The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-08
METHODS OF l SELECTING
 ! BREEDERS

i II must be admitted that the only sure way of telling a drone from high producing hen is by the aid of the trapnest. But many of the poultry raisers and farmers who keep small flocks cannot afford to have this. The method of breeding for production is such deep, slow, and painstaking proposition that most of the poultry raisers will have to rely on some poul- try breeder. whom we may call a specialist and from whom we can buy our breeding cock birds. Inbreeding and line breeding are without ques- ton the only sure methods of obtain ing high producing females. I mem tion at this time the Percheron breed of horses only as afford as great ex- ample of inbreeding and of prepot- ency. Most of our wonderful Perch erons can be traced back ill several lines to two stallions. In selecting our breeders, however, we should con- stantly keep a picture before us of what constitutional vigor stands for. pond Occintaotaoinetaoi etaoinetaoin
 All breeders for the following springs work should be selected dur ing the month of October. Where no trap. nests are used, the following methods should be found very satis- factory:
 Pale Vent. In comparing two hens, one a non-producer or low producer. and one a high-producer, it will be found that the color of the vent in the former will be yellow, whereas the high-producing hen will have pale vent. Urf Gaf
 Pale Beak. The beak also fades in color, but not quite as readily as the vent. However. high-producing hen or hen that has made high yearly record will be found to have pale beak during the monty of October.
 Ear Lobes Tn the( Mediterra mean breeds we find birds with white of creamish- white ear lobes, The color of these changes at about the same rate as the color of the beak, and low pro- ducers, as a rule, will be found to have yellow ones in place of the pale ones found upon high producers. Shanks Birds of the yellow skinned varieties,' such as the Wyandottes, Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Leghprns, and others, have a bright yellow col ored leg, beak, and vent before they start laying. As the bullet starts lay ing this yellow color found in the diff ferent parts mentioned gradually fades and where the bullet proves a good layer, the shanks will become pale, and if found in such condition during the month of October one is fairly safe in choosing such birds as having been high producers.
 Late Molting. It has been consider ed natural for hens to mott some time during the months of July, August and September, but few birds have been noticed to hold their old feathers until later in the season, not molting until November and December. and in some cases not for nearly two years. Such hens, according to re- cords obtained from egg laying con- tests are to be found to be excep- tionally good layers, the poor layers molting much earlier in the season and seldom starting in laying before the following spring.
 Activity. Activity is one of the inn portant indications of hens physi- cal condition and in most cases a good physical condition means good egg productipn..
 In short, the method of selecting breeding hens where trapnests are not used is to select the hens in October picking out those birds which have pale vents, pale legs, dull red combs, pale beaks. pale ear lobes, Gin the Mediterraneans) and those that have not molted, and selling such as are bright in the parts mentioned-D. E. Warner. Poultry Department, Conn. Agr College.