Imperial Valley press., 1923-06-20
wv Wednesday, June 20, 1923
BY E. L. GARTHWAITE
County Farm Advisor

!OZcn eggs WHICH IncSc mems pro-
luce, aad what prize is received
for these dozen eggs. The items
Entering into the cost of these doz-
Fn eggs are feeding (including
grain, mash, grit, shell, charcoal
nd green feed) labor (including
Feeding laying hens, broody hens
md chicks, collecting eggs, clean
ng houses, raising green feed;)
Equipment Gncluding egg cases,
feed buckets, feed troughs, nest
Eggs, drinking fountains, hand
Iprayer, brood coops;) stock (in'
Fluding hens, roosters, ehicks;l
buildings (ncluding laying and
boosting house, feed bin or house,
.tc.;) fences and fencing, spray
materials, insect powders, etc, and
hlso a portion of the following: the
bse Of which is necessary in poul-
ry raising: small tools, such as
hammer, shovel, etc, wheelbarrow,
and water system (including tank
Ind tank house, piping, etc. stock,
machinery, etc.; the hauling of
Eggs to town, selling eggs, etc. To
Pffset this imposing array of cost
TENS, the average price received
throughout the year is % cents per
ozen considering that so per cent
Il the eggs are laid when the price
Imperial Valley is Is cents to
8 cents.
Food Biggest Item
The largest single item of cost
Il producing the dozen eggs is that
f feed. Therefore poultry raisers
hust aim to get as high efficiency
rom the feed given to the poultry
8 possible. With average good
ens given proper care and atten-
ion the cost of the feed plus the
ost Of the other items will be less
han the price received for the
ggs, because those hens use a
minimum Of that feed for body
maintenance and q maximum for
gg production.
Unprofitable Animals
Unfortunately farmers who are
Interested in raising poultry for
|rOfit are confronted with exactly
he same problem as is the dairy
nan, the hog raiser, or any other
livestock man. And that problem
the animal, in this case the hen
Nat does not produce enough to
ay even for the cost of feed.
Are thero any poultrymen who do
lot believe that there is differ
nee in the number of eggs which
ifferent hens will produce9 Any
erson can go out into a flock of
ems and see at glance remark
BILE differences in individuals. In
|icking up fowls and examining
loser, still further differences are
asily noted, for instance, the col,
Of the beak and shanks in one is
elbow and of another is cream col
red or nearly white; one has a
lrge red, full comb, while that on
mother is pale, shriveled.
Some years ago leading poultry
authorities in q number of the Ag-
icultural Colleges started to study
hese remarkable differences. Ex-
client opportunities were found at
he various egg laying contests
here accurate records were kept
d fievery hen, and close observa-
(ohs could be made of hundreds
andividuals that were high pro
ueers, and on hundreds that were
BIT Profitable.
Good Layers Detected
As h result Of these very careful
laaies and observations Il system
detecting good and poor layers
as developed. Since that time the
tthods have been greatly imprpv-
upon, so tina, today very good
suits can be obtained in dctrmin-
L laying hens from ltin, hens
telling the profitable and the
,wofitablc hens.
Startling Figures
In 1921, in order to show poultry
bople in Imperial Valley what ex-
llent results can be obtained by
is system Of culling, a flock of
bns was culled by the Agricultur-
Extension Service for a poultry
User residing near Holtville. In
is flock, during the ten days be-
Ire culling, the 22S hens layed
p17 eggs. Forty six hens were
hlled out and in the following ten
n days laid 40 eggs or u little
yer one piece. The remaining
b2 hens laid 1914 eggs in the ten
bys or nearly six eggs piece.
his person was feeding 25 per cent
her flock for fun or out of
nd heartedness.
The Agricultural Extension Ser
ee started conducting poultry
lling demonstrations in 1920 to
ow poultry raisers that the me-
ods developed by the poultry
eeialists of the various Agricul-
raj Colleges were effective and
actical for farmers to use in de-
citing and wedding out unprofit-
bic hens. In one month of that
par COG hens or 19 per cent were
He'd out of 32O2 birds handled.
revious to culling, these 1902 hens
ia 1909 eggs, being a 81 per
mt production. After culling the
lected hens laid lO,547 eggs in
days, or Al per cent production,
lille the culls only laid 223 eggs or
3 per cent production.
Petalulna Culling -.
At the Petaluma Egg Laying
bntest the birds were separated
to selected hens and culls. The
6 selected hens averaged 46 eggs
ch from July Is to October 81,
lille the 70 cu)ls only averaged