CHAPTER VIII. 



The Young Bird. 

 THE YOUNG HEN.— When the hen deserts her chicks, or when the 

 little things leave the brooders, the real business of their life begins. The 

 object is to push the young pullet rapidly so as to have her laying as 

 early as possible. It is best to give the pullets free range if possible — 

 the exercise develops them, and they do well to hunt part of their food. 

 An orchard with reasonably low trees is a good place for pullets. They 

 will do little harm, and benefit themselves if they can roost in the trees 

 during the Summer and early Fall. They should be fed an abundance of 

 about the same food that gives best results with laying hens. As the nights 

 grow cool the pullets should be put in the houses they are to live in through 

 the Winter. Where pullets run at large and roost in trees it is hard to 

 break the tree habit. They must be taught to come into an enclosure of 

 some sort. We can throw the evening feed inside the house and shut the 

 door while the pullets are inside eating their supper. If given a small yard 

 one wing may be clipped. It is an advantage to get the pullets into Winter 

 quarters early. It is a great change from their life of freedom, and they 

 will require considerable time to settle down into business. They should 

 not, of course, be permitted to roost in trees or without shelter during the 

 cold storms of Fall. Before being housed for the Winter the pullets 

 should be dusted with insect powder and the houses should be thoroughly 

 cleaned. If we put vermin in with the pullets we can hardly expect to 

 get rid of it through the Winter. We must depend on the pullets for our 

 earliest eggs. The older hens moult during the late Summer and Fall, 

 and do not lay until they have recovered from this change. It is therefore 

 necessary to force the pullets steadily, so that they may be ready for lay- 

 ing as early as possible. The age at which pullets will begin to lay varies 

 with the breed, and depends much upon the care and feeding. Instances 

 are on record where Leghorns have begun to lay at less than 120 days 

 old, but this is exceptional. In good weather chicks are weaned at from 

 seven to 10 weeks old, and then run until late September or October. We 

 want a steady, rapid growth on the pullet if we expect them to pay for their 

 board in November and December. In order to have pullets laying by 

 November 1st they must be hatched by the middle of April and pushed 

 forward v^nthout stoppage. If they can be made to begin at this time they 

 have a full year for laying, while if they do not start until January the 

 pullets lose two of the most profitable months. The theory that if a pullet 

 does not lay at her best during her first year, she will make up for it the 



