The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-01-30
turkey TRAP. NEST
ADVOCATED FOR EGG
PHASE OF BUSINESS
Minnesota Woman Also Dis
cusses Laying Success From
the Breeding Side

Grand Forks. N. D., Jan. 30.-(R-
Trap-nesting and q knowledge Of the
breeding stock used are essential for
pronounced success in raising turkeys.
according to Mrs. Claude A. Wright
Of Aitkin, Mimi, in an address before
the All-American Turkey show here.
BY trap-nesting, q method by which
The bird Is trapped as it enters upon
tho nest and is confined until re-
leased, the number Of eggs a hen pro-
duces, their fertility, her consistency
Of production, and the vigor Of her
hatch can be determined, Mrs. Wright
said. Trap-nesting alone. however, Is
not sufficient, she said, pedigree
Matching being Just as important, as
It Is the only NEAR Of checking on
results obtained from the different
hens and sires.
Discussing observations and expert
ences gained by MI. Wright and her
oelf. Mrs. Wright said:
sUnder better feeding methods for
egg production. hens which have
since proved to be ancestors of heavy.
laying lines, were able to increase
their production at an age when pro-
duction usually falls off, but hens
proved to be low producers made no
increase under any feeding method.
Vary in Steadiness Of Laying
I'm checking-up the egg records OF
different hens under a five-year Pc
riod Of trap-nesting. it was found
that hens have varied from 16 to IS
egRs each at one continuous laying.
There also is a wide difference in
eteadiness Of laying. Some will lay
every day from eight to Is days with
out missing q day. while others only
viii produce for three or four days
without q skip. Still others have laid
only about every other day, taking
m entire month to produce IS or 10
eggs.
"We begin our feeding for egg pro-
duction about the latter part Of jan
uary and like to have our hens start
uniform production the latter part Of
March. Under this feeding plan some
hens which have started production
promptly at this time will produce
outlets, the greater part of which will
start uniform production at this time.
irrespective Of the date they were
matched. Some lines Of breeding start
production uniformally but not until
late early April and still others are
uniformly late layers. Others have
been found to be very irregular and
what to expect from them never can
be learned.
Egg Productivity Transmissable
seome hens found to be excellent
producers transmit this quality to a
large percentage Of their pullets.
Other high producers have been un-
able to do 50 and their pullets have
shown great ir~regularity Of produc-
ton. We elso have found some low
producers that have had a few high
producing pullets, but generally the
production Of low producing hens
changes very little from year to year
and they gradually lay . little later
and . few lay fewer eggs each season.
Some hens, however, that have
given heavy production a pullets,
have laid late and irregular the fol-
lowing year and. II kept another year,
did not pay their way. All their vigor
seemed spent for their first heavy
laying season. Other hens, however.
whichproducedheavily their first sea-
son. laid Just as early and steady and
nearly Is long the following year and
again even for the third season.
ITO overcome the handicap Of using
1ires with unknown records Of pro-
'duction, the size Of the flock was in
creased to q number Of separate
'matings. allowing the testing of diff
ferent lines Of breeding and securing
matings from known stock. Under
this arrangement, advancement
proved much more rapid.
vigor OF Offspring q Test
production Of eggs, however.
mean nothing II they are not we'll
shaped, firm : shelled, fertile and do
not result in strong, vigorous turks.
Heredtty plays an important part, as
It was found that eggs failing to
hatch generally would come from a
certain hen or her pullets while eggs
from another hen on the same incu-
bator tray and under the same condi-
lions Of incubation might give q 100
per cent hatch.
''The final test IS in the yigor,
growth and final development Of a
hens offspring. A hen may score
high In production and Matching and