The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1922-10-19

Several inquiries for poultry Gull
ing demonstrations have reached the
Farm Bureau Office during the past
summer. Judging from these inquir-
les, it is very evident that Stearns
County poultrymen are beginning to
practise poultry culling more general
ly than ever before. During the COM
ing week, arrangements have been
made through the Farm Bureau Of-
flee, cooperating with various Com
-munity Clubs of the county, to show
a four reeled series of poultry mo-
ton pictures, three reels of which
show poultry culture as practised at
the government poultry farm at
Beltsville, Maryland, and one reel
showing the selecting of laying hen
and physical characteristics which
should be taken into consideration IN
in culling. Lecturers on poultry Gull
ing will be given by the Farm Bureau
agent accompanying the showing OF
these reels, announcements OF which
will be made in communities where
pictures will be shown.
The Farm Bureau Office has also
scheduled N. E. Chapman, state poul-
try specialist, for two days work in
the county lecturing on poultry and
culling methods about November LIST.
In the practise of culling, the mott
is one of the important physical char
ac1ers to take into consideration. In
selecting the breeders, the high pro-
ducers. hens molting late are given
the preference as the highest producer
almost invariably are late molters.
The hen that is born to lay the high
est number of eggs and is well fed
and handled will generally follow the
line of least resistance and continue
to lay, and thus fail to preform the
process of molting. This is because
She has so much reserved power that
she continues to lay, and as result
her feathers do not die and loosen.
rence the good layers will carry old
feathers late in the fall. The high
It producers of the yellow skinned
leeds will also show pale shanks.
j. we were to examine the high pro-
..lcing hen in early fall, we would
find that their shanks are laid out,
that is, pale in color. The hens that
have had little to do during the sum-
mer except to loaf around and eat US
ually have the finest kind of colored
shanks and skin, whereas the high
producing hens have laid out most
of the color. After they have rested
a month or two the color will come
back.
If a somewhat careful watch is
kept at feeding time or generally of
the flock, the highest producers will
be found to be the heavy eaters. The
good producers will also generally be
found the least to go to roost and
the first out in the mirning.
The width of the pelvic arch should
also be taken into consideration in the
practise of culling. Fowls that are
in laying condition will be found to
have softening of certain igaments
or muscles in the pelvic region which
modifes their physical confirmation.
In the case of laying hens, the arch
of cartilaginous bones through which
the egg is expelled enlargens and
softens during conditions of heavy
laying and hardens and contracts dur
ing the periods of dormacy. This con-
dition enables person to determine
at any time with considerable accur-
acy the hens that are laying at that
particulr time from these which are
not. In the case of large hens, the
space between the pelvic bones will
be sufficient to place three fingers OF
average size, while in the same hen
when in the dormant condition, the
pelvic arch would not be more than