The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1920-01-13
State Specialist Analyses Idaho
Requirements For Elevation
Of Important Industry To
Profitable Position.

Improvement in Poultry Through
Community Cooperation in Breeding.
By Prem Moore.
The primary object for keeping
fowls is egg production. 1t matters
not what other qualifications a nen
may have, if she is not producer
she has no value. Eggs represen,
about two thirds OF the value of the
entire poultry industry in dollars and
cents. The hens carcess is merely a
by-product Of the poultry industry.
According to the farm data avari-
able for the year 1918 and 1919, it
costs, on the average in Idaho, about
three dollars to feed a hen a year.
These figures are based on condi-
tons where hens are fed the year
around.
The carcass OF the average hen, ON
the average market of Idaho, will
sell for less than one dollar, probably
a little less than one third of the cost
of feedig for one year. If the aver
age hen is to break even with her
keeper, then she must lay at least 30
eggs. The average price of eggs in
Idaho for this period was about AZ
cents per dozen, making the eggs
I'll Il,
not allow tn farmer any compensa-
ton for his labor or investment.
Breaking even is much better than to
sustain loss, but certainly is not
good business.
Eighty-six eggs per hen is mucn
above the average yearly production
for Idaho farm hens. There are those
from flocks in Idaho, however, that
produce much higher average. One
Idaho farm record that has been kept
for the last five years shows a yearly
average of l84 eggs per year per hen.
A production OF this average would
mean net income of $6.44 per yeai
per hen, or net profit of $3.44. There
are other records of shorter duration
that show even higher averages than
the one mentioned.
The real test of the success OF any
proposition is determined by the re
suits obtained over long period OF
time and from all the units affected
High individual records, or high av-
erages obtained from short tests, are
not the real test and are not avail
able.
Breed for Egg Production.
Hens in nature lay couple OF
clutches of eggs amounting probably.
to "a to 80 eggs each year. These
eggs are laid during the natural repro
ducing season as provided by nature
to reproduce their kind. The addi-
tional eggs that hens lay may be term
ed artificial production. For hens &c
make this artificial production, they
must be provided artificially as near
ly summer conditions the year around
as possible. In the spring and sum
mer time, there are greens OF all kind
and animal protein in the form o
bugs and worms--two elements tina
are necessary in we'll balanced IA
ton for laying hens. Proper feed
ing is a necessary factor in egg pro
duction, and should not be lost sigh,
of. However, the year around layer
is produced through breeding,
The hen is machine, the purpose
of which is to consume great guam
titles of food and convert it into 4
finished product in the form OF eggs
Some hens have a natural Inherited
tendency to convert great quantities
of food into eggs rather than to grow
muscle and fat. while other hens have
a natural, inherited tendency to grow
muscle and fat rather than to produce
many egga
The tendency of the hen machine
may be controlled through breeding
and then by proper feeding and hous-
ing. II she has the producing ten
dency, she will produce satisfactorily,
Breeding Stock Should be Carefully
Selected.
The practice of poultry breeding on
the average farm is to secure males
enough to mate all OF the hens on the
farm, irrespective of the fit
ness of either the male or female
for breeding purposes. There are
those hens in every flock that lay but
few eggs and those flocks in which
no hen ever lays many eggs. The hen
that lays but few eggs at any time
does her laying at the time when eggs