41 



of the chickens hatched and eighty per cent of the chickens from the 

 bare yards. 



Experiment with hens : The hens on the range laid us 105 eggs 

 each. Hens on bare yards 90. Hens on range cost $1.16 to feed, the 

 hens in the bare yards $1.30 to feed. In other words, the hens in this 

 instance that laid the most eggs cost us the least and made better use 

 of their food. They apparently found lots of food to eat on the range. 

 The net profit for hens over and above cost of feed was for hens on 

 range $1.40, and for the hens in bare yards, 83 cents. For some rea- 

 son unaccountable, the percentage of chicks hatched was fifty-seven 

 per cent from those on the range and seventy-four per cent from 

 those on the bare yards. However, of the chickens hatched we reared 

 from the range eighty-four per cent and from the bare yards eighty- 

 one per cent. This difference in the hens was not as marked as in 

 case of pullets. Thus far this fall the pullets that were reared from 

 hens and also those reared from pullets kept on range last year have 

 begun to lay first and are laying better now under similar range con- 

 ditions than the pullets are that were hatched and reared last year 

 from stock kept in close confinement during the winter on bare yards. 

 In other words, the effect appears to be accumulative. In another 

 year we hope to be able to give you the second year results. In the 

 meantime, our two years experiments lead us to expect that we will 

 get better results to let hens run out doors the year round. 



Later : 



Our second year's work verified the first year's experiments in 

 comparing range methods with close confinement. The net result for 

 the two years' work, including ten flocks of fowls, five of which were 

 on range one or two years and the other five kept confined to the 

 houses during the winter and allowed to run out on small yards dur- 

 ing the summer, was approximately two dozen eggs per hen per year 

 in favor of the hens that ran out. Thus far this year similar experi- 

 ments give us similar results. There seems to be no question of doubt 

 now as to the advisability of letting the hens run outdoors all winter 

 long and all summer long on as free range as it is possible to provide. 



LAYING HOUSES FOR LARGE EGG FARMS. 



The Modern ''Lay well" House is the best house yet designed for 

 flocks of laying hens. It is designed with a view to economy of 

 both material in building and of labor in caring for the flock. One 



Modern "Laywe,U" House,, 20*40]*. 



