The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-04
By MRS. JOHN c. MOSES

1 For every day that your outlets fall to lay after they cease growing you are pocketing a loss.
 Laying is retarded by any check to
 growth at any period from matching to
 maturity
 ] Laying is retarded by seemingly trivial | disturbances, like moving from place to | place and radical changes in rations. | In order to be sure of early eggs eggs laid at time when prices are
 high and eggs scarce-see to it that the
 growth of your bullets is not retarded
 and that they are never annoyed or | Mustered unnecessarily.
 1 The difference between early laying bullets and late laying bullets may be
 the difference between profit and loss | in poultry keeping Retarded laying, therefore, is one of the things to be | guarded against by all poultry keepers, whether on large or small scale. | Normally, laying begins when growth | ceases. Individuals of the small, pre- l cocious breeds may begin laying before l they cease growing. That, though like 1 ly to be of some permanent disadvant- age, need not give the grower serious concern. Individuals, of whatever breed, may fail to begin laying at maturity, and that is a matter of serious concern to every poultry keeper. The bullet that fails to become an egg producer at lDSLGzLO Ol all asset, becomes a dead expense, absorbing large part of the profit that she may make in later life.
 REGULAR GROWTH BEST Almost without exception the bullet whose growth from matching to maturi- ty has been regular, not subject to checks and interruptions, is an early layer. check to growth at any stage, according to poultry experts of the United States department of agriculture, is likely to retard laying. In support of this statement, the fact is pointed out that it is not unusual to find May matched bullets laying earlier than their sisters that were matched in April and were retarded in the early stage of their growth by unfavorable weather. Retarda- ton by weather conditions, however, is only one of many things that may check the normal growth of bullet and defer the beginning of her usefulness as pro- ductive fowl.
 Egg production depends upon activity of the productive organs. which should begin at or before the cessation Of physical growth. Apparently, influences unfayorable to the development of the body are still more unfavorable to the development of the reproductive organs, and it is not uncommon to find outlets of apparently perfect outward body de- velopment in which egg productlon IS de- ferred for several months
 DISTURBANCE IS BAD Any disturbance affecting the habits, nutrition or comfort of bullet at any previous stage of life may retard lay ling at maturity and, therefore, IS to De ssiduously guarded against. Shifting from place to place or changes in diet may constitute a sufficient disturbance to retard laying. In fact. these are common methods in use among poultry fanclers 10 retard the laying of bullets that they desire to keep in condition Tor exiniDl- tion as bullets It follows, therefore that the disturbances encourageo oy lan- ciers for exhibition bullets are among the things that must be avoided by poul- try keepers whose object IS to develop nullets into early egg producing hens
 The fact to be borne constantly m mind is that the main factor III egg