The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1920-01-01
BY MRS. JOHN C. MOSES
MissisSinni CITY. Miss.

| The good farm hen should lay, on an av-
erage the following number of eggs dur
ling the - months of each year:
| November s. December Z, January -
February u, March 49, April 10, May 20,
June is, July II, August IS, September ~
(; October total 100.
| Most farmers know little concerning the
| individual production of their hens and
pulets, but this is a factor in flock mis-
management which merits close attention.
particularly in view of the high price
! of eggs during the winter season, 1t is
relatively as simple for the farm flock
| owner to keep tab ON the production of
/! his hens as it is for him to keep track
tof the milk yield of his cows and, in
levery respect the keeping of flock rec
ords results as profitably as where sim
| liar accounts are kept concerning COW
activities
Efficient use of the trap nest is the
most satisfactory method of detecting e.ie
Improbable hens and pullets in the flock
AS soon as the trap nesting records show
/ that certain birds are loafing on the
| job,' the quicker these fowls are dis
posed of The better. as poultry feeding
/ stuffs are corespondingly as high in
price as are the commodities which form
| the human ration.
K A great many poultry keepers have no
real standard or Guide by which to de-
\ termlnG Wnclnef OF NOT the eSS ylciu VI
l.heir flocks is satisfactory. The data
compiled by the officials who have had
| charge of the international egS-layinS
contest at the Storrs (Connectcut Agri-
cultural Experiment station, are OF
| special value. These records cover eight
years results in poultry keeping and in
clude data from thousands of hens. The
4 While the production of 160 eggs men
/ a year is higher than the average, it fur
t,;e foN which the flock
owner may work through systematic Gull
ing and good breeding.
This figure is approximately go eggs
more than the annual output of the aver
Ige farm hen.
1t is worthy of note that the average
hen-accordng to the results of the esq
Having contest under d1scusSion--produ
a maximum yield of eggs during 90
months of March, April. May and June
AS a rule she begins laying in Novem
Der and gradually tunes up her produc-
Z. ton until March. when she is produclns
well She maintains this production ur<
august or September when her egg yieit
5fagain declines in preparation for the
noting or vacation period for the pro
dIcing fowl.
! Every flock owner could profita-A
+ equip his poultry house with small rec
lord sheet such as is used\in the average
idairy stable He should erecord in thu
ALLOTTED space each day the yieid o
each hen and at the end of the mont
ne can readily ascertain the total 3o-das
production of each fowl in the flock Thei
The can check back this monthly yielt
against the average yield from the inter
national egg-layng contests as presented
above When he located unprohtaple hen
or pullets he can Gull Them from the flock
while the record keeping may also be
value to him in enhancing egg produc
ton by altering and improving his meth
DDS of feeding and general management.
This standard of production is OF spe
lcial value. as it furnishes definite goa
toward which all the club boys and girl
imay work Simiirvly 1T Is valuable t
. ievery poultry producer as an incentV
, to improve flcck production
The worker hen-the fowl that produce
persistently, and acknowledgement
usually carries ragged, worn plu.S~ ge