AUSTRALORP EGGS

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 48, 24 August 1935, Page 27

AUSTRALORP EGGS

Actually the standard calls only for a tinted egg, but, many " breeders are endeavouring to fix that dark brown egg in their strains.' In contrast with the pure white of the Leghorn eggs they stand out. well, and strange as it may seem-there are still lots of people who believe that brown eggs are of better quality than white eggs In some parts of England brown-shelled eggs fetch up to threepence per dozen more than white-shelled ones. Years ago breeders did not like these dark brown eggs, as they were most difficult to test for fertility when under artificial incubation, but today with strong electric-light egg-testers, this difficulty has been largely overcome Many years ago there was some little foundation for the belief that a-brown-shelled egg was of better flavour than a white one, because then those hens that laid brown eggs were usually much poorer layers, and it is generally recognised that the -less eggs a hen lays the better is their internal quality.-Today, however; there is no foundation for the\ belief.. In fact, the Americans who produce mainly white-shelled eggs tell their customers that white eggs are better than brown Egg size is always a debatable point in some strains,, and, unfortunately some of the earlier high egg production strains of Australorps did lay small eggs. If a hen lays over 300 eggs it is reasonable to assume that her progeny, if she is mated to the son of another 300-egger, will lay eggs more or less under the two-ounce standard. Breeders, however, are well awake to the fact that a large egg is desirable, and today.there are very few strains of Australorps that do not produce a good standard weight egg. When saving eggs for incubation, only the best-shaped eggs should be selected and any with ridges around them I should be discarded.