1909.] 



Egg Records. 



585 



can be observed is by the use of trap nests, and for the 

 purpose of establishing a good laying strain the trap nest is 

 invaluable. This, however, involves great care and attention, 

 and except as regards a small number of fowls specially kept 

 for breeding purposes, it may perhaps be regarded as inap- 

 plicable to the conditions of poultry-keeping on ordinary 

 farms. A good deal of useful information can, however, be 

 obtained by keeping simple records of the eggs produced, 

 and these will be more valuable if the fowls are kept in 

 small flocks. They will serve to direct attention to excep- 

 tionally poor results, and may thus enable unsatisfactory 

 hens to be weeded out. In the same way, where several 

 breeds are kept, the difference in egg-laying capacity can be 

 observed. If a sufficient number of such records over a con- 

 siderable period could be obtained, they would afford a 

 reliable guide to the average laying powers of the different 

 breeds. 



An attempt in this direction has recently been made by the 

 Irish Department of Agriculture, who have obtained records 

 for the year 1908 from 125 flocks, representing over 5,000 

 hens. The general average of all these flocks was 120 eggs 

 per hen per annum. One lot of Barred Plymouth Rocks 

 (varying in number in the course of the year from 20 to 36) 

 gave an average of 201, and there were six lots of different 

 breeds that averaged over 180. On the other hand, there 

 were ten flocks that gave under 80 eggs per hen. 



Dividing them according to breeds, the results were as 

 follows : — 



Breed. 



Average of 

 all the flocks. 



Average of 

 best flock. 



Average of 

 worst flock. 





Eggs. 



Eggs. 



Eggs. 



White Leghorns 



134-6 



i 7 i'6 



69-8 



Brown Leghorns 



143/6 



181-8 



113-8 



Black Minorcas 



1221 



189 -o 



8l -2 ' 



Buff Orpingtons 



132-8 



188 6 



86-7 



White Orpingtons 



I22'2 



126-5 



122-8 



White Wyandottes 



I20/2 



171-9 



88 -o 



Faverolles 



122*6 



165-4 



68 -o 



Barred Plymouth Rocks 



109 -o 



201 -i 



69-8 



Houdans 



99-2 



1 34 4 



827 



Light Sussex ... 



97 -o 



102-3 



89-0 



Mixed Pure Breeds 



1357 



184-8 



117-9 



Mixed Flocks 



117-1 



196-3 



7i"3 



