South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-08-18
MANY BENEFIT BY
DEMONSTRATION OF
POULTRY "CULLING"
Men and Women Show Keen
Interest in Session at Mar
tin Farm.

Give the hen a chance 70 prove
she is not a Stacker before condemn
ing her.
Frequently a bird is accused Of
being a .oafer when the fault may
be traced directly TO improper feed
ing and other forms Of neglect.
Decline in egg production may also
be attributable 10 the selection Of
poor layers for breeding stock.
a tubercular chicken is liable to
infect a whole flock, and great care
should be observed in watching for
symptoms of presence OF the dis
ease.
These facts and numerous others
together with a post-mortem examin-
alton of a diseased bird were devel-
oPed at poultry cuIIing den-onstra-
ton on the Weaver Martin farm,
! near Wyatt yesterday, conducted by
d. j. Taylor, one of the best author
tiles on poultry in St. Joseph county.
The success Of the initial demonstra-
| ton last week had spread TO all cor
ners of the countryside. AS 9 result
farmers, their wives, sons and daugh-
ters in large numbers forsook other
duties 10 attend.
Explain "CulIing."
Taylor pointed out that every one
keeps poultry to obtain as much
profit as possible. and the only way
to realize this was along proved lines
of success. 1t is highly important
that every hen kept should be =
good layer and that all cOckrels ex-
cept those for breeding. should be
sold or domestically consumed. he
said. Selecting or wedding out" the
hens that are poor layers from those
that are good layers, he explained
was what really was meant by "cull-
ing" IL was suggested that the best
time TO do this work was in August
and September, for at this season il
is easier TO determine the poor from
the productive bird. During the
present period OF the year hens
which show signs OF laying, or are
laying and have not molted are usu-
ally the ones that have been the
better layers during the entire sea-
son. The hen that lays best during
her first year will usually lay best
during the second and third years
she, therefore, is the one that should
be kept, it is advised.
In addition 10 culling the entire
flock during the months indicated,
it was en- phasized, that those inter
ested in the industry should be on
the constant lookout for hens that
are sick or very thin in flesh, or
show signs of weakness or poor Vi
tally. When this is discovered. Il
is advisable to Gull them out without
delay.
self Applied Test
Speaking of the characteristics
that help to distinguish a good laying
hen from a poor layer. Taylor said.
they may not all be decisively ap-
parent and all may not agree in the
same fowl. Therefore, il is neces-
sary TO take into consideration all
the different indications and to de-
pend upon the agreement OF a ma
jority OF them rather than one or
two. if the poor from the good lay
er is to be determined accurately.
Describing the manner in which a
hen molts. or as sometimes express
ed shed her feathers" he said. il
was almost a self applied test It is
one Of the signs that are most aLpar-
ent, and is a reasonably safe guido
TO follow, as most hens stop laying,
or nearly so during the time they are
melting. The better producers con-
tinue TO lay late in the fall he ex-
planned. and therefore do not mott
until late. The late molters also
mott rapidly as a rule, while the
early molters, usually the poor lay
ers. mott slowly.
Birds that have not molted during
this month and September will show
dirty. worn or broken plumage. he
said. while those that have NOTED
early show fresh. clean plumage or
growing feathers. The opinion was
expressed that il was better to keep
hens that mott late. particularly If
the other tests indicate that they are
good producers. as they are invari-
ably the best layers and best breed
ers. Taylor suggested that early
molters should be discarded. The
,shanks or legs Of hens. naturally
yellow in color in sucn breeds as
y
Leghorns. are pale and faded in Au-
gust and September If they have been
laying heavily. it was said. Some
will look more faded than others. but
all will show a decided loss of color
If the hens have been extra good
producers. II the shanks are stu
yellow in color the hen is almost
sure TO be a Ioor layer. It some
times happens. however. a poor lay
er as well as sick bird or one in
poor condition will be found with a
pale or white shank.
The same rule or principles applies
10 breeds having yellow beaks al
though the color fades more quickly
from the beak than the shank. The
lower part OF the heak bleaches fast
er than the upper part. but may be
used as guide where the upper half
il colored too much with black or
horn color, as Is found in some
breeds
Birds were distributed among the
audience and questions asked relat-
i've whether particular hens were or
were not laying. While there were
number OF men IN the group. it
was apparent that the women
evinced a much better knowledge
and more readily and satisfactorily
answered the queries than the men.
They did not hesitate to-put all sorts
of questions and some OF them were
unique and valuable. even 10 such
trained expert as Taylor