70 POULTRY 
problem is a dual one of producing all the 
eggs possible, but at the same time main- 
taining the vigor and condition of the pullets 
at such a pitch that in the spring months the 
eggs which they lay will produce a large per- 
centage of chicks that will live and grow. 
Condition of Pullets. The pullet, when 
she is about to lay or has just begun to lay, 
is invariably fat. This surplus of fat she 
accumulates to use as a reserve during cold 
weather, and this reserve of fat must be 
maintained’ as far as possible if we are 
going to keep the pullet in good physical 
condition. 
Adjusting Feed to Egg-Laying. Poul- 
trymen consider that the egg-producing 
ingredients of the feed are found largely in 
the mash, whereas the body-maintenance 
and fat-forming ingredients are found in the 
scratch feed. 
It is possible for the feeder to regulate the 
consumption of mash by a flock of pullets 
because they will naturally eat scratch feed 
more readily than mash, since they like it 
better. Thus, the proportion between the 
two kinds of feed can be controlled in spite 
