132 LE5SONS IN POULTRY KEEPING — SECOND SERIES. 



and does not require lor the maintenance of other functions. This Is a sort of half trdtb. Food 

 talfen in excess of current needs of the body lor maintenance goes to eggs in one hen, to fat in 

 another, causes digestive disorders in another. "What makes the difference? 



The attempt to answer that question brings us lace to lace with one of the most puzzling of 

 the poultrymau's prol)leni8 — the control or regulation of egg production. Novices almost 

 without exception suppose that expert poultrj'men can regulate egg production. Experienced 

 poultrymen know that when hens have started laying they can generally keep them laying, but 

 that to assure the hens starting at or about any desired time is beyond their power. 



Given a laying hen, and the volume of her egg production does depend very much upon the 

 amount of food that she can use in excess ol her bodily needs, though the maintenance require- 

 ments do not always take precedence. On the contrary it is quite a common thing lor a laying 

 hen's food to be diverted to egg production at the expense ol bodily maintenance. When this 

 continues lor a long period the hen is greatly weakened, sometimes to the extent ol liecoming 

 emaciated and exhausted beyond recovery. Such cases, however, are exceptional. The rule 

 is that when egg production has appreciably exhausted a hen it ceases, and lor a period longer 

 or shorter according to the readiness with which the system is rebuilt all the energy ol the lowl 

 goes to restore it to perfect physical condition. 



Geiiepiilly speaking, it is correct to say that because a hen is laying she requires and takes 

 lood' in excess of the needs of her body for maintenance and the performance of other 

 functions, and that the volume of her product depends largely upon the amount of such surplus 

 of lood that she is capable of digesting and converting into eggs ; but it is not correct to say that 

 furnishing a surplus ol lood compels egg production and makes the hen lay. 



What difference does it make which way we look at this matter? Just this difference : — Our 

 way of looking at this matter is likely to govern our efforts to "make hens lay." Jf we believe 

 that a surplus of the right kind of lood will force egg production, we, very logically, devote 

 ourselves to experiments with foods until we find one that seems to answer our purpose. If 

 we lielieve that the activity of the hen's organs of reproduction depends upon something not so 

 directly within our control as the kind, quality, or quantity ol lood luruished her, we are more 

 ready to settle down to a good system, and have more patience in waiting lor results when tbey 

 do not come when we want them. It is conducive both to peace of mind and to continuing 

 faith in a good method to know that egg production is measurably dependent upon causes or 

 conditions beyond our control, and that failure to have hens begin laying when we want them 

 to does nut necessarily imply anything wrong — which by foresight or management we might 

 have avoided. 



