Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-12
'CULL|NC THE OLD STOCK
IN THE FARM BARNARD
Tho Overfat Hens and the Aged
Breeding Males Should Be
Sold for Meat.
SCRUB BULLETS AND coCKERELs
Don't Sacrifice Young Pullcts: They
Arc Needed for Egg Production,
but the Very Old Ladies'" Can Be
Spared.

Spared.
The primary need for poultry is to
supply our homes with nitroEcnous
foods. These keep the body in health
and strength: they take the place OF
'".rcd meats on the table. for poultry and
eggs can supplant beer. mutton and
= pork in our dic,arics But. il poultry
y should be greatly increased for the
:, sole purpose OF supplying meat for the
= table. the egg supply would not meet
our needs. For general food uses eggs
- are more important than the fowls
themselves.
: One OF the needs for better poultry
lis to give as great an egg supply with
ia fewer number OF fowls. This can be
done by properly cullinE the older
hens The time to slaughter a hen
for the table or market is when she is
no longer capable OF profitable egg
production. This is utilizing the dual
purpose hen TO the best advantage.
: Tests have shown that few hens are
: -protita Bile after two laying years. Hens
= should be carefully cullcd, therefore,
in their second year.
The first hens to be cullcd for meat
are the fat birds, which are usually
poor layers. But to-day a fat hen is
store of wealth. Such a hen will fire.
aucntly yield from a pound TO a pound
= and half of fat This is conccn-
.trated food. 1t yields heat for the
human body. The money value OF this
Sfa: may run from 40 To CO cents. In
:. addition the nesh will be worth 80 or
40 cents a pound. While the hcuvicc
:. dual-purpose fowls may grow fat.
which has been regarded as Il fault.
il is not TO their disadvantage in war
times. Kill of the oldeg tat hens for
The meat. the fat, and the money thew
.-Miil bring.
Selecting Hena for Laying.
a Som. hens molt carly ana Others
hot late. It has been found better
10 keep eariy-moltinS mems for lat"
fall and winter egg production These
Gsually begin laying before the pulletS.
and continue laying all winter. More
over, these birds make the best breed
ers for cariy Matching OF vigorous
chicks. II carly melting hens show
signs OF health and vigor. they should
be retained for winter egg production.
and AS breeders for maintaining the
vitality OF the mock.
But late-moltinE hens should be
Killed or sold for table use. They
have served their economic usefulness
as late layers. AS & rule. they woul!
be fed all winter at a loss. They re-
Quire more food To maintain the heat
y'of the body on account OF their lack
of feathers to keep them warm. The
more food expended in keeping up
bodily heat. the |. s surplus energy is
produced for creating feathers. Hence
the melting process takes longer THAI
in summer. So il h,-S been found
economy to turn Late -moltinG hens in;,
meat rather than 10 keep them Tor egg
production.
The time has conc for poultry keep
ers to realize how much they can serve
their country. The demand for poultry
and cEgs during the fall of 1915 AMI
the succeeding winter will be greater
iional system OF dealing with this
great economic demand. No hen ca
liable OF becoming profitable cBg
- rfoduccy ought TO be used for meat ::
and no hen should he kept for egS
laying which will bring in greater
money returns il killed. To this end
poultry Keepers should watch their
Noting hens and call accordi:- gly. 1t
. will pay 10 do SO. This will re utiliz-
f ing dualpurposc hens /, the best adj
vantage.
surplus CockercIs and Scrub PulIcts
Besides the old hens. many young
birds should be fitted for table use.
This applies particularly to surplus
:. cockercls and scrub puliets The latter
casually lack vitality. AS such they
make poor layers and worse breeders.
7' The best thing is to feed them on n
fattening ration for two or three weeks
and then ship them to market This
= course will not only save time annoy
ance and expense. but it will prove
profitable.
ia, AS a rule so per cent OF the chickens
hatrhcd a:>e cockercls. y little atten-
= ton given TO systematic feeding will
3 yield the producer good profit For
iablt purposes there is no better meat
i than Il well-fattcned cockercl OF the
heavier breeds Surplus cockerels and
scrub pullcts sold for this purpose will
improve the meat situation this winter
This applies also TO the disposal OF
surplus breeding males. Why keep a
male that is no longer needed for
Is breeding? The males for meat"-this
was u slogan Of the Kansas experiment
station. and II proved 4 great financial
bench, to farmers in that State The
advantage in the production OF infer
~ Tie eSSs was worth million dollars.
,'i Fitting Cockcrcls for Market
The best cockerels needed for breed :
Ing should be carefully selected Tho
others should be pcnnrd by themselves
e For putting flesh on them they must
ne LED literally. variety OF feeds
helps digestion. Experiments have
shown that oats. whole or ground. are
excellent for putting flesh on cock
eYels. Since this is now one OF the
the advantage OF poultry raisers. The
following rations have given good re-
suits:
First thing In the morning the cock
cre!s are given n little grain mixtur,
composed OF two parts. by measure. OF
: oats and cqua! parts OF corn, whea,
/. and scratch feed. About 9 o'clock they
are fed wet mash consisting Of two
parts bran. one part middlngs and
one-half part each OF ground oats
cornmeal, meat meal and boiled pota
toes. AT noon thev receive sinai!
quantity Of the grain mixture. and a,
night all they can clean up OF the SAM
grain ration Plenty OF green feed IS
supplied morning and night. In ,h-e.
weeks time the cockerels are fat
enough TO market This fall and winter
such birds VIII probably bring 60 cent
pound
Selecting Scrub PuIlets
Every poultry keeper should deter.
mine Az early as possible how man,