PROBLEM OF HIGHER FECUNDITY 



133 



in March and April, and begin to lay in less than 200 days 

 of age, they will prove to be, on the average, 200-egg layers. 

 These should be marked and kept for breeders. Those that 

 do not lay till 300 days of age should be killed off im- 

 mediately or sold for market. There are exceptions, but on 

 the average it works this way. 



EGG-LAYING ORGANS 



The egg-laying organs of the hen are the ovary and ovi- 

 duct. Originally eggs were laid only that chicks might be 



OREGON EXPERIMENT JtATIOH 



THE FIRST LAYERS THE BEST LAYERS 



hatched from them; in other words, the purpose was re- 

 production. Later, when it was found that eggs were good 

 to eat, egg-laying became a productive as well as reproduc- 

 tive process. They were to be used for food as well as for 

 producing young, and it would be proper to call them pro- 

 ductive organs as well as reproductive organs. 



The ovary lies at the forward end of the kidney attached 

 to the dorsal wall of the body cavity. The ova or eggs may 

 be seen hanging like a bunch of grapes, though some are 

 larger and some smaller than grapes. Some are so small 

 as to be scarcely visible to the naked eye. From that they 

 vary in size to the fully formed egg yolk. Each ovum or 



