POULTRY ON THE GENERAL FARM 
stock than you, get his blood pure and sell off your own, but 
do not keep a barnyard full'of scrubs who can trace their an- 
cestry to every flock in the neighborhood. 
Keep Only Workers. 
On many farms few eggs are gathered from October to Jan- 
uary. This is a season when eggs bring the best prices. To 
secure eggs at this season, the first requisite is that the 
pullets be hatched between the first of March and the middle 
of May, or, in the case of Leghorns, between the first of April 
and the first of June. Pullets hatched later than these dates 
are a source of expense during the fall and early winter. On 
the other hand, it is an unnecessary waste of effort to hatch 
pullets before the dates mentioned, because, if hatched too 
early, they will molt in the fall and stop laying the same as 
old hens. 
Pullets must be well fed and cared for if expected to 
develop in the time allowed. As they begin to show signs of 
maturity they should be gotten into permanent quarters. If 
allowed to begin laying while roosting in coops or in trees 
they will be liable to quit when changed to new quarters. If 
possible the coops should be gradually moved toward the 
hen-house and the pullets gotten into quarters without excite- 
ment or confinement. The poultry-house should have an 
ample circulation of fresh air. Young stock that have been 
roosting in open coops are liable to catch cold if confined in 
tight houses. 
A common mistake is to allow a large troop of young 
roosters to overrun the premises in the early fall. Not only 
is money lost in the decrease in price that can be obtained 
for these cockerels, but the pullets are greatly annoyed, to 
the detriment of the egg yield. 
Any chicken that is not paying for its food in growth or 
in egg production is a source of loss. As soon as the hatch- 
ing season is over old roosters should be sent to market. 
Through June and August egg production is not very profita- 
ble, and a thorough culling of the hens should be made. 
Market all hens two years or more of age. Send with these 
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