The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1924-02-29
CALDWELL To
GET NATIONAL
POULTRY TEST
Annual E g G L a yin g
Contest Proposed for
Experimental F arm
Here; Is Big Affair

University OF idaho. Moscow
Idaho's first annual egg-laying CON
test. 10 start Nov. /. 1924. is being
planned by the university. through
its agricultural college. to be held at
the agricultural experiment kubsia-
ton at Caldwell
Present plans call for 50 entries
OF - birds each. making \ total OF
600 birds. These hens will be kept
al the station for a year and careful
records made of their laying.
BY trapnesting it is proposed TO
determine which individuals and which
varieties lay the greatest number OF
eggs during the different months and
during the year. Records will be kept
OF the size OF eggs laid and the feed
consumed. At the end Of each month.
reports will be sent to the newspapers
and to the exhibitors. giving full re-
cords regarding the eggs laid by the
individual birds and the income. feed.
cost. profit over feed cost. and gcner-
al condition OF each hen.
"Any pouliryman in the world will
be elegible to compete in this CON
test" says Prof. h. +. Parkhursi. head
OF the university department of poul-
try hushandry.
Records Help
"The records secured in this con-
test will be very helpful to the poul-
trymen who send in the different
hens as the records will enable them
to start with a small flock OF tested
hens and to breed from it a very use
ful and profitable flock. The individ-
ual is stimulated to better breeding
each year not only in quantity but
also in quality OF production.
"At contest that started last year
entries came from seven states be-
sides the one in which the contest
was located. This gives the individu-
al poultryman who enters his birds
an opportunity to compare them with
those from other states II he finds
his birds inferior. he strives next time
to select and bred for superiority. II
his birds are best in the contest he
endeavors to keep them the best by
still more attention to breeding
Must Test Hens
The extent to which these con-
tests have stimulated better breeding
is indicated by the actual results in
Canadian contest that has been run
ming only four years. The first year
average was l20 eggs per fowl This
gradually increased until last year it
was l43 eggs.
"Similar contests held elsewhere
have served a useful purpose in the
upbulding OF the poultry industry in
communities where they have been
held The poultrymen and the farm
ers are inspired by the records made
in the contests to maintain records
OF all the hens they keep. The poul-
trymcn soon learn that hens should
be tested as accurately and as care
fully MS dairy COWS. and they are in
spired to keep only productive and
profitable focks. There is usually
considerable difference between the
production OF the average hen on the
farm or in the commercial flock and
that obtained in the egg-aying con-
test. This will serve to increase the
production OF the focks of the state
by stimulating more interest in better
methods OF management as recon-
mended by the experiment station and
extension workers OF the university
80 Contests Now
There are now about 80 egg lay
ing contests in the United States and
IL in Canada. These contests have
taught poultrymen that the breeding
OF poultry rquires the same amount
of care and skill that is required in
the breeding OF productive dairy cows.
They have shown that hens that pro-
duce the greatest number OF eggs came
from excellent strains that have been
carefully bred for years
The purpose OF establishing ar
egg-laying contest by the college OF
agriculture is to advance the poultry
interests OF Idaho. II is believed that
considerable interest will be created
among the poultry keepers OF the
state and that more attention will be
paid TO the use OF pure bred poultry
on the farm and better breeding and
feeding methods. II this end is at