Smyrna times., 1926-12-22
KENT COUNTY FARMERS TAKE
MORE INTEREST IN POULTRY
MANY JOIN STATE POULTRY
CLUB AND COMPETE IN CONTEST
$4,000 Birds Were Entered in State
Contest With the Result That Egg
Yield Has Shown a Material Gain

The interest which many of the
leading poultry farmers in the state
are taking in the Delaware Farm Egg
Record Club, which was organized
over year ago under the direction of
HI. S. Palmer, Extension Poultryman
of the University of Delaware, in Co
operation with the County Agricul-
tural Agents, was demonstrated last
November when two hundred and fif-
teen of these poultry raisers in the
three counties Joined this club and
agreed to keep an account of the daily
egg production of their respective
fiocks for the period beginning No
vember l, 1925, and ending October
81, 1926 Of this number of mem
bers, however, only one hundred and
eighteen completed The work and sent
in their monthly report cards to Mr..
Palmer, who in turn supplied each
member with a monthly statement
giving the numbers of the highest
producing focks along with many
practical and helpful suggestions in
regard to the management of the
birds throughout the year. Sixty
thousand birds were entered in this
Farm Egg Laying Club which started
a year ago last November, and during
the first four or five months fifty
thousand of these birds were kept in
focks of hens and pullets separated,
while ten thousand were kept in fiocks
of hens and pullets running together.
The reports from these sixty thous-
and birds during the months of No
vember, December and January, at
time when egg prices are the highest,
show that the fiocks in which the hens
and pullets were kept separate aver
aged 30.6 eggs per pullet, and 1872
eggs per hen, or an average of 24.4
eggs per bird, as compared to 1872
eggs per bird in those focks where
both hens and pullets were mixed to-
gether. According to the above fig
ures, the focks in which hens and
pullets were kept separate averaged
141 eggs per pullet and 124 eggs per
hen for the entire year, as compared
to 120 eggs per bird when the hens
and pullets were kept in mixed fiocks.
The United States census report stat
es that the average production per
hen on all farms in Delaware for the
year 1924 was Sc eggs. The average
number of layers kept on these one
hundred and eighteen farms for the
year ending October 81 was 1887
pullets, 7249 hens and 1921 birds in
mixed fiocks. In the best flock of pull
let's consisting of less than 100 birds
the average production was 208.7 eggs
and in those focks containing from
100 to 400 birds the average produc-
ton was 255 eggs, while in those
fiocks comprising over 400 birds the
pullets laid on the average 1914 eggs
during the year. The highest produc-
ing flock of less than 100 hens laid on
the average 1917 eggs, while those in
flocks containing from 100 to 400
birds produced 167 eggs, as compared
to 141 eggs from each hen in those
flocks including over 400 birds. The
best mixed flock of less than 100 hens
and pullets laid on the average of 145
eggs per bird, and the layers in those
fiocks ranging in size from 100 to 400
birds produced 160 eggs, while those
in all flocks comprising over 400 birds
laid on the average of 156 eggs.