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Egg-laying Competitions. 



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EGG-LAYING COMPETITIONS. 



The laying powers of hens, like the milking capacities of 

 cows, are largely a question of individuality and of strain, 

 in which breed to some extent plays a minor part. The 

 object of a laying competition is to determine the best in- 

 dividual hens or strain of hens with a view to their selection 

 for reproductive purposes, and, incidentally, if carried out 

 on a sufficiently extensive scale, it may afford valuable 

 information as to the number of eggs laid at certain periods 

 of the year, the comparative value of different breeds, 

 sizes of eggs, and other points on which opinions differ. 

 Competitions of this character, lasting for four winter months 

 (October to February), were first begun by the Utility Poultry 

 Club in 1897-8, and have since been continued annually. 

 The comparatively short duration of these competitions, 

 though extending over the period when egg production is 

 most profitable, detracted to some extent from their value, 

 and in 1907 it was decided to hold a competition extending 

 over an entire year. No competition of this duration had 

 previously been held in this country, and in view of the 

 educational value of the results the Board of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries made a grant of £3$ towards the cost of the 

 competition, which it w T as expected would result in a loss to 

 the Club of ^50. 



The competition was carried out at Stocks Farm, Rayne, 

 Braintree, under the management of Mr. E. W. Richardson, 

 Hon. Secretary of the Utility Poultry Club, and lasted from 

 October 1st, 1907, to September 30th, 1908. Twenty pens 

 were provided, each pen consisting of six pullets of one breed 

 hatched not earlier than January, 1907; they were housed 

 separately, two grass runs (10 yards by 7 yards) to be used 

 alternately, and a scratching shed (7 ft. by 4 ft.) being pro- 

 vided for each house (4 ft. by 4 ft.). Trap nests were used 

 and a careful record of individual scores were kept. 



Valuing the Eggs. — The award of the prizes was based on 

 the total value of the eggs laid by each pen, the eggs being 

 graded into two classes, those over two ounces being termed 

 1 st grade, and valued at the average market price of the three 

 leading egg markets in England, those weighing less than 



