SMALL HOLDINGS 171 



upon her productive powers. Chickens 

 hatched in the first three months of the 

 year should commence to lay by the end 

 of August or September. The writer 

 has owned birds which commenced to 

 lay in June. During the first year, com- 

 mencing with the first egg, the number 

 laid should be the maximum of which 

 the bird is capable. In her second 

 autumn she moults, laying ceasing until 

 she is newly clothed; but the number of 

 eggs which she lays in the second year 

 of laying — i.e. the year commencing with 

 her first egg after moulting — will not be 

 so numerous as in her first year, and as 

 with each year she diminishes her number 

 of eggs, it will, unless in exceptional 

 cases, be advisable to sell her before her 

 second moult while she is still in good 

 condition. It will be observed that if 

 this plan is adopted the number of eggs 

 laid during two laying years will be required 

 to cover the cost of feeding from hatching 

 at the commencement of the first year until 

 the end of the summer in the third year, 

 or about two and a half years in all. 

 Assuming that each hen costs Id. per week 

 — which should be quite sufficient where 



