The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1918-11-21
FORMER LYNDEN MAN URGES
POULTRYMEN TO USE LIGHTS

George Shoup, formerly of Lyn-
den, but now poultry expert of the
Western Warrington Experiment
Station at Puyallup, strongly advises
poultrymen to use artificial lights in
their coops, in a bulletin Issued this
week by the Puyallup station.
Says Mr.. Shoup:
There has been considerable dis
cussion among poultrymen regarding
the possible overproduction of win
ter eggs if all poultrymen practice
the lighting of their fiocks. This bogy
of overproduction of high-priced eggs
has been heard for years, but every
year the price has advanced over the
preceding one and the ability of the
public to consume the increased out
put has always kept ahead of the
supply.
There is no doubt that, were win
ter conditions in all parts of the coun-
try as favorable for egg production
as on the Pacific Coast. the use OF
artificial daylight would increase the
present 10 per cent average winter
yield thruout the country to approx
mate spring production. Fortunately
for the coast poultry business the Sc
we're weather in other localities, the
consequent lack of succulent green
feed and the extreme difficulty of
l. ;-Ac frv vtah n xxvi1 al
ways discourage attempts at high
winter production of eggs.
Another factor is the poultryman
who has gone into the business as
an easy way to make a living. He
is very much opposed to getting up
early in the morning and to working
with the poultry after dark. He al
ways prides himself of the few hours
he has to spend with the chickens.
This thing of cleaning the droppings
boards every morning and renewing
the litter frequently is all bosh," he
says. There are many Of this type
who will never go to the extra work
of using artificial daylight. The egg
production from their poultry is pro-
badly not much greater than that of
the average farm flock.
The transportation facilities are
much improved in recent years. AS
an instance, during January and Feb
ruary, 1918, many carloads of fresh
Washington eggs, mainly produced
by plants using artificial light. left
Seattle for New York City at the
highest net prices to the producer
ever experienced up to that time.
In using artificial light for poultry
the caretaker should clearly under
stand the function OF these extra
hours of light. The light is not used
as a means of forcing the birds to lay
unnaturally. There should be no
stimulation such as is derived from
condiments or a too liberal supply of
green cut bone. Production carried
past the birds ability to renew the
wear and tear on her digestive Or
gans, we believe would be rightly
termed forcing"
An instance brought to our notice
recently was an experiment in light
ing carried on by a well-known Ex-
pertinent station. The endeavor there,
as expressed in the report, was to
fool the birds" They were lighted
at various hours, starting at 400 a.
m. and finishing at Zoe a. m. The
report as tabulated showed a very
good production for the first few
weeks, but later on the birds all
went into a moult. and as a con-
sequence that Station officially an
nounced that artificial lighting is a
mistake.
Another man, in an Eastern city,
placed a cluster OF electric lights be-
hind a circular tinted window in one
end of his poultry house. He claimed
to have a very good imitation of the
sun, and that by working his birds
in six hour shifts he produced two
days and two nights in each "a hours
and was thus enabled to get two eggs
each day from his layers.
The whole endeavor in campaign