l.'KCOliM KKKI'IXC ■ >■> 



birds. If it were larger there would be more incidental work and 

 the advantages of this plan be emphasized. 



The actual labor connected with the continuous use of trap nc.-ls is 

 in the record keeping: if continuous records are kept. If this form of 

 record keeping is not worth the labor then no kind of record keeping 

 is. 



A completely-kept individual-record sheet is a memorandum and a 

 chart all in one. Almost anything that we want to know about our 

 birds will be disclosed or suggested on the record sheet. Nothing can 

 take its place, but it requires time t/i keep (his daily log. 



The attention of the nests need be only an incident in the round of 

 daily duties that the rules of good poultry keeping require. The birds 

 will become accustomed to any reasonable and regular system. If the 

 caretaker's visits arc frequent the birds will learn to expect them. If 

 not so frequent they will learn to lie patient. Hysterical concern for 

 the welfare of the hen should be guarded against. 



During hot weather extra care must be exercised. The birds should 

 not be allowed to become overheated while on or off of the nests. 

 Observation will show that overfeeding is one of the dangers during 

 hot weather and the over fat and occasional layer is more likely to suf- 

 fer than the persistent layer. 



RECORD KEEPING. 



The laying hens should be provided with numbered leg bands. 

 When the hen is removed from the nest her number should be marked 

 on the egg or on a record sheet kept for the purpose. These record 

 sheets are generally tacked on a board and hung up in the pen. When 

 the fiocks are kept in long houses it is a good plan to have the leg bands 

 on the right leg in the first pen, the left leg in the second, the right leg 

 in the third, and so on. If, perchance, biddy gets into the adjoining 

 pen, this difference in the position of the leg band may be quickly 

 noticed by the attendant, who may have seen her go in but might other- 

 wise be unable to distinguish her from the rest. 



The right way to handle a hen when taking her number, is to tuck 

 her under the left arm, head first. The leg with the band is then lifted 

 and the number noted. The hens will offer considerable resistance at 

 first, but they soon become very tame, giving no trouble whatever. 

 The bands should be put on upside down to facilitate reading when the 

 bird is in this position. 



Record keeping will require much or little time, according to the 

 object for which the reeord is kept. A record for the purpose of pedi- 

 gree breeding will necessarily be more complicated than one that is 

 kept merely to ascertain the laving qualities of individual hens. Each 



