Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-14
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POULTRY YARD NOTES.

| The two best months in the year for
Matching are April and May. There car
be no dispute among poultrymen abe
this when all things are taken i.
consideration. To be sure there are =.
lot of chicks Matched during March, but
! YOU will find most of these are hatch
ed the last half of the month at that.
We have found by experience that the
early matches are not as successful
either in quality or quantity.
The vigor of the breeding stock may
be good and the feed all that could be
desired. but after all the results are
| NOT what one could expect. The winter
shows it's elf with fury during March
and this year in particular have We
had an extremely cold and stony
month.
With March out of the way the con-
ditions become more favorable for egg
production. with strong. vigorous
germs in each egg and the success of
the hatch is more positive.
During April any breed may be
hatched with surety of getting winter
layers without forcing either growth
or maturity. If the eggs are set the
first of the month and the hatch comes
off the latter part thereof. you may
feel that you have plenty of time IN
which to grow them properly and
to get them in laying condition by
late fall.
With some of the smaller breeds you
will begin to get eggs in the early
tall. but as general rule it is later
than what is commonly predicted.
This matter of telling how soon this
or that breed will lay depends entirely
upon conditions of Matching, growth.
feeding and the quarters where they
are kept.
The writer has known of q single
hatch being divided into two lots and
two parties handling each lot. with
the result that in the fall one bunch
was much larger and more developed
than the other, and went to laying a
month sooner. 1t was in the handling
of the chicks rather than in the breed.
The beginner will find that his chicks
will grow and do well, but Will not al
ways measure up to some standard
as to time when they should begin lay
ing. However. if you get your BIRDS
started during the first warm month
of the year and then keep them going
right along without setback you may
rest assured that they viii come into
laying by fall when the price of eggs
is beginning to jump and the scarcity
is felt in the largest as well as the
smallest markets. 1t is quite essential
that the beginner figure on this ran
and early winter laying, for here IS
where the profit comes when fresh eggs
are the main product
of course if YOU are in the business
to sell stock and Matching eggs there
may arise d question as to the eH-
pediency of this, for under these CON
ditions il is better to let the pullets
get as much size as they possibly can
and then hold them back from laying
until later in the winter. The eggs
from these pullets will be large from
the very start, and. in our opinion, as
good as the eggs from ytarlines.
If you are raising, say, Leghorns, for
instance, you do not want to get
them out too early, for the reason
that if they are Matched SO that they
begin to lay during the Iate summer
they will start to mott in the ran ana
you will have time with them TINS
is also true of the heavier breeds
when Matched during February and
March We have seen such pullets
start in to lay in the early fall and
before il really got cold were shed
ding feathers like an old hen. If the
Leghorns are Matched in May you
can grow them to proper size and get
them in condition for winter laying
without much difficulty. We do not
believe that it pays TO force any breed
to lay as they are approaching ma
turity.
Let them develop as they will. feed
ing them such food as will make for
growth and development, but not for
eggmaking. II they get plenty of
such food they will show up well, and
if they have the proper breeding
back of them will take on the char
acteristics of their breed and let you
know of their blood lines. Forced
pullets are usually understood and
never shape up as they should.
Take good care that you do not get
overzealous in attempting to get the
pullets to laying before they really
have their growth and development.
May is certainly an ideal month for
growing the chicks. II is warm and
the spring rains are mostly over. the
grass is coming along and the worms
are in abundance. Given other condi-
tions that equal the weather and
you will find May the very best
month for getting the chicks started.
During this month you do not have
to depend entirely upon heather
breeders, for natures provision is
ample enough for almost every need.
II is well, however, to have the chicks
protected from the cold nights, but
they should not have so much heat
they sweat and then in the morning
take cold.
While the conditions are easier to
meet one must use good judgment in