The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-07-26
Breeding to Improve Egg Production
(Dr. ]. w. Gowen, biologist, Maine
Experiment Station

(pr. ]. w. Gowen, biologist, Maine
Experiment Statiop)
What are the importantSb characters
which influence breeding for increased
egg production? Above all else the
work of the Maine Agricultural Elk
periment Station has shown that
health and ability to get chicks which
will be high egg layers in their pull
let year. are most important. This
in itself involves several inherited
characters, such as early maturity
broodiness, high winter production, a
high rate of monthly laying, laying
of fertile eggs of superior hatcmng
ability. On the presence or absence
of these characters depend the aver
ages of flock production.
Having noted the important factors
which affect egg production ana
breeding for egg production the I'M
sportart question is how to control and
utilize them to produce the high lay
ing flock. Much ink has been spill
ed furthering the use OF one system
or another but the outstanding re-
suit appears to indicate that the trap
nest invented and used by the Maine
station is ct the very basis OF any
satisfactory system of egg improves,
ment by breeding. Use OF the trap
nest involves a record for egg pro-
duction and pedigree. 1t necessit-
ates pedigreeing chickens These
matters have been taken up In detail
in Maine station bulletin ESQ. 1t VIII
be assumed that the birds number
and pedigree are known,
Duration Of life and resistance to
sickness have been shown to be in
herited. The pOultryman needs no
demonstration to prove that sickly
bird Is q poor producer for he has had
ample demonstration OF this fact II
he has kept trap-nest records. IT
takes vigorous pullet to be good
producer. Only those birds which
have been healthy throughout life
should be bred for producing high
egg laying pullets.
The work of the Maine station, sub
stantiated by dozen different IN
stances, has shown that the early
layers are those which are the great
est producers during the year. They
are also the birds producing the
greatest profit, for fall and early WIN
ter eggs bring the greatest returns.
A difference of about 30 eggs In the
total annual production Is noted for
birds that lay In November in COM
parison with those which do not. The
difference Is even more striking be-
tween the birds which lay in the two
- nnnam her
and those which do not lay in these
months, the difference in the average
annual total in these two months
amounting to more than 40 eggs How
can these facts be used to breed an
early maturing pullet to produce,
the desired early layer?
A trapsnest system of pedigreeing
enables the breeder to determine those
birds OF q given age which mature
earliest A selection OF pullets for
breeders on the basis OF early laying
can then be made. The breeding or
the flock may be such that 200 days
old furnishes satisfactory division
line. BY breeding only those birds
laying under 200 days to cocks which
have all their sisters laying under
200 days, 1t has been demonstrated
that a flock which lays early in life
can be built up.
In the same way the other impor-
tant factors influencing egg produc-
tfon--winter production, non-broodi-
ness, rate of laying, fertility and
matching quality-may be concentrat-
ed in the flock, emphasis being con-
stantly laid on demonstrated ability
to reproduce the desired characteris-
tics. In this way flock averages,
depending as they do on the egg pro-
duction of each individual bird, will
be improved, the Improvement in
some focks being nearly 100 percent.