WITH 4200 HENS 129 



one is hung out of reach of the birds while the other is 

 filled ; the full one is set outdoors, and when both are filled 

 they are carried to the egg room. We do not load them 

 on a wheelbarrow or cart. The distance is not great and 

 we find the breakage to be much less if they are carried. 



If an egg is dropped the remains are picked up as well 

 as may be and are thrown into a mash trough. It is bad 

 practice to allow the birds to eat a broken egg where it 

 lies. Not only may egg eating be thereby encouraged 

 but the hens soon form the habit of following the egg 

 buckets, and if by chance a bucket of eggs is left for a 

 moment they will be found pecking at the eggs. An im- 

 perfect shell near the top means an egg broken into the 

 mass ; and this in turn means washing the whole lot as 

 the white will glue eggs together wherever it touches 

 them. Nothing but a thorough soaking will disengage 

 them and many will adhere and be broken in spite of it. 



At the last gathering the nests are closed. The brood- 

 ies can be taken out and put into the broody coops dur- 

 ing the last gathering. The nests are opened after dark, 

 at which time the outer doors of the house are closed dur- 

 ing the late fall, throughout the winter, and in the early 

 spring. The compartment doors are always closed at 

 night and are re-opened when the sprouted oats are fed 

 in the morning. 



The trip through the houses after dark is thought ad- 

 visable. One can keep in touch with the roosting condi- 

 tions, and should colds develop it will quickly be noticed. 



Grading and Packing the Eggs 



We grade the eggs according to the specifications of the 

 Los Angeles Produce Exchange. This calls for three 



