THE POULTRY YARD

Wairarapa Age, 25 March 1920, Page 7

THE POULTRY YARD

THE HEN THAT LAYS. HOW TO PICK OUT THE BEST TYPES. The hen that lays must be in the best of condition, strong and vigorous. Her eyes must be bright and clear, of a prominent "shoe-button" appearance; the comb and wattles long and red; the bill short to medium in size; the distance between the bill and eye narrow; the head of good size; The body of a laying hen must be well set, with good back capacity (which really is egg-bed capacity); broad bodies, with ribs wide spread, afford plenty of room for egg and digestive organs. The body should be solid; the birds should not be loose jointed, but compactly built. The) legs should set wide apart. The entire type should be neat and of the feminine order. There must be no physical defects nor deformities, although Barron says that some of his best layers have squirrel tails. I Heavy layers are up first in the morning, jumping from their roosts I at the break of day, and going back only after it has become so dark that they are unable to pick up a bit of grain that might be hidden in the scratching*! tter. The heaviest layers are also the heaviest eaters and drinkers. Their appetites and thirst never seem to leave them, and their activity aids in digesting all the food they consume. The heavy layers can readily be picked by examining the crops while the fowls are on the roost at night—a method that has considerable merit. Good layers are late moulters. but a late moulter with yellow in her earlobes in October is not a good layer; the earlobes should be white. Since the laying seasons ends when moulting has well started, no great risk will be taken by marketing the early moulters wheir more room is needed. There is more activity and nervousness in a good layer than there is in a poor on©; and yet they are more easily handled. In using trap-nests 1 have found my heaviest layers to be my tamest birds, and they always seem contented and happy. They show more friendliness,, yet they are elusive, but entirely unlike the poorer layers which are shy and scary, and which will yell like Indians upon being caught. PROFITABLE EGG-PRODUCTION. HOW TO CULL THE FLOCK. Careful culling to weed out the lowproducing hen is necessary for profit .vith poultry. Nature mdrks the poor layer, so it is easy to pick her out. Culling should be done not later than November 1, when the marks are J most evident. Proper fall culling reduces the winter fee>d bill but not egg production. v . Culling Old Hens.—Egg production decreases with age. Plymouth Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Wyandottes and Orpingtons should not be kept more than two years unless trap-nesting shows them to be good layers. Leghorns, Minorca s and Anconas may be kept thrfee years (or longer if, trapnesting shows they are profitable). As a general rule all hens above these (ges should be sold. Culling Pullets.—Pullets lay the A'inter eggs. All mature vigorous pullets should be kept. Any weak, unlersized or deformed pullet should be nulled out. • Culling Yearling Hens.—The real problems of culling are found with /earling hens. Every flock of hens of ins age contains some unprofitable jroducers. Every hen must be •studied ;o determine her value. Nature marks ;he poor producer, the poultryceeper should read Nature's record. The,first prominent sign of a poor ayer is furnished by the moult. When i hen moults she has finished her layng season. An early moulter has a -shortened season .and is a shy egg jroducer. The hens which moult first ihould be sold. """Prominent yellow pigment in varijus parts of the body in yellow skinied breeds is the next evidence of a poor egg record. This is especially >vident in the shanks, beak and ear .obes. When a hen lays heavily this olour very largely disappears. A hen vith bright yellow shanks, beak or iar lobes is generally a poor producer. Quality of skin and bones is another nark of the production of a hen. A ;oarse'bird is a poor layer. The qualfcy of bones can be judged by exam-n----ag the keel and pin bones. Birds aaving coarse thick skin and coarse, !ieavy keel or pin bones should be sold. Keep this in mind. The depth >f a bird's body will also indicate her japacity for producing eggs. Heavy -gg laying hens • must have deep bodies. Body depth is ,measured by <;he distance between the end of the iieel and pin" bones. A bird showing lack of capacity in this region should be sold. Egg laying causes the pin bones to spread apart. Hens showing these, bones close together, or with the ends ttard and unyielding, should be eliminated from the flock. \ I. Old Hens: Sell all hens that have finished two seasons unless trapnesting shows them to be profitable. Some authorities advise holding Leghorns, Minorcas and Anconas until the end of the third season. . 2. Pullets: Sell all weak, deformed or undeveloped pullets. Keep all mature, vigorous pullets. 3. Yearling Hens: Sell, or kill all weak, sick or over fat birds. Sell all early moulting birds. i " "Sell all birds that lack body depth. Sell all birds having coarse skin, and pin bones close together and un- • yielding.