Rural School Leaflet 



1141 



Strong 



Cockerels 



Weak 



Every chicken should be regarded as a living machine for transform- 

 ing food into chicken meat or eggs. Unless we have a good machine 

 we cannot get good results from the food. In the case of many flocks of 

 chickens a division may be made into three groups: (1) chickens that 

 are growing or laying; (2) chickens 

 that are not growing nor laying; (3) 

 chickens that are losing weight and 

 not laying. All three of these groups 

 are eating valuable food, and if we 

 keep all of them together they will 

 probably eat more than they earn. 

 If we dispose of the third group 

 the others may pay expenses. If we 

 remove the second and third groups 

 the first group alone should pay a 

 good profit. We shall have one third as much work to do in caring for 

 those that remain, and the chickens will have two thirds more room. 

 Moreover, the flock of good chickens by themselves will look far more 

 attractive, w T ill grow better, lay better, and be less likely to suffer 

 from disease than they would be if kept with the others. 



There are several types of unprofitable chickens that should not be 

 kept: 



1. A chicken of any breed or age that shows signs of sickness or weak- 

 ness. All such should be removed at once and doctored, or killed and 

 burned. Prompt action may prevent further trouble. Delay is almost 

 certain, in the end, to have serious results for the rest of the flock. 



2. Old hens that may still be well and strong. Generally it does not 

 pay to keep hens after they are two or three years old unless they are 

 strong and especially valuable for breeding purposes. Fowls should be 

 marked so as to indicate their age. 



3. Surplus cockerels are unprofitable boarders. It is a common mis- 

 take to keep too many males. This is frequently due to a natural desire 

 to avoid killing desirable breeders, and with a hope that if they are retained 

 they may be sold alive for high prices. After they become large enough 

 for market most cockerels do not make enough growth to pay for the food 

 that they eat. They also injure themselves or others by fighting. The room 

 that they occupy, the food that they eat, and the labor that they require 

 might better be bestowed on early-hatched pullets. They should seldom 

 be allowed to go into winter quarters. They usually fail to grow well in 

 cold weather, and occupy valuable space that should be used by better 

 stock. They are unable to wrestle with larger individuals and generally 



remain undersized. 

 82 



