Evening star., 1919-07-20

Logically, today's article should deal
with the marketing of poultry products,
but owing to the interest now being
shown in the question of culling the
f1ocks and the saving of prospective
layers and breeders for next year, and
because of the necessity for immediate
instruction on the subject. marketing
will be held over until next week, while
we discuss today our culling problems.
1t is-safe to assert that in so far as
the production of eggs is concerned the
greatest profits are made from fowls
that are kept only during one laying
season and then marketed. though fair
profits may be made from layers during
the second season.
Experiments conducted with leghorns
at Cornell clearly demonstrated that
the highest producing females lay the
greatest number of eggs during their
first laying season, while the poorer
son than they do the secood. But as a
matter of fact those that lay heavily
the first year lay more eggs during the
second year than do the poor layers Of
the first year, in spite of the fact that
the production Of the latter increases
in the second year.
No laying fowls. with the possible ex-
ception of those of the lighter breeds,
such as the leghorns or anconas. should
be kept for more than two years; and it
is important that those that are held
over for the second year are the high
strength and vigor; and there should be
only a sufficient number to furnish
breeding stock, unless there is more
housing rooms for layers than there are
young birds to be housed. Under such
conditions enough yearlings should be
the laying houses. 1t must be borne in
mind that though the pullets yield the
most profit that obtained from the older
fowls is well worth the time and care
devoted to them.
How to Gull out the poor layers at the
end of the first laying season and select
the high producers for the next year is
the problem that confronts many
poultrymen just at this time On the
average farm no individual trap nest
records have been kept during the past
winter nor are such records necessary
in order to separate the high producers
from low producers. While it is prac-
tically impossible to accurately deter
mine the number Of eggs any single
hen or pullet has laid within a given
time, without the use of the trap nest
VI ~ltiloot Hidhii6 d udHS puySiSdi Ca
animation Of certain parts of the body
of the fowl, it is possible, as summer
approaches. to pick out the hens or pull
let's that have laid few eggs during the
winter.
1t is fact supported by experimental
evidence that the poor producers during
the three winter months begin to molt
early while the high winter producers
mott late. 1t is, therefore. a good plan
to dispose of the hens that mott in June,
July and during the first week or two
in August. provided they have stopped
laying at the time. In most cases mott
ing hens stop laying before or shortly
after their feathers begin to fall; but
occasionally egg production continues
regularly far into the molt. Under such
circumstances it would be we'll to save
the hen, as the protracted laying indi-
Gates vigor. strength and high egg-lay-
ing characteristics.
1t is good practice to watch the hens
carefully at this season for the begin
ming of the molt. Don't mistake the
ragged appearance of the hard working,
heavy laying hen for the natural molt.
AS soon as a molting hen is discovered
examine the LAY" or pelvic bones If
they are closed so that not more than
one finger can be placed between them.
it may be safely assumed that the fowl
is not laying and may be cast aside, as
she will in all proba ability not lay again
for period of three, four or five months
If the opening between the bones is wide
enough for the entrance of two or more
fingers. the hen is laying moderately.
If three fingers can he put in the open
ing it is an indication that she is laying