def
mite type firmly fixed in his mind just
as it is true in his case and as II is
true with the dairyman.
What is this type? That is the ques-
ton. There is an egg type and beef
type in poultry just as true as there is
dairy type and beef type in cattle
With dairy cows, the best producing
n1c nf
beef type. One of the leading dairy eX-
perts Of this country once said to me
when showing me his high producers:
There are our very best cows, but 1t
sometimes disgusts me to hear visitors
criticize them and make uncomp!i-
mentary remarks about these cows
and then compliment our heavier, fat
ter dairy cows of the beef type. which
give but very little milk or butterfat.'
Best Hens Medium Sized.
We find both OF these types in al
varieties OF poultry And there Is also
the intermediate or dual purpose type
We are not going to attempt to de-
scribe these except to say that our best
hens are medium siped birds and as
rule, are considerably under standard
weight. They are late molters, and
practically free from the disposition to
broodiness. They have thin pelvic
bones, rather high tails, rather narrow
skulls, not masculine head in appear
ance, large bright eyes, large combs,
long and broad backs carried much
higher than that portion nearest the
tail, wide behind, with plenty Of space
between the point of their breast bone
and the points Of the pelvic bones, and
they must be good feeders, always ac-
tive and alert.
The good laying hens are nearly al
ways somewhat close feathered, not
loosely feathered like the Cochins. We
believe that if a White Leghorn, with
record of 250 eggs and Barred ROCK
with the same record, were both in
good health and condition and were
both killed and picked at the same
time, you would find great resem-
b!ance and uniformity in the shape
and measurements Of the body and
bones of the two fowls. You would
have 10 make due allowance for the ex-
ira size of the Plymouth Rock, OF
course.
Breed From Selected Females.
You should select and breed from
hens and pullets which have been bred
for egg production as we'll as to select
males so bred. Our watchword should
be Use only the survival of the fit
test in our breeding pens and cul!
without mercy" 80 to speak. This win
mean success In your work as poul-
trv man. 1t will bring you the best
returns for time and labor spent.