222 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 



be used. Birds of the various breeds already named, if 

 hatched in March and April, will begin to lay at latest in 

 September, October, or November, and will continue to do 

 so right through the winter. At first the eggs will be 

 small, but will gradually improve in this respect, and 

 pullets of the previous year will, if well housed, begin to 

 lay about December, and their eggs will be large and well 

 formed ; so that the matter, if carefully managed, is not 

 very difficult, and a constant supply of eggs can be obtained'. 

 It is of no use expecting that May or June hatefred birds 

 will commence to lay before the spring ; they may do so, 

 if the autumn and early winter are very favourable ; but 

 that, of course, is not a matter that can be arranged. 

 January and February hatched birds are too early to be 

 used as layers, and do not, as a rule, answer for this purpose, 

 as they begin about August, fall into a moult a little later 

 on, and are very uncertain in their produce during the 

 winter. For eggs, therefore, we prefer birds hatched in 

 March and April, and not more than two years old. In' a 

 well-arranged yard, half the stock of layers will be bred 

 each year, and half will be killed off annually. This plan 

 we have seen adopted in many yards, and can strongly 

 recommend it. 



Those who wish to have early chickens must follow the 

 same rule. The pens should be mated together early in 

 November, for the earliest hatches, and later in the month 

 for those not required so soon. By using pullets of the 

 first year for the former, and those twelve months older 

 for the latter, with young and vigorous cockerels, fertile eggs 

 may be expected within a few days of the birds being mated, 

 and thus a succession of chickens produced, to be ready at 

 the time when they are scarce and dear. Of course the 

 number of pullets to each cock must be regulated, and 

 should not exceed half-a-dozen at the outside, and that 



