Published by 
The Rural Publishing Co, 
333 W. 30th Street 
New York 
The Rural New-Yorker 
The Business Farmer’s Paper 
Weekly, One Dollar Per Year 
Postpaid 
Single Copies, Five Cents 
VoL. LXXVI. New York, August 18, 1917. No. 4443. 
Selecting Birds for Laying Flocks 
Time to Do It is Now 
HE FALL SEASON.—^This is the close of the 
year on the poultry farm or in the poultry yard. 
During these months the birds that have been 
through one or more seasons of egg production drop 
to a minimum In production, the energies of their 
bodies being turned greatly toward the rebuilding 
of worn-out tissues and the formation of the new 
plumage. Fall brings the molting time. For this 
reason the birds may be said to have completed 
their working year, and are resting up before 
beginning again upon the new year. And then 
there Is another reason why the Fall both ends 
and begins a year. The pullets that have been 
reared during the past Summer are rapidly reach¬ 
ing maturity, and are ready to go into permanent 
quarters. Both these facts mean that during the 
Fall season the poultry raiser .should plan anew 
his laying flocks and breeding flocks. October is 
.the month best suited to this work in most local¬ 
ities, although all should not be left until October, 
as will be pointed out later. A bit of careful 
early Fall or late Summer. There are a few prac¬ 
tical suggestions that have been learned bj' exper¬ 
ience. In the fir.st place, cull out the earliest moi- 
ters, because they are in the vast majority of cases 
the lightest layers. They finish the egg-producing 
season quickest, and are longest in finishing the 
molt The heavier layers do not begin the molt 
until well along in the Fall. This will vary a bit 
with breeds and localities, but in general this fact 
holds true. In yellow-shanked varieties, the colora¬ 
tion in shank and beak fades with heavy egg pro¬ 
duction. A Avhitish color where yellow once was is 
usually indicative that such a hen ought to be saved. 
The sleek, yellow-shanked birds are to be discarded. 
The comb is also indicative of the health, strength 
and productive ability of the fowl. In Leghorns 
and similar breeds, particularly is this true. The 
bird with the dull, small, undeveloped comp Has not 
the vitality that is so necessary for egg production. 
Then, again, the size and development or the body 
is a factor for consideration. The egg-producing or¬ 
gans when working need room, and therefore de¬ 
velop the body, and this is mea.sured by the distance 
between the lay-bones, or pelvic bones, and by the 
should be used for the production of hatching eggs 
lies in the fact that they ai’e tested birds, their 
first year’s record is known, at least approximately. 
If pullets Avere used for breeding, many individuals 
Avhich lay heavily only during Spring would contri¬ 
bute eggs for hatching, and this Avould lower the 
quality of the pullets produced. The birds selected 
for future breeding pens should be of good size, 
strong vigorous health, free from any sign of disease 
or weakness, and approaching the standard requii’e- 
ments for the variety. By keeping these factors in 
mind as well as those which are indicative of egg 
production, much can and will be accomplished to¬ 
ward establishing a higher quality flock throughout. 
These older hens should be kept in separate pens, 
not mixed with the young birds, the pullets, which 
are brought in from the ranges. These birds ought 
not to be forced for egg production as much as the 
pullets. They should be fed normal rations during 
the Winter to keep them in good condition for the 
Spring breeding season, Avhen they Avill lay all the 
more eggs and they Avill have stronger gei'ins. 
BRING IN PULLETS EARLY.—The mistake is 
often made of leaving the pullets out on the ranges 
planning on the part of the poulti’y caretaker now 
will cut down on his expenses during the year 
to come, and Avill mean better economy in the 
poultry flocks. A large part of the failure to make 
a profit from a flock of laying hens is often due 
to a lack of careful and systematic planning dur¬ 
ing the Fall season. 
CULL OUT THE OLD FLOCKS.—During Au¬ 
gust and September, preferably, the flocks of year¬ 
ling and older hens should be carefully gone over 
in order to cull out the birds that have been drones 
in the flock and that will not pay for themselves 
through another season. It is poor economy to 
keep birds that do not pay their way when with a 
little wise’ selection they can be sold and their 
places filled with better birds. Of course, the only 
sure way of determining a bird’s actual egg record 
or her capacity to produce is to u.se the trap-nest, 
but in many instances this entails too much labor, 
is not convenient, or for numerous other reasons 
cannot be used. It then become necessary to know 
how to select out the poorer birds and retain tne 
better ones, judging mainly from external appear¬ 
ances. The time to do this, as has been said, is 
The Picnic Season Is On. Fig. 423 
pliable condition of these t)one.s. This has been 
pointed out by several poultrymen and forms the 
basis of several methods of detecting tne laying nen. 
There should be an inch and a half between the 
pelvic bones of a good layer, and the bones should be 
soft and pliable. Discard those birds Avlth sharp, 
pointed, hard lay-bones, es'pecially when they are 
narrow. Those birds have not body enough to de¬ 
velop large egg-producing organs. Age is another 
factor. In general, I doubt if the average bird is an 
economical producer after having completed two 
years of egg production. This means that prac¬ 
tically half of the average flock of layers should 
be culled out every Fall. The remaining birds will 
form the basis of the breeding pens. In doing tins 
culling every bird should be handled by a man who 
knows what a good hen is, individual examination 
being necessary for good re.sults. 
SAVE BEST YEARLINGS FOR BREEDERS.— 
All the best yearlings are well sutied to use for the 
production of hatching eggs during the coming 
Spring. The mature fowls usually are counted upon 
to produce eggs that will hatch the best, most vig¬ 
orous chicks. A very good reason why these birds 
until they commence to lay and are almost entirely 
developed. They should be brought in at least three 
weeks before the lay commences. This applies espe¬ 
cially to Leghorns, which commence to lay early in 
the Fall as a rule. Prepare the laying house for 
them, cleaning it thoroughly and supplying new 
clean litter. The birds will come in from the out¬ 
door ranges vigorous and healthy, and they must 
be kept in the same condition in the permanent 
quarters in which they are to spend the Winter. 
The average April-hatched pullet should be brought 
into the laying houses in latter September or early 
October. They Avill be Avild, not having been ac¬ 
customed to close confinement and to the near pres¬ 
ence of the poultryman. As birds are very much 
creatures of habit, they should be housed early in 
order to get them accustomed to the ueAv home and 
routine before commencing to lay. They can and 
should be put onto laying rations also, Avlfich Avill 
hasten development and bring on egg production. 
The mistake should not be made of delaying too 
long in bringing in the pullets. 
SELECTING LAYERS.—Vigorous selection of 
these pullets should take place. Not every pullet 
