88 BREEDS OF POULTRY 
features as early as chicks of the egg breeds. They are quick in 
maturing, the pullets laying at from five to six months. A good 
time for hatching is April, as this brings them to maturity at about 
the right time in the fall. They reach the market broiler age at 
about ten to fifteen weeks, depending upon the size and type of 
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Fic. 55.—Comparison of the three utility types of poultry. 
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broiler desired; and they may prove very profitable when disposed 
of in season at this early age. 
Good Sitters —They are not as persistent sitters as hens of the 
meat breeds, yet they will make much better sitters and mothers. 
They are lighter in weight and do not have feathered shanks. 
Yearlings and two-year-old hens are good for this purpose. One 
objection to certain breeds of this group, from the egg-production 
standpoint, is the large number of broody hens during the spring; 
