October, 1912.] 311 



EGG-LAYING COMPETITION. 



The Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales for July publishes a 

 full account of the results of ten years' work at Hawkesbury College in 

 connection with this competition organised by the Daily Telegraph. 



The Poultry expert (Mr. D. S. Thompson) reports that where there 

 was one poultry keeper at the beginuiug of these tests who made egg-pro 

 duction a definite object by breeding from tested layers ; there are now 

 hundreds. He adds that the poultry man has been encouraged to breed 

 birds in which standard requirements and productiveness are combined, so 

 that the utility breeder has been instrumental in modifying the ideals of 

 the fancier and bringing about more harmony in the type of show bird 

 and egg-producer. 



The following gives the comparative results as regards breeds with 

 three-year hens :— 



Eggs per Hen. Value per Hen. 



First Year. Second year. First Year. Second Year. 



102 White Leghorns ... 187 167 18/3 15/1 



18Laugshans ... 176 136 17/2 13/7 



6 Brown Leghorns ... 169 117 16/1 10/7 



18 Silver Wyandottes ... 177 122 17/7 13/4 



30 Black Orpingtons ... 159 104 15/1 9/7 



6 White Orpingtons ... 128 112 12/5 11/4 



The following statement indicates the financial aspect in the case of 

 third year hens- Cost of feeding :— 



Wheat £6-3, Maize £3-15, Bean and pollard £5-5, Meat £1, Shell- 

 grit 10s., Green feed £1-2-6. Total £17- 15-6. The market value of the eggs 

 laid was £34-16-5, leaving a profit of £17-0-11. 



Second and Third Year Laying. 



Results show that there is a margin of profit in carrying a number of 

 hens into the third year,if they have proved good layers in their first and 

 second years, especially if they are competently dealt with and wisely 

 culled. Should they stop laying at any time they should be promptly 

 marketed on the eve of moulting in their third season. A good many of 

 the hens in the test could have been marketed before the end of February, 

 and the feed bill saved on some forty-five birds for five or six weeks. The 

 laying of the third-year hens was much iu advance of last year, the total 

 of 1,013 eggs by J. Waugh's White Leghorns being a wonderful record. 



This is the fifth of the series ol second-year hen tests, and the con- 

 clusions drawn from the previous tests have been fully verified, viz., 

 that while still profitable to keep, the profits are considerably reduced as 

 compared with pullets. The mortality is no greater in the second year 

 than in the first, and with abnormal heat in the height of summer, the 

 old hens are no more affected with apoplexy than are the pullets. 



The First-year Hens. 



The average laying of the pullets has again advanced. Last year we 

 said that the average production could still be raised over 181 per bird. 



