CHAPTER VII. 



Marketing 



HANDLING EGGS 



Making the hens lay is only half the battle for 

 poultry profits. Getting the eggs to market in proper 

 condition is just as important. Investigations by the 

 United States Department of Agriculture show that 

 nearly 17 per cent of all eggs shipped to wholesale 

 markets are a total loss because they are unfit for 

 use. In Missouri alone it is estimated that careless- 

 ness in handling eggs costs the farmers of the state 

 a million dollars a year. Think what a tremendous 

 loss this means the country over! 



These losses, according to the department, are di- 

 vided as follows : 



Dirty eggs 2 per cent 



Broken eggs 2 per cent 



Chick development 5 per cent 



Shrunken, due to holding 5 per cent 



Rotten 2V& per cent 



Mouldy or stale 14 per cent 



17 per cent 

 It is further estimated that these losses would be 

 wholly or nearly eliminated by better management 

 at the point of production, by more careful grading, 

 and by more systematic methods of marketing. 



Better management on the part of the producer 

 means eggs that are (1) fresh, (2) clean, (3) infer- 

 tile, (4) of good size and all the same size, (5) of uni- 

 form shape and color, (6) well packed. The follow- 



