FABM POULTRY PROBLEMS 143 



comb and lays a small egg. The Brahma has a large body 

 and a small comb and lays a medium egg. As a rule a bird 

 that has a white ear-lobe lays a white egg and those with red 

 ear-lobes lay brown eggs. 



Longevity is of the greatest importance, and there is no reason 

 why the -average of active breeding, in both males and females, 

 should not be at least five years. 



In selecting breeders one should look to the individuality 

 of the bird, its ancestry; that is, it must be from a good strain 

 for the purpose for which it is being bred, whether for egg pro- 

 duction, dual purpose, or for meat. The character of the 

 progeny must be taken into consideration; that is, if it has 

 been used for breeding purposes other years. 



All hens and male birds should be put off not later than five 

 years of age, and, if forced in laying, the probability is that 

 three years will see their usefulness ended. 



As a rule, it may be said that eggs from hens make a greater 

 hatch than those from pullets. Some experiments show 9 

 per cent, in favor of hens. One- and two-year-old hens are 

 preferable. 



That the chicks from hens are a trifle larger than from pul- 

 lets is shown either by weighing the progeny at hatching or 

 by weighing the eggs at the commencement of sitting. It is 

 impossible to have a baby chick develop larger than the shell 

 it develops in and larger than you have material for it to de- 

 velop from, and pullet eggs always average smaller than hens' 

 eggs. Chicks from hens are stronger and have a greater con- 

 stitutional vigor than those from pullets. As a result of these 

 facts, we would expect a greater nimiber of chicks to die 

 coming from pullets as compared to hens. 



Records of the ages of birds on the farm can be kept by toe- 

 punch marks; thus, the hatch of 1915 can be marked by means 

 of a punch between the first two outer toes on the left foot, 

 and the next year between the next two toes, and so on. These 

 holes can be punched with a punch made for the purpose or 

 with an ordinary leather punch. 



Fig. 52 is an illustration of toe marking, which has often 

 been told and illustrated. 



