The sun., 1919-03-09
NIGHT SHIFT HENS
LAY EXTRA BGGS
They Think It's Daytime
When Lights Are Put
in Coops.
DISCOVERY OF AN EXPERT
Prof. Rice Of Cornell Breaks
Shell Of His Secret to
Poultry Raisers.

II regret to say began Prof.
James L. Rice, poultry husbandman at
Cornell University. twlgging his mus
tache in the manner OF one about TO
speak new truths, while his audience
members OF the sectional conference OF
the State Federation OF Poultry Assoc
Citations at the Hotel Commodore yes
terdaY stiffened audibly in expectation,
Il regret to say chat the hen has been
deceivlng us. There has been q sup
position abroad that the hon was nat
ura'ly an early riser, but an even ear
lier reurer.
I'VE have now exposed the fallacy.
When I consider how all OF US trusting
that ancient adage of the shutdown re-
firing habit of the hen, have encour-
aged her In the way for centuries and
centuries, causing the loss of so many
potential eggs that l cannot think Of
| the matter without deepest grief and
modification. I scarcely can speak"
Prof. Rice paused. overcome by the
emotion of his subject and the thrill
Of the now discovery he was about to
| announce. Tho section sat breathiess.
They had frequently suspected the hen.
but never knew Of Just what.
Pledges More EGGS per Hen.
"Its all a lot of nonsense about a
| chicken having to go to bed early" he
| said. why, UP in Cornell we've got
chickens that stay up half the night.
laying eggs, and enjoying II. We trot
| out a meal for them at eight bells, and
| they're 40 appreciatlve they ges up spe-
| cially early to get on with the lay"
"Oh! oh :" gasped the audience.
YES. and isn't 1t absurd" Prof. Rice
II IAI Fn. .knlA ~
| coolies and coolies of years. we've been
| kidded into believing a hen naturally
wanted TO sleep when 1t gets along to-
ward milking time Think of the delu-
| sion we've had about those birds, crawl
| ing in out Of the yard and perching up
! for tho night Just as II they'd been put
ting in q real days work. and heaven
knows their consciences must have hurt
them on reflection. A comparison OF
their hours of sleep with the number OF
eggs actually laid would he in the ma
| jority Of cases to their discredit
II tell you, it's outrageous how we've
pampered those fowl Fed them three
and four times day and then they
roost up beginning before shutdown.
| They've been doing IT for centuries, but
at last we've caught on TO them, and
therell be more eggs per hen per year
hereafter than there ever was per hen
per year since hen was . hen.
secret Bursts From She'll.
But what Is tt" again tho inter
ruptIon. Tho delegation OF hennery keep
ers and proprietors OF chicken runways
was almost In spasm OF anxiety at
Prof Rices elaboration. Never did tho
professor have a greater opportunity to
enjoy a moment,
This is a great thing" the professor
resumed calmly. 81 can't say how great
| 1t Is offhand. but II will mean some doz-
| ems OF eggs more from every fowl in the
hen yard l can say that. Now the
| way we've worked II out in Cornell is
this:
-Beginning with the theory that the
chicken needs inspiration II she 10 going
to be a good egg layer We decided to
try her out by keeping her on the Job
longer. We put lights in the hen house
and burned them. The first night out
the hens tried the old game, tucking
| their heads under the feathers, sit
ting all still and quiet. We watched for
an hour. and then we saw first one hen
wake uo. then another. BY and by the
hens were all up and doing. They'd had
cat nap and thought II was morning
They pecked around for food and we
| dropped in some more grain. They ate
| II up. 1t began to look like bad ex-
| pertinent. that extra supper but we
| took a vote and decided TO go on with
| It. More hens woke up and put UP a
boiler for their meal. We gave 1t to
them. We'd thrown all caution to the
winds by that time and determined to
stake them to any amount OF feed. 20
we dipped into the hopper and laid out
another meal.
Less Sleep, More Egg.
But IL wasn't long before ws got re-
suits. Hen after hen they all hoped
on tho nest and laid an egg. Then &hey
came around for another snack. But
we called it n night then and turned out
the lights. We gave them until the
next morning and then woke them UP
with the old electric glimmer. They ate
again and started right in on the eggs.
It's been going that way ever since by
a little judicious manipulation OF the
lights you can regulate the number of
| extra eggs. II you happen to get enough
| during the regular working day Just let
EN- aleep. But IL the market Il good
keep the lights on and hire a feeding
stan for the whole hennery. 1t will be
worth H."
"But isn't It terribly expensive-'
| began a feminine poultry expert
Fut Hens ON a Night Shift.
WELL" said Prof. Rice Judicially.
"it is. One night twenty-five hens went
on strike for that midnight supper. and
they acted as it ;hey wanted a couple
cold bottles and a jazz band. But they
canned any little thing we could do for
| them. you understand? I'd say that II
pays very materially. In our lighted
chicken house OF 1876 birds we got three
tenths dozen more eggs per day than
\ We got from another hen house where
| they all went tn bed at shutdown. Our
net gain was s71.ss worth of eggs.
submit that this fact speaks for
| itself"
Tho poultry fanciers thought so, too,
but It was all very astounding thinking
| back over the years when the hen went
| to sleep earlier even than the hired help.
They could only see that there Is much
to hope for in this dawning era when
| humans are from Government compul-
sion bidding farewell to bright and
nzzy night life, and the hen Is just be-
ginning to take 1t up.
COLBY OFF SHIPPING BOARD.