The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-10-25
THE FARMER: OCTOBER %, 1917
TESTS OF hens
SHOW LECHORNS
BEST PRODUCERS
Egg Yield From Pullets at
Less Cost Than From
Older Hens.


to produce one dozen eggs cost 10
cents with pullets, IA cents with two
year-old hens, and 10 cents with
three-year- old-hens in a three-year
feeding test recently reported by
pouitfymen of the United States De-
partment of Agriculture. These were
the cost figures of feed at the time
of the experiment, which began in
1912, and must be corrected to pres
emit prices. Tables of rations and costs
presented in the report enable poul-
trymen to make these corrections
when compared to 1917 prices. In
Bulletin 561 of the Department of
Agriculture, Feed Cost Of Egg Pro-
duction,'' the specialists describe in
detail this test, which was undertake
en- to compare the costs of various
rations fed under general farm condi-
lions also was. learned in the expert
ment.
Starting with six pens of 80 pullets
each, the test was enlarged to include
1 pens containing 366 fowls Most of
the pens were made up of 80 STAN
dard-bred pullets, bred and reared
under the same conditions and select
ed for vigor, standard shape, and
color. Some flocks consisted Of
one. breed while others contained
more than one kind of pure-bred
fowls Of the generai-purpose type.
Pens Of cross bred pullets also were
used.
With the exception of three flocks
which were confined to good-sized
yards, all the fowls were allowed free
range over several acres of rough
land. Detailed records were kept of
| the feed used. the weight of the eggs,
and careful observations were made
Of the conditions which affect egg
| production, such as melting and
broodiness The test was conducted
on the experiment, farm of. the Blu
reau of Animal Industry, at Belts
results of the tests, the specialists
draw these conclusions:
The average egg yield for the first
| laying year in all pens was 131 eggs.
and the highest pen average yield
was 1875 eggs. In the second year
the average egg yield of all pens was
/ 92.7 eggs, which decreased to 1872
eggs in the third laying year.
! The average value of eggs over
feed cost the first laying year was
$2.56 per hen, falling to $1.41 the
second year, and to s0.79 the third
year. The highest average value in
any pen was $3.41.
| The general purpose fowls consum-
ed annually ~ pounds of feed which
cost S1.13 while the Leghorns ate 55
pounds. which cost 81 cents.
i Good results were obtained with
The use of this grain added variety
to the ration without increasing the
i cost,
Fowls not fed any beef scrap or
other animal protein laid only 80
leggs during their pullet year com
pared with 1877 eggs from the beef
Iscrap pens, and "a compared with SO
in their second year. The eggs of the
no beef scrap pens cost about 20
cents per dozen more to produce the
first laying year, but these costs were
about equal during the second year
The fowls not fed beef scrap laid
VERY poorly in winter, thus material
ly reducing the value of their eggs
Cottonseed meal used in place OF
beef scrap as a high-protein feed II
the ration produced or greenish spot!
on the yolks Of the eggs, especial,
in warm weather, making a consider
able proportion of them unfit fol
market. Eggs were produced NOR
cheaply and at considerably great
er profit on the beef-scrap ration.
Fish meal at 81 ton less than bee
scrap proved to be q good high-pro
teinfeed, which can be used to ad
vantage to replace beef scrap. TIL
fish meal did not in any way affec
the flavor or quality of the eggs.
General-purpose fowls allowed t.
select their own mash constituent
ate a dry mash containing about 6
per cent. corn meal, 10 per cent. bee
scrap, 9 per cent. BRAN, and 9 pc
cent. niddlings. Leghorns ate a. masl
of about So per cent corn meal, 26 pc
cent beef scrap, and 4 per cent eacl
of bran and middlings. No better re
suits were obtained by this metho
of feeding than where the groun
grains were mixed together in
mash.
Good mashes, as indicated by thes
experiments, may be made of Sc pc
. cent. corn meal, 26 per cent bee
scrap. and 4 per cent each of bra
. and middlings, or 2 pounds of cor
meal and i pound each of bran, mid
dlings. and beef scrap, with a scratc
feed in each ration or equal parts b
weight of cracked corn, wheat, oat
oats, which is fed so that the hens re
ceive about equal parts of scratc
feed and OF mash.
L Inc LeSnOFns on Tree range CAV
a considerably greater egg yield tina
those confined to a fair-sized yart
This difference was less marked !
1.-THE general purpose hens.
III Sprouted oats fed as green feed t
hens confined to yards cost about 1
cents per hen year and 1 cent pc
dozen eyes,. not including any charge
for labor and equipment. The her
ate on an average in one year abou
1.s pounds of oyster shell and OF {
a pound of grit, which together COS
about l cent per hen.
II The Leghorns did not lay as we
in the winter as the general-purpos
breeds, especially during their secon
/ year, but the Leghorns produced egg
about cents per dozen cheaper dun
Ing their first year, 8. a cents cheape
in their second year. and 9.s cent
cheaper in their third year than tn
| general-purpose breeds. One pen
Leghorn pullets produced eggs in tn
1 first year at a feed cost of ST. cent
| per dozen, while the value of the egs
per hen for the year was SAL owe
cost of feed.
The average weight of a dozen egs
from the general-purpose fowls dun