Laying Competitions. 



579 



ENGLISH AND AUSTRALIAN LAYING 

 COMPETITIONS. 

 Edward Brown, F.L.S. 

 For thirteen years the Utility Poultry Club has organised 

 laying competitions, which have been held in various parts 

 of England. That society was the pioneer of this method of 

 endeavouring to show what can be accomplished as a result of 

 breeding, selection, and management in egg-production. 

 Nearly all these contests have been for periods of sixteen 

 weeks, commencing in October and terminating in February, 

 thus covering the time of greatest scarcity in egg supplies. 

 The number of eggs produced by the winning pens have 

 ranged from 127 (1900-1901) to 276 (1902-1903), the first- 

 named being exceptionally low, the latter very high. These 

 gave averages of 31*75 to 69*0 eggs per hen, as four birds were 

 included in each lot. In 1907-1908 a twelve months' com- 

 petition was held, in which the leading pen gave an average 

 of 165 '66 eggs per hen. In that contest six birds formed each 

 pen. 



The example thus set has been followed by other societies 

 in this country, and by Departments of Agriculture and socie- 

 ties in British Colonies. It is announced that similar con- 

 tests are to be held in the United States of America. The 

 most successful contests have been in Australia, where remark- 

 able records have been made, especially in South Australia, 

 where competitions have been held annually for several years. 



It is desirable, therefore, to consider what is the real value 

 of these competitions. The Utility Poultry Club announces 

 that they are not held "to determine which is the best breed," 

 and that "good laying is a question of strain and not of 

 breed," though this latter statement can scarcely be accepted 

 without qualification, as good laying is probably a question 

 of breed and strain combined with efficient feeding and 

 management. 



That laying competitions have proved a great stimulus to 

 the poultry industry, and influenced farmers and others to pay 

 a greater amount of attention to selection of their fowls, cannot 

 be questioned. In this direction the benefit has been enor- 

 mous. That they have had an equal influence upon the pro- 

 ductiveness of fowls generally is not so apparent. That 



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