The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1922-12-14
MORE EGGS SECURED
BY ELECTRIC LIGHT
Yield Increased in Winter Months
When Price Is High.
An Average Day of From IL to 10
Hours Gives Best Results and as
General Rule Only Profitable
to Use Mature PuIIets.

prepared by the United States Department
Of AgricuhuTe)
Although the use of electric lights
in the poultry house does not greatly
Increase the total annual egg produc-
ton of hens, says the United States
Department Of Agriculture, it does
Increase the yield during the winter
months when the price is high and
Is therefore profitable. In expert
ments carried on by the department
during the fall and winter of 1920 and
1921, lights were used from November
! to March 20.
Each year a flock of so pullets was
used. The first year, during the pc
riod when lights were used, the light
ed pen produced so dozen more eggs
than the same number of pullets
In IN unlighted house. The second
year the puIlets In the lighted pen
laid more than 60 dozen eggs in ex-
cess of an unlighted flock of the same
size ard quality. One 75-watt light
was used for the so Pullets for PA
hours daily for 140 days. 1t was
turned OF at 4:30 in the morning End
allowed to run unit! daylight, being
turned of by the poultryman when he
came to work. 1t was turned on au.
tomatically by an alarIn-clock device
An average length Of day of from
Il to IL hours gives the best results
Adding the extra lights in the morn
ing is the most convenient method, al.
though some poultrymen use lights
both morning and evening. The hours
added to the hens working day should
be the same In either case. Making
the day longer than 13 hours forces
the birds too much.
When lights are used In the evening
ON arrangement for dimming them
Is required so that the hens will go
to roost before they are turned out
entirely.
When artificial lights are used the
hens must be fed more. In fact, the
object of the plan Is to give the hens
an opportunity to eat more, with the
result that they will be forced to
lay more eggs, provided they are of a
laying strain. Dry mash should be
available at all times and scratch feed
should he used in deep litter to make
them exercise. A feed Of grain should
be put in the litter at night so that
the hens can go to work as soon as
the lights go on IL the morning.
II is important to have plenty of
fresh water handy so that the hens
can get ii whenever they are eating.
In the winter when lights are turned
on automatically in the morning some
provision must be made to keep the
water from freezing when 1t is kept in
the house all night. The department
uses an electric light with a carbon
bulb immersed in the drinking water.
The bulb is tightly covered with a
piece of cloth, so no light is thrown
into the pen.
AS a general rule it Is only profit
able to use artificial lighting on pull
lets, and the best results are obtained
on well-matured pullets. Hens to be
used for breeders should not be forced
for egg production with electric lights
during the period just preceding the
breeding season, as forced laying at
that time is apt to cause poorer
matches and produce weaker chickens
than would be obtained from hens
kept under normal winter conditions.