Careful Culling Keeps The Flock At Maximum Profit

Taranaki Daily News, 30 September 1940, Page 17 (Supplement)

Careful Culling Keeps The Flock At Maximum Profit

Culling is the identification and discarding of birds which will not be profitable layers during the winter months. Tnis important operation is too often neglected upon general farms because the impression is held that a few poor birds can in no way affect profits. That they are, in fact, capable of doing so, and doing it very severely, is proved when one realises that 100 inferior birds with cost almost £1 a week to feed and house without yielding any return. This £1 cost is a nett deduction from the total return and negatives the egg retum from two good layers. Proper culling is vital during wartime for ahother reason. That of conserving the tonnage of foodstuffs in the country. To feed worthless birds must result in valuable foodstuffs being wasted. . Careless culling, however, must be avoided. If therefore the general farmer is unable to select the birds accurately, t'nen a local handling expert should be calisd in to do the whole job. The good birds for retention will be those that are in lay now, and those which are not of lay at the moment but will be profitable producers when production is resumed. The worthless birds for immediate disposal will be those which are weakly or ailing. The farmer should be able to pass accurate judgment if the culling signs detailed below hre carried out. Birds

which are in lay will possess large, soft, pliable, rosy red comb and wattles; wellspread, wide-apart pelvic bones; large, full, expanded, soft abdomens and large, moist, soft, pale vents. These in-lay birds should be kept in continuous lay by housing in well-protected buildings and fceding upon a properly balanced layers' mash. The other birds to retain are those which have the inherited power to lay well but are for the time being out of production. These may be backward pullets or over-yeared hens, i.e., birds hatched in the spring of 1939. While they will not show the signs described above of being in lay they will possess other indications of being quality birds. Signs of quality in out-of-lay birds are neat skull, short beak, bold, large, full round eye; neat, close plumage; medium fine bone carcase, and neat, short, finely scaled legs. Speedy return to lay must be encouraged by housing these birds in solidfioored rather than slatted-floored houses and by keeping them confined and busily scratching in light, loose litter when the weather is windy or rainy. The provision of wet mash is preferable to that in a dry form and the addition of 3 per cent. pea meal acts as an incentive to early laying. So much for the good birds; the signs of unprofitable birds must also be known. The out-of-lay bad layers are not diffi-

cult to identify. Here are the signs:— That they are out of lay is told by small, stiff, pale headgcar; small, flat, empty, unexpanded abdomen; close pelvic bones (no more than 1 inch apart) and a small, round, dry, deeply pigmented vent. Their in-bred poor laying powers are indicated by a thick, deep, coarse skull: a long, heavy beak; small, oval, sunken, overshadowed eyes, set low in the side of the face; long, wide, loose, thick and profuse feather; thick, often fat covered pelvic bones; long, rounded breast-bone and long, thick, round, coarse legs. Unprofitable Hens. These birds should be culled without delay for they are not profitable now and will not pay for the cost of feeding over the next 12 months. Other unprofitable birds are ^ those which are in any way lacking in stamina or are diseased. These should also^ be disposed of for there is a grave danger that healthy birds in the same flock as the ailing ones may become diseased. Naturally if the ailment will respond quickly and cheaply to cure, then the correct treatment should be given. Ailments which are difficult or costly to cure are fowl paralysis. chronic coccidiosis, severe worm infestation, tuberculosis, actue prolapsus, persistent crop binding, dropsy and' internal egg laying. Birds low in stamina will have a thinly fleshed breast-bone, a low ta.il, loosely held or drooping wings. pale face, pendulous crop. soiled abdominal plumage and weak legs. Worthless birds which have wellfleshed body should be sold for table as old hens, but those which are badly diseased should be killed and burnt.