CHAPTER XII 



MANAGEMENT OF LAYING STOCK 



Value of Early Hatching. The value of early hatch- 

 ing for producing good pullets and especially for get- 

 tings eggs in the fall and early winter cannot be over- 

 emphasized. Unless one gets pullets out in good season 

 it is practically impossible to get fall eggs from the pullets 

 regardless of how well they are fed and handled during 

 the growing season. Chickens which have been hatched 

 early will grow much more rapidly and do better than 

 chickens hatched late in the spring. 



Pullets which have been hatched early should be ready 

 to put in their winter quarters in September or October 

 and should be moved to their laying quarters, if these 

 quarters are different from the place in which they are 

 raised, at least 2 or 3 weeks before they are ready to lay. 

 All of them should be settled and used to their winter 

 quarters before the weather gets cold. Be sure that the 

 pullets are marked in some way so that if they mix with 

 the hens their age can be told whenever the pen is to be 

 culled for market. 



EXERCISE 



Exercise is very essential especially for hens kept con- 

 fined to the poultry house during the winter. This is 



182 



