PRACTICAL FEEDING OF POULTRY 



best time to cull the laying flock is in August, September, 

 and October. In addition to culling the entire flock at 

 that time, sick hens, or those in poor condition should be 

 culled out whenever they are found in any season of the 

 year. The characteristics to observe in culling are molt- 

 ing, color of the shank, the appearance of the comb, color 

 of the beak, the condition and spread of the pelvic bones, 

 and the size and flexibility of the abdomen. The good 

 producers lay late into the summer and fall and do not 

 molt until October and November. The poor producers 

 molt earlier in the season — in July and August — and will 

 have a complete new coat of feathers in August or Sep- 

 tember, while the plumage of the best producers will be 

 ragged and rough in appearance at that time. 



The shanks or legs of hens that are naturally yellow 

 in color will be pale and faded in August and September 

 if they have been good producers. The poor producers 

 will have bright yellow legs at that time. These same 

 color indications apply to the beak. The comb of a hen 

 when she is laying is plump, and is bright red in color, 

 while a non-laying hen has a shrunken comb which is 

 pale or dull in color and is usually rather hard. The 

 abdomen of a good producer is flexible and large, and 

 hens of the smaller breeds such as Leghorns should have 

 a distance of at least the width of four fingers between the 

 keel and pelvic bones. The larger birds should have a 

 spread of at least the width of a hand between these bones. 

 The pelvic bones in a laying hen are thin, flexible, and 

 spread wide apart. When she is not laying, they are 



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