Show ARTICLE I. I LAYERS OR LIARS s Scientific lent We Culling Out of Drones the Key Rey to Real Poultry Profits Says Dr L L. L D. D LeGear V. V S 9 S. of of St. St Louis Mo 10 1 note note This This Editors Editor's Is another ar ar- icle In a series of two fifty on poultrY poultry poul- poul trY raising written by a nationally known poultry authority The entire entire entire en en- tire series will appear in The Chron CItron icle Our are urged to read hem them carefully and clip th thOr them m out for future reference Chicken Is yo lain or or Is yo ye y sn fn n exclaimer Rastus as his one- one hen poultry flock burst forth Into I ud lc acclamations lof alleged perform perform- ance That's an old Joke its it's true but it suggests with graphic good humor humor humor hu hu- mor one of the basic baste principles of success in poultry raising Any poul- poul tryman who persistently eliminates the liars from his flocks will increase Ma profits from the flock to too an almost al- al most unbelievable degree The value of a regular scientific culling out of drones from a poultry flock Is vividly Illustrated In the results re- re of a survey conducted by the College of Agriculture culture of the s sty sly y of Illinois and their farm advisers advis advis- ors ers The average profit on flocks ks averaging hens each was per hen hen but the average on the best two-thirds two was per hen Of course not all of the least productive productive pro pro- third one-third deserved to be el elIminated eliminated eliminated el- el but there certainly must lave have j lve been an asto astonishingly large number that were getting food and attention without giving an adequate Tf return turn on what It cost to keep them Culling out and marketing such hens can only result in a decreased expense ex- ex penso pense account and a vastly increased profit for each hen re rem remaining n There Is nothing difficult or mysterious ious about culling nothing a person of average intelligence could not learn lern in a short while First of all all start with the chicks as soon as they tro out of ot the shell Any that are obviously deformed should be killed at t once Culling should be made a continuous process from that time on At least once a 2 month the growing s stock ock should be looked over and the removed from the ent entire entire en en- t tire ie flock All thin undersized and ands s stra ra ny crow headed birds should be he discarded Such pullets will eat their heads off but will swill never develop devel devel- op into profitable layers so you are Me better off oft without them than with them Further culling will be in order order order or or- der when the young birds reach laying laying laying lay lay- ing ages age Those that are backward in maturity should be discarded Two hundred days is a fair age for fora a pullet to of the heavy breeds or to days of the light breeds to st start rt laying but bat those taking much moio more than that are unlikely to develop develop develop de de- de- de into go good gOlOd od layers Fey Fer mature birds the time of the molt is an Important indication of Ja ic habits although other factors sh should Uld also bo be considered Generally General General- ly speaking hens that molt late Inthe in inthe inthe the fall are the best layers The poor layer exhausts exhausts her her energies early early early ear ear- ly and at d may start laying any time inJune InJune in inJune June July or August The hen that thatis is Just beginning to molt late In August August Aug Aug- early In September or later Is usually the one one to keep All undersized undersized undersized under under- sized hens for the breed should be he discarded The eggs they lay are usUf us- us ti lly small and they sho should ld never be I used as breeders During the normal nermal laying season there are a number of ot points by which the laying capacity of hens mJ ma maj be Judged more or less atel The oyo eye of a good layer is prominent bold bright snappy set sot setIn setIn In an oval socket The comb and wattles will be bo large full tulI smooth Ott to o. o the touch and bright red in Poor layers will show exactly exact exact- ly opposite characteristics char in these respects The state of the vent is another important Indication of l lay y condi concH tion The laying hen has a 0 large dl- dl moist vent That of the non- non layer IP is small hard and puckered he back of the good layer will be belong belong long tong and broad all the way out In Inthe Inthe the poor laye layer it will mill be narrow narro near the tail tall On On either side of the vO vent t may be felt tea the points of the pelvic pubic pin and lay bones In Inthe Inthe Inthe the good layer these bones are thin strai straight ht and flexible In the poor loyer layer they are curved thick with layers of fat tat and rigid The me measurement meas meas- as- as of these theao bones is taken at nt atthe the tho terminal or extreme end and In- In W eludes also the skin fat and gristle over them If the tho spread between the tho pelvic bones Is two fingers or 1259 3 the hen Is probably not laying If It it Is two fingers or more mare it generally generally generally gen gen- Indicates that she is laying To the extra food a agoot good goot laying hen must eat and the er- er of the tho laying organs the rear of the keel bone of the gool lay lay- ei et will vill be a greater distance from the pelvic bones than It will be In Inthe Inthe inthe the poor layer This shows abdomInal abdomInal abdominal abdom abdom- inal capacity Which is very Impart Impart- ant and measured by the number of fingers ringers that can be placed between the keel bone and the pelvic bones bonos with whit smaller breeds like L Leghorns a n spread of three or more fingers indicates In Indicates Indicates In- In laying condition with larger breeds the spread should be four or more Other things being equal a alore lore lor-g bodied fowl measuring three fingers Is equal to a short bodied fowl measuring four Absence of yellow color around the vent yent and a whitish or pinkish color of the skin indicates that the hen is laying If we twe also find the eye ring bleached white bleached legs and beak beBik she has been laying foi fot some time I have in as great detail de de- de- de taU tall as space permits some of the themore themore themore more important points by which to tobe tobe tobe be In culling Further In Information Information information In- In formation will wUl gladly be given to any anyone cne one writing me In care of this news news- paper Do not depend on any anyone one factor in Judging your hens but form an Opinion based on all considered considered considered consid consid- ered together Cull carefully persistently persistently persistently per per- and relentlessly and before long you OU will wUl have a flock of real dividend end payers It takes time and patience to be sure but the reward is welt worth the effort eUort Copyright 1929 by Dr L L. L D D. D LeGear V. V S. S |