444 POULTRY 



Two copies of this report must be filled out to January 1 ; one to be 

 given to the teacher and the other to be retained by the club member. 



SUGGESTIONS 



1. Send to your Agricultural College for modern poultry house 

 plans. Small models can readily be made in school. After the 

 models have been completed, mount them on the floor or on a broad 

 table. Sawdust stained with a green dye may be placed around 

 them to resemble grass. Invite the patrons of the school to see the 

 exhibit. Compare these models with the poultry houses of the com- 

 munity. If there is a planing mill or box factory in the neighbor- 

 hood, the scraps of material needed for the sides and supports can be 

 cheaply and easily obtained. The entire cost of an excellent poultry- 

 house model need not exceed ten cents. 



2. Open up a fresh uncooked egg in a shallow cup or saucer. Note 

 the germ, a small red spot on the yolk. This is the vital spot where 

 growth of the chick begins in a fertile egg. Notice thechala/a in the 

 albumen or white of the egg. This is made up of denser layers of 

 albumen, and is for the purpose of protecting the unhatched chick by 

 keeping it away from the shell. Take a little of the albumen and of 

 the yolk, and shake them separately in a glass containing a little 

 water. Note which appears to be the more oily. 



Examine the shell. Note the two membranes. Both membranes 

 can be seen at the thicker end of the shell, where there is an air space. 

 Hold a bit of the shell and membrane up to the light separately, to 

 see if either is porous. If a microscope were available, the pupils 

 would be better able to see the pores if any are present. Gases must 

 enter and leave the egg during the hatching period. Can gases pass 

 through a membrane that is not porous? 



3. Remove the shell from a hard-boiled egg. Study the membranes 

 of the shell, and the layers of albumen. Notice the whitish layers in 

 the yolk. Fat is lighter in weight than albumen, hence the yolk 

 floats at its surface, as is seen when the shell is removed. For this 

 reason eggs must be turned occasionally for a few days during the 

 early period of hatching. Otherwise, the germ that is found on the 

 top of the yolk would dry fast to the shell and die. A sitting hen, 

 of course, turns the eggs herself. 



4. Each pupil should keep a record of the home egg production. The 

 number of hens should be counted, and a record kept of the number 

 of eggs produced by them. Determine the per cent of laying hens. 



