CHAPTER VIII 



A Great Laying Strain — The Selection of 

 Breeders to Produce It 



The first requisite is to breed from a mature ani- 

 mal, from a real yearling hen. The term " yearling 

 hen " is a misnomel, for, when she is twelve months 

 of age she has not as a rule developed into a true 

 yearling hen. The female has five months of growth, 

 ten months of laying, and then she moults, which 

 process varies in duration from eight to ten weeks. 



Eighteen Months Old 



When she has completed the moult, her entire anat- 

 omy has undergone a change, and she is a mature ani- 

 mal, about eighteen months of age, a fit specimen to 

 reproduce her kind, and her off-spring will be strong 

 and vigorous youngsters. 



The great mortality one reads of among chicks can 

 be traced more to breeding from immature females 

 than to any other cause. 



The general method of selecting breeders for a 

 great many years has been by the use of " trap nests." 

 Surely the use of a mechanical device is a poor method 



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