Show DOESN'T PAY TO KEEP WEAKLINGS Urged to Breed From Birds With Good Records Records Records Rec Rec- for Production BY D IlEESE V. V HICKS Former president of ot the American Poultry association and now general manager of Rancocas Poultry farms Browns Brown's Mills N. N J. J COPYRIGHT 1915 1916 E Egg g production Is affected greatly by b the mating hatching and selection of oC the stock Block used Mr Hicks advises ad the selection of o 01 oa a strain bred for Ja layIng laying lay lay- Ing and the constant culling of oC birds that lack vigor He lie advises that early hatching be practiced BO so the pullets ma may begin laying In tho the fall tall HE production of oC market eggs has T THE I always alwa's been the most profitable end of oC all poultry enterprises In the past and there Is every prospect I that this condition will continue for tor years to como come Anyone Anono who la is producing broilers and roasters must replace his flock every year This makes his Incubation and brooding problems far tar greater than r those of one engaged simp simply In producing producing producing pro pro- eggs for tor market A hen will la lay profitably two years ears and many of oC them for Cor three years ears Since the Greatest profit Is In the production of or eggs It Is Important that eggs be produced In the greatest quantities quan quan quan- titles when the demand for them is la strongest and the prices highest The time when the egg production Is the lowest Is from rom September to January In the e fall months the hen goIng going go- go Ing through a heavy moult and the majority majority majority ma ma- of ot the pullets raised on the av average av- av v- v crage farm tarm are not yet ready read for heavy I laying JaIng As soon as tho the hens havo have c completed their moult cold weather begins holm to have havea I a a. serious effect on egg production In fact tact even evell In February and March when the production has Increased considerably considerably con con- sudden changes to cold weather will lower Jowel tho ho egg production materially and this will vill raise the price of or eggs on the market ct Selection Sel of Breed D d Important In Ion with egg production an important thing to consider is tho the breed best beet suited for tor the purpose It must be bea a breed that will come to maturity quickly I stand heavy feeding and go JO through the moult quickly and easily Is Iii another Important factor The Tue V Wyte te Leghorn has proven Itself Itsel to be b by far tar tho the most economical prod producer pro pro- d ducer co considered nut i d e red fro from m p practically met i cal I y every er e standpoint The Leghorn howe however how how- e ever cr Is 15 not a producing meat breed y yet f t man many people engaged In egg production production production pro pro- realize a nice amount from young cockerels sold at li U to 1 H pounds and known as squab broilers In the early part of OC the season they bring brinS' as ashl hl h a as 40 O cents a a. pound gross gros The Tho effect of oC mating on the production production tion ion of oC eggs Is only shown after aCter years cars of or careful breeding It does docs not show quickly like an Improvement In color or shape because the production of ot eggs Is Jar largely a matter for tor high vitality vitalI vital vital- I I It ity and ability to digest large Jarge quantities I ties of feed teed Increase ne the Average Production In mating nutting for egg CK production both bothI I males inalea and females should bo lie used that I come from Crom a strain that has been heen bred red for egg production The They should be from a family of oC heavy egg producers rather than from any ally one ono particular bird that has a high bight e egg g record Individually Indi but has hus no ancestors behind It with v similar record In other words Instead of oC breeding up for Cor In Individual Individual individual In- In records by means of ot trap nests tho the most Important thing Is to Increase the average production of the entire flock noele It Is better to bre breed d from the hens that havo have made good aver average ge records Eggs lien hen that huts hils made modo the highest rd do not hatch as aswell aswell well ell or produce as strong stron and vigorous chicks as those from hens liens whose production production production pro pro- is only slightly above tho aver aver- age The rho most Important thing in breeding breeding- Is never nover to use birds that have been heen sick or stunted In growth In order erder to avoid this It Is well to cull out constantly constantly constantly con con- any dow olow growing youngsters as well as any that are sick and put Jut them in a p pen n by 11 themselves or market market market mar mar- ket them so 80 they will never be used used Jat later lr for tor breeding stock Often otten n a a. a slow growing or slow feathering bird will wilt develop and look hook practically as good as ns thos thoo that grow V ro and feather quickly Yet et such a bird Is la lacking in stamina and will produce weakly chicks s and females that will not show U thie he e highest High Ish Highest est cst egg production Uon Selection becomes an important problem loin lem for tor every poultry groer grower It Is I not a matter of oC selecting right at t tle c time the males and females are put to together together together to- to gether er or mated up as It Is la called but tho the selection should be he made from the time tho the eJ eggs 8 are nrc placed into the thu 1 incubator Only even eggs should be bo used Ii gs that show a It weak germ germon on or th thc tho fourteenth day should be r re removed moved from Crom the machine All chicks chicles that do not hatch by hy the tho twenty first hay day should be destroyed while all tho the should be bedone bedone bedone crippled aJi and defective ones done aWa away with It ma may look lok as aa If Ir some of oC them might be saved but the they are arc only an Incumbrance to tho the flock and will not give hc a u high enough nough average average aver avor- age when hen It comes to c egg production Many Inny poultry establishments havo have made mode the mistake c of or hatching from all kinds of or eggs keeping all the chicks afterward breeding breeding breed breed- that hint aro are hatched and ing from them Indiscriminately If It the percentage of w weakly chicks Is Ishell hell heavy and the tho poultry raiser wishes wishes' to convince himself f that It will vill not lUI pay to keep these weaklings he should keep the tho healthy and weakly birds bird separately and then give o both groups the same annie treatment anti and feed teed H He will soon find that the heavier death rate will bo be among the weakly chicks and b by farlie far tho lie larger Jarger proportion of culls will conic como out of oC this weak group Ho lO will find findlater later hater on too loo that tho ho pullets pullet that thai come out of oC the weak group will not begin to lay Jay as earl early as all the others nor will tho they make as good an average egg production throughout the lie year They rhey will also ull lay a Jar larger er percentage of small eggs that thal will ill not bring as high a II price in the market In some communities any egg Is an size but the egg without regard to s C est chore markets arc are now dividing dl eggs 1 Int into No 1 and No 2 No 1 I must weigh twenty-six twenty ounces or more to the dozen to meet the requirement Early hatching Is Important for or two reasons The rue pullets pullet will begin to Ja Ia lay In the curl early fall faU antI and In lay through the thc winter whiter while the pullets that are hatched late hate In the season s will not begin be in to lay In sometimes until well Into the winter and this will hold the egg d down own The second reason Is that a pullet Ja lays hays small e eggs gs g's at first and when hatched early arh In the season will Ja lay all nil h her hr r small eJ eggs J and begin to tolay Ia Hay hellar hoi her lar largo large e e eggs s when l tho ho market Is high hIghIe If Ie she does not start to Ja lay until January January Janu Janu- ary the majority of oC eggs will be lie small and will not bring an as much on the thc mar mar- ket keto She will not begin to to lay In large c eggs gs until after the price has considerably considerably consider consider- r- r 01 ably 1 depreciated II It Is also od that the tho early eaily hatched pullet will make a better belter ling hag layer hayer than them the late one because the late lato one hoes does not nol ot seem to ha have haas as as much size siT and vitality The terms early carly and late lato aro are reJa relative tI and what would be bo early in one locality would he be late In another For a such sUl h as as' New Jersey Jerse- the fifteenth of March Is earls enough hi while the of oC May In is beginning a n. little late Perhaps Per Per- ha hops haps ps the Ideal time would he be from Crom the I first to fifteenth of at April In this latitude Whit Whit- Le Leghorns that arc are hatched as as ear early is 19 March fifteenth are Inclined t to go through h a a. light moult of oC wind and neck feathers and this has s the tho effect of ot stopping topping their egg production production pro pro- ro- ro fo for the tho rest of oC the year ear 4 Jo |