The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-04-22
SELECTING THE HEAVY LAYERS i
FROM EXTERNAL INDICATIONS
Trap Nest Reveals Charac-
teristics Which Furnish
Key to Prolificness.
(eY CHARLES /. oPPERMAN,
Poultry Husbandman, Maryland Asri'
cultural Experiment Station.)


Poultry Husbandman. Maryland Asri.
cultural Experiment Station.)
The trap nest has brought to light
many interesting and valuable facts Is
regards the correlation between exter-
nal characteristics and possible pro-
duction. These facts are OF great value
to the poultry-keeper who Is not In a
position to trap his birds, since
knowledge of them may enable him to
select the highest producers and there
by increase the efficiency of his flock
Until recent years the general shape
and confirmation Of n layer was con-
sidered OF special value in determining
the probable production OF the bird.
Even at the present time there are
quite a number OF breeders who hold
that these external characteristics are
of much value in selecting high-produ-
cling hens. According to the standard
that has been devised for this selection.
the ideal bird must be wedged or V.
shaped when viewed from the top, side
and rear. From the top view the back
should form the wide end OF the v; the
side view should show the wide end
at the rear; and the rear view the
same as the side. When a bird con-
forms to this V-shaped type the sup
position is that the abdominal regions,
where the organs of reproduction are
located. are well developed. thus maxi
ing possible high production.
Other points of importance in select
ing by conformation and type are, first.
length of body. In the ideal bird the
body should be long so that it shows
heavy development in the rear. Second,
large comb and wattles OF bright red
color; third, tail carried high rather
than low; fourth. head OF medium size
with short beak; fifth, legs short,
strong and well spread: and sixth. size
which means that the birds must be
well up to the size and weight Of the
breed which they represent
While the results of numerous in
restigations have proven with more or
less certainty that hen may conform
to the above requirements and still
fail to be a good producer it is logical
to assume that birds which possess
these qualities and at the same time
manifest the other haracteristics dis
cussed in the article. should be better
fitted for heavy production than the
hens which do not conform to the egg
type requirements.
Early Layers and Late Molters.
The pullets that begin to lay early
in life, say from November LIST up to
Thanksgiving. in the ma jority OF cases
turn out to be good producers. In a
test conducted by the writer, 100 per
cent of the pullets producing 200 or
more eggs laid their first egg during
November. In the same experiment
practically so per cent OF the pullets
which laid less than 100 eggs. did not
lay their first egg until January, and
over 90 per cent of them laid their first
egg during February and March. These
figures are from trap-nest records Of
the birds and clearly indicate that the
early producer is the heavy layer
The practical lesson to be gained
from these figures is that the pro-
gressive poultry keeper who is not in
a position to trap his birds, will watch
his pullets in the fail and mark the
early producers SO that he will be able
to pick them out the following year
for the breeding pen. Such practice
does not necessarily mean that all the
birds he selects will lay 200 or more
eggs, but it is logical to assume that
the majority Of them will be good per-
formers.
Early production is not the only In
dcation that the poultry keeper should
rely on in the selection Of good layers
1t is but one Of several characteristics
at his command to check up the prob
able production of his birds. All early
layers that are marked can be observed
to determine whether they mott early
or late. Trap-nest records show that
the high performers usually mott late
The writer recalls an incident of a
2J0-egg hen that did not mott until cold
winter weather set in. She shed her
feathers SO rapidly that it was neces-
Sary to keep her in a fairly warm room
to protect her from the cold. The
border hens usually have a new coat of
feathers and look like the finest birds
in the flock when the hard working
layers are ragged and covered with
pin-feathers. Appearances in this in
stance do not count for much, since
the worst looking hens are quite apt to
be the most profitable
Observations made in connection
with trap-nest records showed that
none of the birds which were half
through the mott by October 1st were
good producers, also that only a small
percentage of the late molters We're
poor producers. 1t is believed by some
that late moters do not begin laying
until late in the following year. Ac-
tual records, however, do not substan-