Smyrna times., 1926-09-22
POULTRY FLOCK MANAGEMENT
IMPORTANT This TINE OF YEAR
Fl. S. PALMER, EXTENSION POUL-
TRYMAN OF U. OF d., REPORTS
On Practically Every Farm There are
Five Distinct Groups of Birds-How
To Manage the Hens and Pullets

On Practically Every Farm There are
Five Distinct Groups of Birds-HOw
To Manage the Hens and Pullets
Egg records from 135 farms repre-
senting a large portion of the poultry
industry in the state have been tabu-
lated in the July report Of the Della
ware Farm Egg Laying Contest which
has been prepared by H. S. Palmer,
Extension Poultryman of the Univers-
ity of Delaware, in cooperation with
the County Agricultural Agents.
Of the total of 33,517 birds, whose
daily egg production is given in this
report, 1928 are pullets, 7,240 are
hens, and 13,054 are in mixed focks
comprising both pulets and hens. The
pullets laid on an average of 14.7
eggs each, and the hens produced on
an average of 15.5 eggs, while the
production of the mixed focks was
only 13.1 eggs per bird throughout
the entire month.
The most important facts discussed
by Mr.. Palmer in this report are those
which pertain to the proper manage
ment of the flock at this particular
season of the year. Successful focks
management requires that the birds
be observed as individuals instead of
as focks, for each individual bird
should be fed, housed and cared for
according to its state Of growth and
production. On practically every
poultry farm we find at this time OF
the year five distinct groups of birds
which may be classified as follows:
(1) Gull hens, ~ medium quality
hens, (3) best hens, (4) early matur-
ing pullets, and (5) late maturing pull
lets which come in second grade class.
Managing Hens to Make Them Lay
The culls are those hens that stop
laying and begin to molt early in the
summer. AS a rule these hens have
poorly developed bodies with very
shallow chests and narrow heart
girths, and usually their legs and bills
are quite yellow indicating that they
have laid very few eggs. Such hens
molt very slowly and could not by any
treatment be brought back into pro
duction before next spring
The medium quality hens are those
which begin to molt and stop laying
before September !, but show by hav-
ing well developed bodies and legs and
bills bleached white that they have
laid heavily during the past six
months. Such hens, if properly man
aged, may be proftably kept in the
flock, but without special treatment
they will not begin to lay again until
next January or February. They
should be placed in a pen to them
selves and treated as though they
were maturing pullets, in that they
should receive an abundance of green
food in free range and also have ac-
cess to plenty Of grain and feed in
hoppers well filed with a growing
mash. This method Of feeding should
be followed until about October ! to
is, after which time the ration should
be changed to a laying mash and plac-
ed under artificial lights to give a IA
hour day.
AS a rule the hens that continue to
lay until late in the fall before going
into a molt are the best hens in the
flock. When the majority Of them be
gin to mclt, which will be about the
middle Of October, they should be
placed on a growing mash and also
allowed free range with plenty Of
greer food About the first of jan
uary these best hens should be fed
laying ration along with the use Of
artificial lights to make 12-hour day.
Managing and Separating the Pullets
The early maturing pullets are US
ually the best ones in the flock, and
all those which begin to lay early in
the fall should be separated from the
others and placed in their permanent
laying pens where they can receive
the laying mash. It is also advisable
to have a range of rape, alfalfa or
some other green food on which to
turn these pullets for few hours
each day. The grain and green food
will keep these birds in good physical
condition which will aid in preventing
a fall molt. Artificial lights should
not be used on these pullets az long
as they are laying from 40 to so per-
cent, but after they have been laying
for while and they should show
signs of molting, the lights should be
turned on Immediately to allow them
a 12-hour day. AS the earlier matur-
ing pullets are selected from the flock
each week, the late maturing ones
will be left on the range by them
selves, thus giving them a better OPP
portunity to eat and develop. These
birds should be left on this range and
fed a growing mash as late in the fall
as the weather will permit, and then
they should be moved to the laying
house and placed to themselves. If
they are still backward they may be
pushed with a wet mash and enough
artificial lights to make 13-hour day.
With this kind of treatment they will