Intensive pear orchard for home use 



CHAPTER XIII. 



SELECTING THE HEAVY LAYERS AND GULLING 

 THE DRONES 



GOOD layers are so common that no egg-farmer can afford to waste 

 one single minute on the inferior layers. Better keep half the number 

 of hens and have all choice heavy layers. It is needless to say that, to 

 start with, the egg farmer should have the best-bred hens for egg 

 production that can be found. The S. C. White Leghorn are perhaps 

 the best for egg production and small broi-lers. 



Culling should begin the moment the young stock is old enough for 

 market. Separate the cockerels from the pullets as soon as they can 

 be designated, and put them on the market just as soon as the market 

 will take them. As the young pullets develop, weed out those that are 

 too slow in growth and place them in a pen alone. If your stock is 

 prime you will have an even lot of pullets with no culls. 



At six months of age every pullet should be laying or show early 

 signs of laying. All that have small, undeveloped combs at that age 

 are as a rule inferior layers. The first to develop are the choicest 

 layers. These should be set aside for future breeders. Perhaps there 

 is no better way of accelerating the laying propensity than by carefully 

 selecting these early maturing pullets for future breeders. 



so 



