222 Repoet of Farmers' Institutes 



wlietlier a pullet has begun to lay. It is also reliable in picking 

 out the layers during the winter and spring months, but is some- 

 what uncertain with hens during the summer and fall. 



After the first of July the easiest way to pick out the layers is 

 by selecting late moulters. Most hens do not begin to molt until 

 they have stopped laying, but there are some hens that will lay 

 and molt at the same time. This is usually evident by their molt- 

 ing piecemeal ; that is, by dropping a feather here and there and 

 then growing one in its place. It is extremely rare for a hen to 

 be free of feathers and laying at the same time. 



A hen with a full abdomen and a pliable comb shows that she 

 is in laying condition. A hen with yellow shanks after the first 

 of July and until the last of September has either been a poor 

 layer or else has not laid in some time. The color of the shanks, 

 while fading with egg production, is regained during the molting 

 period or after the hen ceases to lay. This, of course, only applies 

 to birds with yellow shanks, and is influenced by the amount of 

 pigment in the shanks. The more intense the yellow, the slower 

 the color fades out and the quicker the hen regains her color. The 

 yellow color also depends on the feed given. Yellow com, or lots 

 of grass or other green food, helps to keep up the color. 



The question is frequently asked. Do the hens that molt early 

 begin to lay first ? So far as our records show there is appar- 

 ently no relation between the time a bird molts and the time she 

 starts laying after her molt. The late molters molt more rapidly 

 and hence lose less time, which results in greater egg production. 



To summarize: In order to pick out the best hens: (1) Select 

 those pullets that start to lay early as compared with the other 

 members of the flock, and market all those that are very late in 

 beginning to lay. (2) Begin culling out hens in July as fast as 

 they stop laying, and market them in order to save on feed and 

 get the benefit of slightly higher prices on market birds. (3) 

 Continue culling until the flock is reduced to the number it is 

 desired to keep over winter. (4) Let this culling apply to all birds 

 regardless of their age, except that the more times a bird sur- 

 vives culling, the more leniently it should be dealt with. If 

 possible, select a small breeding flock of the latest or best layers 

 from which to raise cockerels for the next ^^ear's mating; and in 

 this way, help to breed up the flock. 



