88/34/1-2

These are two ceramic, grey-white dummy eggs which were used to encourage chickens to lay in their nest boxes. They are part of the Lucas Collection of objects and documents donated to the Museum by Mr Lucas, a farmer and dairyman from Reading, Berkshire.

2 dummy eggs: ceramic; good condition

MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – 'Standard museum name: EGG // Accession number: 88/34/1&2 // Classification: LIVESTOCK Poultry // Negative number: 60/15462 // Acquisition method: GIFT // Acquired from, date: H. B. LUCAS, [...], 10 June 1988 // Store: small object // Condition: good // Recorder, date: JMB 3.3.89 // Description: Two ceramic dummy eggs greyish white in colour. // Dimensions: Length: 6.0cm Width 4.0cm // Associated information: Used to encourage chickens to lay in the nest boxes provided. // References:', MERL Miscellaneous note, Greta Bertram, 19 February 2014 – The Lucas Collection contains objects (88/23–88/43) and documents (D90/8/1–21) donated by Mr H. B. Lucas, a farmer and dairyman. Mr Lucas kept chickens, cows and pigs on his smallholding in Whitley Wood Road, Reading, and retired in 1971. The Lucas family farmed in a small way at Lane End Farm in Shinfield, Reading, from the end of the nineteenth century. Mr Lucas’ grandfather built Lane End House, and brought threshing machines to Berkshire, and his uncle was a threshing tackle contractor with premises opposite the farm. The objects in the Collection were used by Mr Lucas on his smallholding and in conjunction with his dairy business. The documents (now in the MERL Archives) consist of show catalogues for poultry and fancier's associations, prize certificates for eggs and poultry, record cards for egg production and newspaper cuttings about shows.