1904.] 



Winter Egg Production. 



53i 



egg production than the present can be secured by breeding 

 only from those birds that are themselves great producers." 



Seasonable Hatching and Rearing. — The farmer who desires 

 to have a supply of winter eggs must raise every year enough 

 pullets to replace a portion of his old stock, and these pullets 

 should be reared neither too early nor too late, but so as to lay 

 at the opening of winter, say the end of October or beginning of 

 November. The exact time at which the pullets ought to be 

 hatched depends very much on the breed which is kept, for there 

 are some, such as the Leghorn, Minorca, Ancona, or Hamburgh, 

 which start laying at about five months, whilst pullets of the 

 larger breeds do not begin until they are seven or eight months 

 old. Pullets of many breeds, when hatched in January or 

 February, commence laying in June or July and moult in October, 

 and are thus spoiled for winter laying, but, on the other hand, if 

 they are hatched too late or if they do not belong to an early 

 maturing breed, they cannot be induced to lay in winter and 

 will only start with the approach of spring. 



Age of Hens for Winter Laying. — The most productive period 

 in hens is between the age of six and eighteen months, and 

 many authorities on poultry-keeping hold the opinion that it is 

 best to get rid of laying hens at the age of one and a-half years 

 and to replace them by six-months-old pullets. The majority 

 of poultry-keepers, however, find it more remunerative to keep 

 their hens until they are two and a-half years old, owing to the 

 labour anjd^expense which would be incurred if pullets to replace 

 the entire stock had to be raised every year. The greatest 

 profit is certainly to be made during the first year, when the net 

 earnings of a hen may be estimated at from five to seven 

 shillings, while in the second year they would not amount to 

 more than three or four shillings. In the third year the profits 

 would be very small, for the bulk of the eggs would be laid in 

 spring and summer. 



Housing in Winter. — The importance of providing fowls with 

 suitable accommodation cannot be over-estimated, though com- 

 paratively few poultry-keepers fully recognise it. The quarters 

 that have served so well during the summer months are not 

 suitable for winter use, but in moving fowls from summer to 

 winter quarters the mistake which is frequently made is to shut. 



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