50 THE BIRDS 



The poultry keeper should always be calm and gentle when 

 attending to the birds, and if they learn while young not to be 

 afraid of the attendant they will usually be more gentle and 

 quiet at maturity. Temperament is largely due to habit and 

 training. Owing to their active, energetic disposition, birds 

 of this group will stand intensive housing and confinement 

 in large numbers, much better than flocks of heavier breeds. 



Maturity. — The egg breeds make a rapid early growth and 

 mature early, four to five months elapsing between hatching 

 time and laying. The feather growth of the young chicks 

 is rapid also, and they get their adult plumage at an early 

 age. The sex characteristics, such as comb and wattles, 

 and wing and tail feathers, also appear early. Among White 

 Leghorns it is easy to distinguish the cockerels when four 

 or five weeks of age. 



Broodiness. — The egg breeds are poor sitters, only a few 

 of them developing the broody habit. In individual cases 

 some may appear to be good mothers, but, owing to their 

 fickleness and tendency to leave the nest, it is not safe to 

 depend upon them. They often start in on the broody 

 period showing a decided broody tendency, but, after sitting 

 a week, they lose the desire and leave the nest, hence they 

 should never be used for natural incubation. 



Hardiness. — Owing to their very close feathering, the egg 

 breeds do not bear an extremely low temperature. There is 

 less down and fluff than is common with the heavier breeds 

 and the feathers are more sparse over the entire body. The 

 head parts, such as comb and wattles, are usually large, 

 hence easily frostbitten in cold, damp weather. Being light 

 and sparsely feathered, and lacking surplus heat and energy 

 in the form of fat, a large amount of corn is commonly 

 given them in the winter rations. The egg breeds require 

 more care in housing and better protection from sudden 

 changes in temperature than do the heavier, fuller-feathered 

 types of birds. 



