Milford chronicle., 1921-11-18

900 eggs, nineteen pens over 800 eggs
thirty eight pens over ZOO eggs, fifteen
pens over 600 eggs, nine pens over 500
eggs, three pens over 400 and one pen
over 300.
These figures do not affect individual
scores of pen members, in fact, they have
no bearing on the attainments of indi-
viduals; pen around 600 may contain a
layer that scored more than 200 eggs or
even very much higher. as in the case of
Lady Egg-A-Day.
PecuIiaritles of individuals
On the other hand, pen with a mod
crate score might contain five evenly
balanced layers, all of which laid less
than $50 eggs; likewise, a heavy scoring
pen could contains one heavy layer and
four medium layers, or one bird above
300 could carry a pen total to substan-
tial figures.
There are so many combinations that
are possible with five birds, especially if
more than one strain or family is con-
tanned in one pen, that it is hard to
know all of the reasons why one, two or
even three birds were poor layers, while
one or more were heavy layers.
In individual scores there was not
single bird that failed to lay an egg in
the year, nine eggs was the lowest out
put of any one bird. In preceding years
birds have been entered which failed to
lay, and this is true of other competi-
tions in this country, but no record is
extant of a completely sterile bird in any
foreign contest.
In the case of the winning pen, all of
the birds contributed largely to the to-
tai; all of the members of that pen laid
more than 200 except one, and that bird
laid 1914 eggs. Here is an indication of
what selection can do in breeding heavy
layers for the flock from which the win
ming pen came has been brought to a
high state of fecundity solely through
selection by trapnesting and rigid GULL
ing for health and non broodiness.
All of the conclusions reached in egg
competitions bear directly on the future
of any strain-entrants that failed years
ago to pick layers of ordinary ability
have since constructed hocks that have
won honors in American competitions,
including high places in North American
tests.
Barred Rocks Pen Winner
Pen 8, Barred Plymouth Rocks, enter
ed by A. c. Jones, Georgetown, Del, won
highest honor for five birds, the pen lay
ing total of 1141 eggs and bird number
five reaching the splendid score of S13
eggs. In this pen the individuals laid as
follows: bird 1, 217 eggs; bird 2. 1914
eggs; bird 8, 208 eggs; bird 4, 20S eggs; |
bird 5, 313 eggs. Outside of the trapnests
this pen laid one egg and with it added |
to the individual scores make a total Of
1141 for the pen, an average per bird of |
22S 1-5 eggs.
When the owner of pen started in
the egg production business just eight |
years ago he adopted a Barred Rock .
flock that had been kept for meat pur-
poses on a farm: selection and proper
mating has brought this strain to its
present high state of efficiency in egg
production and it's fecundity is further
evidence of what can be attained by
careful selection. For three years the
owner of this pen has been in the top
scores of these competitions.
English Wyandottes Second
Second pen, honor went to five English
White Wyandottes, entered by the vet
ran of American egg-laying competi-
ions, Tom Barron. His pen scored a to- 1
al of 1913 eggs.
Third pen, Columbian Plymouth Rocks, {
ntered by H. N. Erickson, Pemberton,
I. j., registered total of 1908 eggs; this {
en- led the competition for several '
lonths, until overtaken by pen 8.
Three or four of the pens, in the lat t
er part of the year, did quite a lot of h
ee-sawing for positions; all finals are @
le true test of efficiency, offers proof of d
arental heritage and proves out con- n
usively that greater fxity of desirable F
laracteristics was present, good health G.
I'd therefore stamina, greater powers of b
gestion and greater number of egg cells ri