Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 164, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 July 1918 — RETARDED LAYING GUARDED AGAINST [ARTICLE]

RETARDED LAYING GUARDED AGAINST

One of Most Important Things to Prevent in Keeping Flock of Chickens. EARLY PULLETS BEST LAYERS Young Fowls Whose Growth Has Been Continuous From Hatching to Maturity Are Almost Invariably Largest Producers. The difference between early-laying plillets and late-laying pullets may be the difference between profit and loss in poultry keeping. Retarded laying, therefore, is one of the things to be guarded against by all poultry keepers, whether on a large or a small scale. Normally, laying begins when growth ceases. Individuals of the small, precocious breeds may begin laying before they cease growing. That, though likely to be of some permanent disadvantage, need not give the grower serious concern. Individuals, of whatever bpeed, may fail to begin laying at maturity, and that is a matter of serious concern to every poultry keeper. The pullet that fails to become an egg producer at maturity, instead of being an asset, becomes a dead expense, absorbing a large part of the profit that she may make in later life.