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the family or strain depends wholly upon the breeder. It is 

 evident, therefore, that the characteristics that have to do with 

 egg production, such as vigor, broodiness, inheritance, etc., are 

 controlled by the breeder, and are not fixed breed or variety 

 characteristics. Many of the faults that are being laid at the 

 door of certain breeds are due to imagination, bad management 

 or lack of skill on the part of the breeder. Other things being 

 equal, one should select the breed or variety he likes best, as 

 he is more likely to succeed if he is interested in his birds. 



Size of the Flock. 

 The size of the back yard flock is usually determined by the 

 size of the family, the amount of space and capital available, 

 the size of the garden, demand for eggs on the part of neigh- 

 bors, and the amount of table scraps and other waste. A flock 

 of eight to ten will supply a small family with table and cook- 

 ing eggs, and some to spare during the spring months. The 

 surplus eggs can be sold to neighbors or put down in water 

 glass. An average of one and one-half to two hens per indi- 

 vidual in the family is a good guide. However, much depends 

 upon how freely eggs are used for breakfast and substituted 

 for meat. 



Hens versus Pullets. 

 The question is very often asked, "Shall I buy hens or pul- 

 lets?" This depends very largely upon the period under con- 

 sideration. In the spring of the year I would advise buying 

 hens, keeping them through the summer, and disposing of them 

 in the fall; but in September, October or later buy early 

 hatched pullets that w^ill begin laying by the last of October 

 at least, if you expect to make a very profitable venture of 

 your poultry work. There are some who will do well with late 

 hatched pullets of a good laying strain, but with prices of eggs 

 extremely high in the fall it is very desirable to secure pullets 

 that will give a good production during this period. Perhaps 

 all back yard poultry keepers do not know that hens — that is, 

 females a year old the preceding spring — will molt some time 

 between the 1st of July and the 1st of January, and that it 

 requires from two to three months or more for them to shed 



