276 MANAGEMENT OF LAYING STOCK 



hundred of the best to be kept for egg production, and bring into 

 the laying flock five hundred additional pullets. Subsequently, 

 the older half of each flock should be disposed of at the end of its 

 second laying season, and five hundred pullets brought in each 

 year as new layers. All things considered, this system is un- 

 doubtedly the safest and the most productive of satisfactory results 

 on the average egg farm. It is the method generally used on the 

 average farms of the country, but in some cases the selection is 

 much more rigid than here indicated. 



It is, however, true that the greatest number of eggs are laid 

 during the pullet year, and the next greatest number the year 

 following. Each succeeding year the number of eggs rapidly 

 diminishes, and it is doubtful whether, under average conditions, 

 it is profitable to keep a bird for egg production after her second 

 year unless she is especially valuable for breeding purposes. 



It is well to inspect the birds at the end of the pullet year, and 

 make two selections during the summer, the first one before ex- 

 tremely warm weather begins, and the other before the hens are 

 put into laying quarters for the winter. In these selections the 

 following points should be carefully noted: (1) Discard all birds 

 which are not healthy and vigorous. (2) Discard any which have 

 not grown well during their first year. (3) Discard any which 

 during that time were subject to disease. (4) Spasmodic layers, 

 as those which lay rapidly for only a short time followed by long 

 periods of rest, are also undesirable. 



Any hens which are not in good laying condition at the first 

 selection of the summer can profitably be left over until the fall, 

 since there is then an exceptionally good demand for dressed 

 poultry, while there is a fairly good price for eggs during the months 

 of August and September. When making the last selection in the 

 fall, it is wise to withdraw from the mass 5 to 10 per cent of those 

 which more nearly approach the ideal type, these being the most 

 vigorous, and the ones which have proved to be the best layers. 

 They should be put in a special pen, separate from the other birds, 

 and mated for breeding purposes, for it is only by selecting and 

 breeding from the best that any improvement can be reached. 



Care at Molting Time. Much interest has been manifested 

 in recent years in the subject of the management of the flock dur- 

 ing the molting period.* Generally it is unprofitable to subject 

 the molting flock to a period of fasting followed by a period 



* Cornell University has investigated this problem very completely. 



