SELECTING PULLETS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue CXXIII, 10 April 1937, Page 25

SELECTING PULLETS

POINTS TO REMEMBER

A well-reared pullet just starting into full production is worth from 10s to 15s today, according to her owner. No matter if she be purebred or mongrel, provided she will lay eggs during the next two months this value is justified. On the other hand, the would-be buyer 'thinks that a laying pullet should be available around 6s to Bs, the price which many pullets fetch in the open, auction markets about this time of the year. The key to the situation rests in the fact that there are pullets and pullets. The percentage- of pullet culls is increasing each year, due possibly to the great improvements made in incubation and rearing. The wise commercial egg producer is always culling and if he is keeping White Leghorns in particular he will find that from 10 per cent. to 25 per cent, of the total reared are best sold when they are.close to laying. His opinion is that 6s to 8s for these birds is better than a problematical profit from their egg production. He is a qualified judge; the novice buyer on the other hand has difficulty in selecting a good'pullet from, a cull and will always have this handicap until some experience is gained; The householder or small sideliner who needs to purchase a few pullets ■ each late summer should place his order well, in advance with a reliable poultry advertiser; a breeder of some repute.' Delivery should be taken about February, when the. pullets are at least six weeks' off laying. A move and change'in management while "a pullet is in lay nearly always upsets her so much that she will, go out of production for at least a month, excepting when she goes from poor management to very much better-conditions. If the full price asked is paid, the seller will deliver .good, birds if he values his reputation. ; CULLS ! OFFERED, AT AUCTION. ',", Most of the pullets offered in auction marts at this, time of the year are culls. Just now and again a really good-line' are marketed due to some producer selling up but the majority are. pullets'I,;that:-the owner considers not worth keeping.-: These consist of the smaller and weaker ones, pullets with deformities, 'poor ; sight, perhaps some which hay c suffered from disease infection; of some kind and nearly J always they fare either too early or more; likely:'too/; late hatched to give hi'gh^aiitumirVegg'prodaction. Even the expert will have difficulty in picking, .. small-bodied . weakling ; chicks early hatched; from nor-maniy^lat'e-hatctied/.pullets. Then there is Class of pullet som'etiiheS':, offered for"sale whiciihas: laid well from shortly.'after,the. New, Year and is sold because .iher ;owner::knows.' that she ,wilL:moult any day 500n... Haying had at'least. three, months'"eggs from her, he is quite glad to receive about 8s for.' her and let someone else carry her, through'the false moult. ■ The buyer who .wants cheap pullets will be able to find/them all right, but if he is. wise.iheviAyill ; take ;the advice of his supplier and purchase only ithe .besjt ayailableigjlt.'is iarXbetter to buy six ; good tones', rather'than a dozen poo?,;ones.,.v ,';"':':/:.;:..^:, '■:.■%, ■:■■,.■ . .■'."'' V'vI''-.".' LEG COLOUR. , ■ In yellow-shanked breeds: such as the White Leghorn.,the leg colour is a useful guide, to'general health. Pullets , that'have' been; reared On complete free range will have deep golden shanks, clean tight feathering, and be somewhat nervous. On the other hand pullets reared intensively;, will be much paler in leg colour, even when well.fed on greens and maize. Of course not every golden-shanked pullet is" a good one and the points mentioned must be taken together. The next point to consider is weight for size. The medium-sized pullet that weighs much heavier than you would expect is, a good one. If she is taken in hand and examined it will be noted that she has good width across the back, the ,breast will be well.fleshed with firm muscle, and the "keel bone straight and free from notches, the back <,will> be (reasonably long, while the eye will be bold, well 'set iup; and, above all, when she is allowed to move about she will present a balanced" appearance. If she is close to laying, the abdomen will show her" condition by being larger and softer with the pelvic or public lay bones widening out; her weight, too; will'increase as the egg yolks and oviduct are developing inside. A pair of scales ,is useful and a light breed pullet on the point of laying her first egg should not weigh less than 41b,' and if she'weighs up to 51b so much.the better. Heavy breeds such as Orpingtons should weigh at least 51b at this stage of their growth. The head itself is a most' useful guide when one has had some experience. It is not perhaps commonly known that the experienced poultry breeder knows each of his fowls by sight just as human beings can recognise each other. With' eggs retailing at over 2s 6d per dozen the owner of a good pullet is a happy person; the pullet should not cost' more than 4d per week to feed at the most, while if she lays five to six eggs per week her "profit" will be almost Is per week.