Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 63, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 November 1911 — POULTEY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

POULTEY

FOWLS FOR EGG PRODUCTION Good, Strong, Vigorous Birds Are Re quired and Should Not Lay Many Eggs in Pullet Year. Good, strong, vigorous birds are essential for egg production. The simple fact that a hen has laid 200 oi more eggs in her pullet year is not sufficient to warrant her being used as a breeder. I have seen a numbei of 200-egg hens, with long, narrow

heads and sunken eyes, which indicate low vitality, and, moreover, have tested a number of them as breeders, and have yet to see one that was worth while breeding from, judging from the performance and living powers of her offspring, says a writer in an exchange. J A hen used for breeding, especially for the producer of males to head the breeding pens the next season, should not only be expected to lay a large number of eggs per year, but these eggs should be high in hatching power and the chicks should live, and, furthermore, they should develop into goodsized birds quickly and the pullets should lay well. Perhaps it might be well to give here the method that is used by us in breeding from selected layers. The hen 1b required to be a good winter layer and to lay at least 150 eggs in her pullet year. The next requirement is that her eggs hatch well —that is, it is expected that over 80 per cent, of the eggs will be fertile and 90 per cent, of the fertile eggs will hatch. It is then required that 90 per cent of the chicks will live to five months of age and that the cockrels at this age be well developed and weigh —if from general purpose breeds —at least six pounds each, and, finally, that the pullets be good layers. If the pullets lay well during the fall, then I consider holding their brothers as breeders. We try as far as possible to test the males along similar lines, as to producers of plenty of strong pullets and lay well. There is probably as much difference between males as there is between females.

Single Comb White Leghorn.