THE EGG AND ITS GERM 



fectly-fonned egg instead of 

 behind it, forces it back until it 

 meets another yolk, when the 

 two join and again become coat- 

 ed with the white and the shell, 

 thus producing another wonder. 

 Other abnormalities are occa- 

 sionally seen, and particularly in 

 the smaller poultry yards. Some- 

 times when the ova are nearly 

 exhausted by continuous laying, 

 the secreting organs may be 

 most active, which results in 

 small marble-sized but perfect- 

 looking eggs, which are merely 

 a shell covering a portion of al- 

 bumen. Such "eggs" when laid 

 have the peciiliarity of never 

 having been at any stage at- 

 tached to the^ovary, but are a 

 product only of the oviduct. 



ROTTEN NEW-LAID EGGS 



To the internal fatness of 

 the hen are due other eccentri- 

 cities than those mentioned, in- 

 cluding the apparently parad- 

 oxical feat of laying rotten new- 

 laid eggs, this being a not in- 

 frequent occurrence. The egg, 

 being unable to force its way 

 through the fatty oviduct, is 

 retained two or three days near 

 tqe mouth of this organ, and, if 



a fertilized one, the heat of the hen's body tends to putrify it, 

 and when ultimately laid it is in an addled condition. To 

 other causes, but principally diseased organs, is due a, depar- 

 ture from the normal in the way of color. A\hen which lays 

 white or brown eggs, on rare occasions produces one almost 

 black, while at other times these vagaries much resemble the 

 dark green of the emu's eggs, and, in most instances, the 

 shells are rough, wavy, corrugated, or otherwise irregular. 

 Then there are instances of foreign matter being found in eggs, 



S— THE LIFE THAT GIVES VIGOR 



4— HAPPY MOMENTS FOR THE LEGHORNS 



clots of blood being nothing unusual. This is the result of the 

 breaking of a blood-vessel internally, and, again, possibly the 

 effect of over feeding. 



FOWLS PRODUCING FAULTY EGGS SHOULD BE DISCARDED 



Fowls from whatever cause producing any of the above 

 misshapen or otherwise faulty eggs should at once be 

 disposed of, for although in some cases a reduced diet may 

 bring them back to their nor- 

 mal production, still the slightest 

 cause will frequently prompt 

 the organs to their previous 

 irregularities, the fowls thus 

 becoming unprofitable members 

 of the flock. As has been seen 

 the majority of troubles men- 

 tioned are preventable ones, and 

 largely due to the poultry keepers' 

 mistaken kindness in over feed- 

 ing, but there are other ills of a 

 more serious nature than those 

 mentioned. The producing organs 

 are of a most delicate nature, 

 and, from the amount of work 

 they have to do, are not only 

 easily disarranged but are subject 

 to a variety of diseases, the nature 

 of many of them being unknown 

 to the ordinary poultry keeper. 



15 



