EGG LAYING COMPETITIONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2686, 6 September 1905, Page 36

EGG LAYING COMPETITIONS.

TO THE ZDITOB.

feonlder, Colorado,. July 18, 1905. '

.. Sir, — I- see,' by your paper i"hat the- peddle .of New Zealand have been ' holding egg:--; laying -coiitests, and- great credit to theniy-> bur I cannot see why pens of six should h» used, thereby ensuring a source of error of one sixth. if ' not more, 'so* I thought of : tha enclosed ■ plan, that admits of any family -having .a perpetual contest, and can always be kept up. The recorH of every jien being kept, or any, oi all, tan be figured upon, and so a- perpetual improvement can be Kept'; tTirbwipg^out-any hen at. any time" doesn't the '"contest-" going on.

This plan > and- details' "-were^ gotten up. for another purpose,, and the subject is nof presented' in- jits* "beat faroa, but' -as I cannot give . any -more time to it, 't send in hopes that you; will) see. enough merit in it to ; give.--it space in your" ooluxnnsi — I am, etc., Charles Ambbook. -

—Reasons -for the Compound! Pens for Egg- ■-, , laying- Competitions. — '?- T,b< tHe average pocket" boofc this com-- ; pound/ pa.1 1 seems ' expensive,.- but 'is' at?" 1-Wheni.we; consider ;tb&- /prize in view, -which/ is combining 320s to" -dozen' egg fowls (Minqrcas, etc., with 289 sggs a year, white I<eghorns) together in^ona strain, it ?is- worth working, for. ' w A, -further fact that it' i» either come--this, , or- else -trap nests,- with the .' expense of the nests, pens> or coops to _conifi/ae the fowk- after laying untiL released, with practically- a constant attention of some rone to release {h& hens, with the unnatural confinement of the hens every day ; never a' day's intermission year in and out, or this -once for all expense, ' i and net so very excessive, with ■ its permitting the fowl* > to be in natural surroundings- every day in the year, and practicability of being left alone" for days or I ' weeks, there would seem^ to be no choice. • " ~ ) '"' After awhile this ionstant every fow hours' attention gets irksome, specially in private families; certainly the> compound pern offers the greatest advantages. The prize " is also enough ' to justify the expense : a strain described, will bring oxoessive prices, certainly from a hundred to ten times that foi males and liens.

Again,' many* care but little for reasonable expenses }f, as in thk case, any woman while engaged in ordinary household duties can while furnishing egg for her own family originate such a strain of fowls, and there is no fear of over-stocking the market. Again, if necessary a small pen can be started, *.ay, 15ft 'in diameter, roofing.' it all in, and then it can be enlarged outwards afterwards if more /ground is wanted, or' to raise green growing feed in the individual pens. For a pen 15ft diameter it takes, including the wire doors at the eircumfereaice of the central two divisions, 255 ft running measure. For ene 45ft diameter it takes 765 ft running measure. For one, 100 ft in diameter, 1700 ft. For 150 ft diameter, it takes same as the rest, wire doors at wall of anteroom, 2550 ft. All the ' above is running measure, and to get the total square feet multiply by the required height for total. This compound fowl pen is flexible, and need not necessarily be built the entire circle at first. It oan be started a quarter of a circle, or a third, half, iwo-thirds, or three-quar-ters of a circle and finished as required ; or metre than one individual pen can be thrown into one or connected.