Feeding your flock amidst of feed shortages

[saysfaa]

sources vary, but I think Saysfaa's source said from early 1900s had a laying challenge where the average entrant was in the 140s, per year. Almost 30 years later, they were in the low 200s. So, in terms of breed averages, yes, closer to 30 than 300, even if some individuals in 1900 looked like a hatchery reject of today with a near 200 egg count.

It also has this chart that is a bit more relevant to this part of the discussion.

A quote from that chapter: " The number of eggs produced has been increasing at a faster rate than the number of hens because egg production per hen has increased due to improved breeding and better nutrition and management."

I'm thinking it is only the flocks that produce enough for sale to be counted as income... not the backyard flocks that produce for just the family.

The book also says "Until the beginning of the present century interest in poultry breeding was centered largely on the production of birds with varied types, combinations of colors, and adornments.... Some attention was given to egg production characters in this early work and resulted in the development of the Mediterranean breeds - the Leghorns, Anconas, and Minorcans- which have long been known as egg producing birds. These early poultry breeders, often referred to as poultry fanciers, developed varieties of chickens a number of which have proven to be excellent stock for the intensive breeding program of the last fifty years."

Your memory is good. The test was "one of the leading tests", in 1919 the best 1000 hens of 1300 entered in the test laid an average of 145.5 eggs that year. In the same test in 1947, the best 1000 hens of 1352 entered laid an average of 228.2 eggs.

These are chickens that were fed the best people knew how at the time. Not the ones rustling for themselves from the grain spilled by the cows.

Just for perspective.