The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1920-04-29
ELECTRIC LIGHTS AND
EGG PRODUCTION
Real Facts and Figures Taken from
an Official Test.

Schoppe, poultry expert of the Mon
tana State College Experimental
Farm, the use of electric lights In
hen houses actually increase egg pro-
duction to very considerable extent
during the winter months. Claims
Of this nature have already been ad-
vanced from q number of sources.
and it is said that greatly increased
profits have been shown. Professor
Schoppe has conducted some very
careful and exhaustive tests which
seem to prove beyond any reasonable
doubt that the intelligent use of cleo
trio light in hen houses does not show
worth while increase in egg pro-
duction. Here is the story Of his
test.
Two flocks of one hundred and sixty
Leghorn hens each were penned in
separate houses. The birds were
divided into the two hocks without
choice and all conditions except that
Of light were kept the same through
out the test. The test was started
on October LIST, and continued until
July 31st. One flock was allowed
70 60 with no other than natural light,
going to roost at dark each night. In
the other pen electric lights were in
stalled. The lights were turned on
at six o'clock in the morning when
the days were short and were allowed
to burn until daylight. They were
then turned on again at dark and
burned until nine in the evening. In
this pen the hens were up at six A..
M. regardless Of the length of the
days and did not roost until nine p.
M.
It was found naturally that the
hens in the lighted pens needed more
feed than those in the unlighted pens,
and this extra supply Of feed, though
net large, was figured into the profit
made on the hens and into the cost Of
the lights.
Some interesting figures showed
up. During the month of November
the unlighted pens showed loss Of
a 1/2 cents bird while the electrical
ly lighted pens showed profit Of
nearly "a cents bird. Quite diff
ference. And yet in December the
contrast was even more marked, be-
cause while the unlighted pens show
ed a profit of 11.6 cents bird, the
lighted houses returned profit Of
59.2 cents.
Taking the ten months as whole
the lighted houses produced nearly
$4,000 more profit than the unlighted
ones. The exact figures were $473.80
for the unlighted pens and $568. 10
for the lighted. A difference that is
surely worth having.
Now of course, it is understood that
this University test was very care
fully conducted and that all the birds
received good care and good feeding
regardless Of which flock they were
in, so that their production was prob
ably rather high anyway. But it will
be noted that the record speaks of
PROFIT and not of production, and
shows clearly that the hens in the
lighted pens produced higher pront
after making full allowance for the
extra feed they consumed and for the
cost Of the lights.
This means that any farm can in
stall electric lights in its chicken
house and expect to show an increas-
ed egg profit 1T the end of the year.
Where there is already an electric
plant on the farmland there now are
on over 100000 farms in this country
the running of wires to the chicken
house and installing of lights is q very
small matter, and the cost of the ex-
ira current used will be scarcely no
.ticeable. Where there is no cleo
trio plant, facts like these will surely
add further argument for the asser-
ton that no farm family should be
without the convenience Of electric
light and power in these days.