The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-01-02

The advantage of culling the poultry flock-eliminating the unprofitablt layers--is shown by a number of re- ports being received by the United States department Of agriculture from county agents who have conducted culling demonstrations. In many in stances the culled birds were re- tained a few weeks in order to dem onstrate to the farmers the advantage of proper culling "Culling drives supervised by county agents were con ducted by poultry raisers in many To- calities. In one cor 4munity in Mis- souri the nonproducers in more than 300 farm flocks were taken out in one day and sent to market. In making a report to the department of agriculture on the culling work in Missouri, H. E. Cosby. state extension poultry hus- banGman, says:
 home demonstration agent of Green county. together with County Agent E. A. Cockefein, report that 16,607 birds were culled out of 40, 0,169-about 40 per cent. These 16,6G7 were sold, making saving in grain in the form of $s640.s0" The interest on the money received for the sale of the culls would bring the total saving to about $10,0O0. Mir Cosby further says:
 
 of. local leaders the following will suffice. From one flock of 75 chick ems, 25 were culled out. Only one egg was laid in the culled pen in four days
 From another flock of 200 chickens, 60 were culled out. The pen of culls pro- duced only two eggs in three days. Fifty-two birds were culled from a flock of 58 hens, leaving only six good ones. In four days only one egg was laid in the Den of 52 cullS"
 One county agent report two REPORT ON TWO FLOCkS
 flocks There were 142 hens in the first flock, 105 of which were selected
 to make up the winter pen of layers, which 37 were put in the cull pen and fed the same ration as the others for two weeks. During this period the hens that were selected for winter layers laid 620 eggs, or an average of of about six eggs. each. while Is eggs were produced in the other pen; less than one egg for every two hens. l In the second flock there were 92 hens, 1 67 of which were retained and 9 put in 1 the culled class. In one week the 67 l good birds produced 137 eggs, while in 1 the pen of 25 discarded hens only eggs were produced.
 A "cull the flock campaign was held | in nine Mississippi counties this fall | oilu dS c iSouit lV, iJ5 plIuS WClS uiiS ! 1900 pounds were marketed These birds
 came from 1349 flocks. If they had been | retained throughout the winter, they l would have been fed at loss. Through
 the help of county agents these bird;
 were sold by cooperative plan. and ! brought $569S. If they had been sold I by the individual owners they would have
 brought s4144, the extension poultry hus- I bandman estimates. The cooperative selling plan thus saved the farmers Sl554 CULLING THE FLOCK
 With feed high in price and Tn many | cases difficult to get, it is of greates | importance to cull the poultry flock | Culling serves two purposes: First, i l insures that the feed will be consumed
 by the better producing hens, thereby in creasing the profit. Second, 1t makes | | possible to save those best suited fol 1 breeders, both on account of their better
 production and on account of their SUI perior strength and vitality, qualities
 so essential to layers if they are to stand l up under the severe strain of heav! 1 laying Under war conditions it is i'm
 perative that the poor producers b.
 weeded out: the stacker hen must go 1 Wedding out the poor hens gives thos' | left more room and a better chance
 Where trap nesting is practiced. cullini 1 is a comparatively simple process.
 l Culling should be continuous through 1 out the year. This continuous cuiiiht