fications : they lay fewer eggs than younger birds, 

 they are more liable to disease or return of previous 

 ailments, very liable to become overfat, have often 

 acquired bad habits, such as feather pulling, egg eat- 

 ing, laziness ; and when killed and dressed for mar- 

 ket do not please the customers or bring new trade. 



By all means select young stock. You will be com- 

 pelled to keep over for the second season about one- 

 half of the stock you start with, if you intend to 

 establish a good system on a large scale, and you 

 will then find that you have plenty stock that is as 

 old as you want it. 



Ordinarily you can tell the young stock by 

 examining their legs, heads, combs and plumage : 

 the legs being smooth and clean, the heads bright 

 and clear, the comb smooth and not too large ; 

 there will be an absence of the short spurs which 

 are found on some old hens. The plumage will 

 be fresh in color, without the brassy or dull appear- 

 ance shown in the plumage of old stock. In old 

 fowls of the white varieties the yellow tinge shows 

 plainly in the males, yet some of the young cocks 

 show it plainly. The novice will find no difficulty 

 in telling old from young males ; but with pullets 

 it is not always so easy. Some pullets have very 

 rough legs, and would be taken for hens two or 

 three years old ; but they are not desirable, so you 

 need not make that mistake. On the other hand 

 you will often find hens four or five years old with 

 as clean legs as pullets have. A young hen or 

 pullet does not generally have as rough a comb 

 or wattles, and is more active. 

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