What Happened in a Contest of Thirty-Three Pens on Pennsylvania Farms

In starting and organizing the Poultry Extension work in Pennsylvania, it was necessary to first gain the confidence of the County Agents. Of the fifty-seven County Agents in the State none had received more than two courses of instruction in poultry and many had never studied poultry at all. Hence they had practically no interest in poultry keeping and also were unable to be of real service to the poultrymen of their county. Thus in order to prove to the County Agents that poultry keeping was a science and a business it was necessary to show them results. The easiest, quickest and most effective way to get the County Agents as well as the farmers interested in poultry work was by demonstrating the value of culling hens.

To one of the County Agents belongs the idea of conducting contest pens. His statement was this: “I don’t believe in culling hens….