HOW TO TELL THE BEST LAYERS.
How is a man who keeps 1200 hens to as certain which are his best layers, and how is he fco know where those are that lay but few ? It is a very important matter to him and I wish some of your readers would sug. gest a plan. It is all well enough for a person who has only 50 hens or so to keep watch of them and discover which are which, but such a course is impracticable to follow with the man who keeps a very large lot. He would have to remain on watch in his poultry house from morning until night, for six months, to do it. The man with lots of hens has of course many in the lot that are poor layers, worthess to keep, the same as with a lot of cows. The poor milkers can be picked out easily, fattenedand marketed, but not so with hens. Some sure, positive proof is wanted. I have no doubt that I am feeding and caring for at least 100 hens to-day that are unprofitable for me to keep, and this means quite a sum or loss to me, but how am I to tell them positively is the question I want to keep a good layeraslong asl ean — donotcareif she isfour years old — but I cannot get rid of a poor one too soon, no matter if she scores 96 points and would win every premium in the country. One more subject pertaining to eggs, and lam done. Contrary to most advice that I have seen in print, I believe that a pen of hens will commence laying sooner and lay better when there is a male bird with , them than otherwise ; at least, it has proved ; so with me, after careful experiments for several years. It is natural, and the presence of a cockerel or rooster promotes egg laying. Their presence excites the hen to . the business for which nature intended her, , and beats red pepper, ginger, and all your . egir-foodof sight. Biddy does not want to i give an egg to the world until it is made i perfect in all its details, and she looks to ; her companion to help her out a little in t some matters. — Geo. Q. Dow, in Country i Gentleman.
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Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 366, 8 May 1889, Page 4
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390HOW TO TELL THE BEST LAYERS. Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 366, 8 May 1889, Page 4
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