100 THE TRAP NEST TEXT BOOK 



anil so much too high for others that it would be. mainly useful to em- 

 phasize its own necessity. The 300-egg hen is the ideal, the 200-egg 

 hen is in the middle, the 100-egg hen appears at the other end under the 

 title of "a prolific layer,'* "a grand layer,'' --a good layer," or a "poor 

 layer," according to the point of view or the personal interests of her 

 owner. 



Not every ''good layer" will lay market eggs enough in one year to 

 pay the reasonable cost of her maintenance, and not every adult female 

 can be fattened at a cost that will permit a profit. 



This discussion need not involve a comparison of breeds. Under the 

 present haphazard methods of distribution of blood there can be little 

 uniformity in breeds other than in general Standard requirements. 



Some of the greatest egg records, for instance, have been attained 

 from breeds claiming superiority in meat qualities. A great many poor 

 layers normally develop in those breeds claiming superior merit as 

 layers. 



Those personal interests that provoke and maintain comparisons of 

 breeds also prevent the production of uniform tendencies in the breeds. 



THE EXCEPTIONAL HEN. 



The exceptional hen lias, from time to time, come in for a good deal 

 of notice. When a single individual develops any quality in a remark- 

 able degree it is worthy of note. It would however be folly to judge 

 of all hens by the behavior of one. It would be unwise or untruthful 

 to claim that results that might be obtained by giving one hen, or a few 

 hens, special care represent what could be expected from a larger num- 

 ber maintained in such a way as to pay a market profit. If we should 

 be able to get an average egg yield of 250 eggs each from five exception- 

 al pullets, given special care and attention, that would not warrant us 

 in claiming that we had a 250-egg strain unless those results were clearly- 

 due to a fixed family trait that could be traced back along a line of 

 ancestors and could, by correct methods, be transmitted to future 

 generations. 



The writer owns some exceptional hens, but Ihey have invariably re- 

 ceived the same care in every respect as Ihcir mates. No individual 

 birds have ever received special and separate treatment in order to 

 encourage their exceptional traits. 



My peus are all adapted for from :!0 to GO laving females each and, 

 before culling, they often have contained approximately that number. 

 Exceptional individuals have developed under the same conditions that 

 surrounded their males and they have always and continually been 

 maintained under the same conditions as the others. Different treat- 

 ment of different flocks has sometimes been adopted, not with the idea 

 of causing one Hock lo excel another, but because 1 have often found 

 I hut. different flocks require different treatment. 



