No. 4.] POULTRY AND EGG PRODUCTION. 17 



None will deny the fact that variations exist in birds, some 

 good and some bad. The power of selection which the poul- 

 tryman possesses is a wonderful instrument for improvement. 

 The difference in birds is made possible by variation and by a 

 continual selection of those which possess desirable qualities, 

 and propagating these qualities into future individuals. A 

 higher standard of efficiency in the progeny will thus continu- 

 ously be secured. Careful attention to breeding accomplishes 

 two definite things, — it increases the production of individuals, 

 thereby making it possible to secure higher individual records, 

 and it stimulates the average of the mass through the elimina- 

 tion of poor producers and the substitution of heavy layers 

 in their place. 



In order to be able to select and breed intelligently, the poul- 

 tryman must know what his flock is doing. He must know the 

 flock average in egg production. And what is of even greater 

 importance, he must be willing to trap-nest a small percentage 

 of his birds in order to learn individual performance. Unless 

 he can determine the very best birds, selection and breeding 

 with the idea of improving the average will accomplish little 

 for lack of a basis of selection. 



III. Hatch relatively early. 



The time of year for hatching chicks which are to be reared 

 as future pullets, or which are to be sold for broilers, should 

 be carefully considered. A few weeks too early or a few weeks 

 too late may mean the difPerence between a profitable winter 

 production in the case of pullets, or in the case of broilers it 

 may mean the difference between 30 and 50 cents a pound on 

 the market. Late hatched pullets grow slowly during the sum- 

 mer, owing to the fact that they do not get a good start, and 

 hence do not come into maturity in the proper time in the fall, 

 and do not get under way in egg production before winter shuts 

 down. On the other hand, if they are hatched too early, as, 

 for example, early February and March, they will doubtless 

 molt in the late fall, which will cause a lower production dur- 

 ing the balance of the winter. The exact time for hatching 

 will be determined largely by the type of bird kept. The 



