Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-07-14
SUCCESSIVE STAGES
IN EGG PRODUCTION
Practical knowledge OF Embryology
Essential to Success In Poul-
try Culture.
REPRODUCTIVE POWERS
Some Reasons for Blood Spots. Body
Heated Eggs and Other lrrcgulari-
tics-Formation OF Shell Is Inter-
cstingly Described by Expert.
ny II. ARMSTRONG ROBERTS.

ny II. ARMSTRONG ROBERTS.
Whether poultry IS grown for meat
8 or eggs. tho first stage of production
is the cgs, all else depends upon it,.
Hence a knowledge OF how the cgs is
formed and developed would seem to
= be one OF the fundamentals OF poultry
y culture. Yet this knowledge is sell
= dom considered, with the result that
= few poultry keepers have clear idea
: OF their work.
Z They are at loss when the hens. IA il
y to lay: they cannot account for drones;
@-rfTey are not equipped to select breeders
s:eiosthc best advantage; feeding prnci-
= pies puzzle them. and they cannot fix
2 the reasons for bloody eggs. body
< heated eggs and other irregularities.
T. The size, shape. color and fertility OF
tho. eggs are also matters OF specula-
= ton, To summarize, their work is done
= in the dark hit-or-miSs plan.
r which is wrong. Every phase OF the
). definite aim. and TO accomplish this he
e must have at least casual understand
u ing OF embryology.
= Without becoming too technical
4 though certain technical phrases are
: unavoidable. the purpose OF this article
c Will be to describe the principal pro-
s cesscs in esE production, which are
\ illustrated by the accompanying dia-
= gram. which is indexcd
( The chief organs OF reproduction are
Y the ovary and oviduct. These organ.
represent two distinct stages in the
u formation OF the egg: first. tho yoik:
second, the albumen, or white. and the
= she'll. Strictly speaking. there are two
sets OF these organs. although only one
q set functions-the left set. The right
6 set deEenerates early in life. and re-
q mains, IL At all. in 4 rudmentary state,
useless.
( MORE THAN 1000 EMBRYO
Eggs IN EACH NORMAL HEN
& The active ovary lies on me LOFT side
I of the body close TO the backbone just
back OF the lungs and resembles a
! bunch Of grapes, cluster OF spheres
\ which vary in size from that OF tho
{ normal eEEyolk down to he p.
where they are scarcely
Z naked eye. These spheres -.
ttF immature yolks, and arc
: ova. collectively.
I according 10 some experts ther" ~.
more than 1000 OF these cells I'm m.
! normal hon. Whether or no, this Is
correct. We need only concern ourselves
with about 500. The number is no. a
. fixed quantity, and those which devotion
( rs sun less certain. Moreover. the
. ra7id'ty with which they devotion Is
" largely an inherited tendency fosterod
cor stimulated by proper management
Z and good feeding
5 Some hens arc ahsoIu.al,. ..o-D 49,,
,nlssA they have no powc- 10 devotion ,he,-
minute egg cells: they never Law Such
specimens are rare however and arc 70
!.be compared to other malformations
otncr hens have the power 10 produc.
ie" cees in short li,tcrs. followed
~ long rest periods. These hens nigh,
nc CLASSIFIED as drones or Indifferent
layers. Sometimes they lay but ono
inter or eggs year. say abou, three
no]eh eggs in tho spring when condi-
uons are especially favorable Al other
'iines they put on fat and loaf
linen there arc hens whose rcn-o
nnct're organs are SO vigorous and
easilN stimulated that they Law almost
without cessation and continue so 10 4,
ior couple OF years. II is from this
LASS or LAYERS that NC get records of
-"o and 300 cESs a year.
FLOCK AVERAGE or I5o
EGGS YEAR Is VERY COON
,on should be borne IN mind that the !
-ooo-eGg hen is almost as rare as tho
sterile hon. In fact i, is donhtfu, :, |
one could call 3l0-cgs production
natural flock average Of 40 co.
year should satisfy the fondcs, honos
any poultry keeper. Few can bo,s,
IL at present, and suhstantia,e their
ciaims. though considerable progress sc
oeins made in this Objection
Starting as a tinyt>sphcsi. the >.o,,<
comes TO its fun size In the ovary. II Is
embraced or surrounded nv a .h:n
mem orane. joined 10 the main stalk of
the orarv by 4 stalk OF its own which
membrane and stalk is called the fol-
hcie This membrane consists Of a
network OF bloodvcsselS comnl,,c,v
surrounding the yolk save for a suture
me called The stigma, which when
.ruptured allows the volk 10 csc,ra
q. r|,'
inc yoik IS fully developed. ripe-
ready 10 receive the alburnen and shou
should hloodvessel be slightly run.
tured when the woke is expelled from
he folliclc. and lose a drop Of blood
this blood will appear in tho COM
nleted egg. Sometimes a particIe a,
the tissue is slouEhcd off. too. such
eggs arc known as liver snots" o.
blood spots" These eggs are edible
nut they are not appe,izinG looking
IN CONSEQUENCE. they are generally con
demned as bad eggs. The un,hinkinr
housewife usually takes them TO be
partly incuhated eggs. Gambling eggs
is the only safeguard against blood
spots"
The escape Of the yolk from the fol.
iinle rs known as the process OF ovula-
tion. II IS a, this stage of the eggs
development that the life germ is Ter.
tilized. II fertil!zed at all. The life
germ is attached to the thin mem
brane covering the yolk called the
yiteline membrane. which remains j..
the completed cEE. although so thin as
L, be invisible to the eye. The con
tents OF the yolk. the yellow mass s
CALLED IN vItellus II IS the vital n,-,
pr the egg, hence the term.
JITALINE MEMBRANE Is
STRONG ~ FRESH EGG
1t will be noted that the vi.aline
= membrane is quite strong in the fresh
egg and correspondingly weak in the
stale egg witness how easily the yo!k
Of storage egE is punctured In
other words. the structure OF the er-
IS greatly impaired 10y age, even though
ITS favor may not be affected Hence
we are advised TO hatch eggs as soon
as possible after they arc laid
The life germ, another term for
which is Eerminal disc. is :, small. CIR
GUAR. whitish body. abou, AN cjrbth
o: an inch In diameter. which may or
may not be capable OF development.
4 depending upon whether the hens have
mated. This disc always floats uD-
& permost. no matter In what positi'n
g. g.. ~