xt79p843sf5r https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt79p843sf5r/data/mets.xml   Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station. 1939 journals kaes_circulars_003_330 English Lexington : The Service, 1913-1958. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 330 text Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 330 1939 2014 true xt79p843sf5r section xt79p843sf5r ` 1
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epi UNI V ERSl'I`Y OF KEN'I'UCK Y
ms.
M- COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
are
to Extension Division
100 THOMAS I'. COOPER, Dean and Director
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for L-
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CIRCULAR 330 .
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CULLING FARM POULTRY 1
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G00D PRODUCERS
These frrc-ycar-old hens have laid a total of 1636 eggs. <
1
—— l
Lexington, Ky.  
March, 1939 §
¤Reprinted, June, 1941; 1
A
_ _ J
_ Published in connection with the agricultural extension work carried on by coopera-
tion of the College of Agriculture, University of Kentucky, with the U, S. Department of i
Agriculture and distributed in furtherance of the work provided for in the Acts of Con- »
Bress of May 8 and June 30, 1914.
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    CULLING CHART
Z   PRESENT PRODUCTION e  
. { E
Q g Character Laying Hen Non-laying Hen
L § indi
l [ Comb and Large, glossy, red, Small, pale, scaly, On I
    wattles smooth, soft rough, harsh are
  { Pubic bones Wide spread, pliable Close together, hard qld,
, non
_ ii Vent Large, oblong, moist Small, round, dry
2   PAST PRODUCTION 4
,   I
1   Character Long Laying Period Short Laying Period bem
» i [or
" · 2 I Vent Bluish white Flesh colored this
P       Eyelids Edges white Edges yellow Of h
  l [
Q i Beak Completely faded white Yellow tinted PY0<
» ‘ ’ to d
    Shanks White, fiat, fine scale Round, yellow, coarse the
— 1
E I Plumage Worn, broken and soiled Molting, new plumage are _
 i
_   g, RATE OF PRODUCTION
f   Character High Rate Low Rate ' . mrs
·     Capacity of Deep, 4 or more lingers Shallow, 2 Hngers deep luv,
4 ·—__ (_ f· abdomen Egg
if     skin Soft, pliable, silky, free Thick, harsh, underlaid mar
; -} `   from fatty deposits with fat ‘
,,1 · . _  ’ she
°   f —. Abdomen Soft, pliable Hard, fatty feed
  `_ y ii Pubic bones Thin, pliable Thick, fatty deposits on ` mol
PP`,  l   SQ €¤d¤ gm,
   I _ Body Deep, broad over ribs Shallow, narrow over ` pull
· ~   and back ribs and back acct
. _>`i     J   and
PQ   infe
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. ,4 P

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l
  I
Cullmg Farm Poultry y
e BY STANIAZY CA‘roN*
l·`FlCIENCY OF PRODUCTION is one of the most important
  means of making the poultry flock prohtable. One method of .
increasing the efficiency is to dispose of poor producers and
individuals having undesirablecharacteristics that may be passed y
on to their ollspring. The culling process should begin when eggs _ j
are selected for hatching and be continued until the usefulness of j
each individual bird has terminated. Constant culling and selec— a
tion should result in a flock which produces desirable offspring. y  
IMPORTANCE OF CULLING HENS  
Culling the hen flock is of much economic importance. lt has V  
been estimated that production ol 90 to IOO eggs is necessary to pay  
for the feed and upkeep of a hen. The more eggs produced over  
this number the more profitable a hen will be. Generally a llock i  
of hens can be divided into three groups; poor producers, medium  
producers, and good producers. The knack in culling is to be able i i
to distinguish fairly accurately between these three groups so that ;
the poor producers may be disposed of. The sooner poor producers t
are removed the more prohtable the flock will be. »
FACTORS AFFECTING ACCURACY IN CULLING ,
Inasmuch as culling is dependent upon certain physical charac- l
` ters that change from time to time, every effort should be made to  
» have conditions favorable il culling is to be accurate. The high i
egglaying ability of a hen is dependent upon breeding; the kind ol l
l management a hen is subjected to determines the degree to which  
she can express this inherited egg-laying ability. Lack of proper `
feed will make a good hen look like a cull as lar as pigment and  
I molt are concerned. Keeping growing stock well fed during the l
growing period has a decided effect on reducing the number of cull Q
pullets found in the llock at housing time. Thus, if culling is to be  
accurate, the flock should be well fed, well housed, free from lice  
and mites, and relatively free from internal parasites and disease l
infections. {
Tiglgtgvéraphs by Dr. James H. Byxvaters.  

  
,`.E;.,.;_·sI   1
: » E 
A   E 4 Kentucky Extension Circular No. 330 c
Q 2 E WHEN TO cum.
¥ 2 1 . . . . . . {WC
  § Culhng should be practiced at all [111165 oi the year, but 1t 1S not [im
1 — 5 l . . .
  . —_j g necessary nor practical to handle the entire flock of hens except 111 OOO
i   the SlllHlIlCl` a11d early fall. july, August, and September are the 35]
? S . i   Q 1llOHlilS when s >ecial attention should be iven to cullin ‘ tl1e la iiiw
. . l 3 8 l s
1   [lock, and during this period it is advisable to handle the entire
1 [_ {lock once a month and remove the non—layers. Handling the [lock V
  ‘ ·   in late September or early October should be done with the view  
1 — s . . . . . .  
E _ °"   V ol selecting possible breeders lor another year. In making this last  
i`    culling, breed type, health, vigor, and size should be considered as  
  .£   well as egg—producing ability.  
1 to or ei
i  ‘1   { EQUIPMENT  
i     A Two pieces of equipment which make culling easier are a catcl1— O  
i   " in· coo) and a wire catcl1in· hook. The coo) should be larre if`?.
.O _ Q l S l s .__.
y   enough to hold ten or twelve hens, A sliding door on one or both r /`’3
t     ends is desirable. li the coop 11as doors 011 both e11ds, several coops  
  jid; · can be placed Clld to end and the hens driven thru to the other, QQ
i I {   r thus holding a large number at o11e time. I
t.  ,    E { inexi
li   it - .  
i`       ` · . dm
fé {iT·ji_ gl   . O the
»       a   - ·~·~ ’
{_   —; V fort
;>."i;>;"l     l  ‘$ :f?‘..= » .a£·_  ;, ~·" *‘"·`   ,·  V, __M
      i ` . hill]
ii ,-i-. ; `.’    QQ i _ ot t
*..5 .·.`c“ Y: ·  T @1.. _ heir
i·=    gv """"*""‘·»;,···»
1_   __ _ , A othi
    i _Q I F I A rl! _ _ _ y  [ O. ‘ retp
.?S;2§r· TT ;2 "   # - ’I.. 1
‘ 1’.»'‘‘   ii · aa.   · c.,.. - ·‘ i  ·* ,~  I;   I A .
i`;    L . .- » ,       `'‘’ ~··i.Z: ” ,° "'i.
  Fxcuim 1. The catching coop in use i
.—  ’   ` j pres
1j_*1'Qf; iiil The wire hook should be made of No. 8 wire and should bt ‘
·l' `»`·§’· Bi; . _ `
    about four feet long. These hooks can be made easily, and one Ol nr le
1 .t`·  

 i
I
 
Calling Farm Poultry 5 ‘
two should be left hanging in the poultry house for use at any
l time. For those who desire to make their own hooks and catching ·
1 coo 1s the ylans ma i be found in Kentuck i Extension Circular No.
l l
9 351, "Housing Farm Pou1try." y
{ . . { _
U ""·········      i gg iii .
ii   —·   ` inii i   V i >%s¥~’“’¥i V “
 ` sti T y it  ry; t j
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’l   ’  . .   .       ,e..    ki,   gfi dt i l
ls ” _ y. _   , f   I J  ‘  ‘‘‘‘   3 _’ Low a / ~ », » ; t   »/»» _ ol}; lg Q A {
;_     V    _.‘r   .   __   1
  _rr’f‘P·”¢— ,``’     Q  * ‘`‘ —   it»r  » M,  V   . ...,·   ` Q  '   `’‘i   l
Typ:.   .;»r·»;;,g_¤··y—=>'§_»r,<_v,i;;;,?;~w;4s;3;e¤ ·    j—  -7r¤~$;_£?       ,§  *);.2 I
  :§· 1     `  ii'  sg" l t  ~2; ;i·# AV    ;
  < .~;`.·   tr.    ‘   [ ‘·  ` .    “     4    `-·   |
» ,-,·_ ,   .    . j i     »
1- 5 i ~»¢‘·»‘> ’¢ar· at * ~ »’  —     l
it   i f   iii?  {5.  f
h   · y\\.\:s§N“§§ orgy it   t ;
  ‘“‘*·`·"‘a=~’t.‘   — . 1 1 .. i i »¢ t     .i . i
. ii *w2·T·’;i*’* 4~~»t_   'i"*"$·i4¤$**—4  `·\¤\.\ ti   JQ/'T   i
J5 *4 ~ T   **¤~w~?%¢£‘<»;~·—¢¢».5¤;l...`  A   i
’ i e t,-, *r*%2¤i ‘—#<      No   —·*”?€%s·z+‘i‘¥~:3= ?
~r,   ·=» ·-54 *     ‘·   1
Fmurua 2. Catching coop with end doors and the t1·ap—door open. This type of coop is  
inexpensive and light weight. {
Care should be taken not to frighten the hens and they should '
be handled carefully to avoid internal injuries. After the birds are Q
driven into the coop they may be removed thru the trap-door in *
the top. The hen should be held in such a manner as to he com- `
fortable, thus keeping her quiet, and at the same time easily handled V
h i thc l ll g () tl l t lt e the bn l in the A
— one w io is cu in r. ne me ioc is o > zc `1 t l
hand with the keel or breast hone resting on the palm. The head  
of the hen should be toward the person holding her. The legs are  
held by placing one between the thumb and first finger and the  
other between the first and second finger. Very little pressure is  
- required to hold the bird quietly and securely in this position. E
A
-· How T0 0ULL  
To do a thoro job of culling, three things must be observed:  
]7l`(`$(‘|l(. production, persistency, and intensity or rate of produttion. i
. . . . · {
bt Present P1‘0duct10n. lt is relatively easy to determine whether ·1
OY or not the hen is in production at the time of handling. 3
it

   [
J    
: T l —
i l . .
.   6 Kentucky Extension Czrctzlur No. 330
, j   Vent. The condition of the vent is a reliable guide. The vent bcc,
` `   of the laying hen is large, pale, moist, and tends to be oblong in CCH
i Y shape. Contrast this condition with that of the hen which is out of duc
,   production. The vent of the non-layer is small, contracted, dry and
5 o ‘ X   yellow. The hen on the left in figure 3 is in production, while the i Aj
. l   one on the right is out of production. g
l
E l 4 ‘       zr»e `  .
l - ' l       lr ;~@   ==-·    
l   l _     .=·,.   " . ·   :~·   ,.,,..     4: »,.,
G . ._ i l     ··»: — - e..     
; c z l ;   . »   -»».   _ .‘— 1 ‘·     
i X i       .   il       ,  ..   l `
i »` , `     fl H  ,. * V   ....  "  M   I P
l . [ I  ·;` _.  tf _   - 5    _... _..;L»;·‘  ~E={s· »;_* * I I
l ;   ,.··-   .   a s  ...   ».        ~ “Y"‘"
· l l   A’—~    .   =   V,   ~¤’    ..s   ’
  p         X; .  gs           y ]
l `     Fmum: 3. The vent of the laying hen (left) and n0n—1ayer (right) _
i· [   peri
l ’ ,· . . . ,
l_   l Pubic Bones. The pinbones or pubic bones may also be used CHC.
l   ‘   as a guide ll] Judging present production. These thm, flat bones 1)*0*
i‘ · L   are found one on each side of the vent. As a hen comes into iroduc- m d
5   l
{ gr; tion these bones become pliable and spread apart. They draw i
    ~·  2_ back together when she goes out of production. In Hgure 4 the llcll bw]
  Q  on the left is in production. Three [ingers' width is shown as tht mal
i   ~ · i distance between her Jin bones, while onl two hn ers ma be Jlacetl lhis
L . .. _ V l Y 8 l _ _
        between the pin bones of the hen on the right which has ceased ln 15 dl
l   Xl i la it is
2 . ~ .,—-   Y-
l     .—`f Comb and Waltles. There is a dehnite relation between thc llssl
ij M;   fj. activity of the egg organs and the appearance and texture ol` lllv lh€
if    g = comb and wattles. When the hen is in heavy laying condition lll? fw
g`° c __ Li.  comb and wattles become large, full, and glossy in appearance zlllll In ]`
    i feel warm and wax l. \Vhen noduction ceases and the ovarl bt- GW
T   _ __ l l l _
_`_ _-   Z comes dormant, the comb and wattles lose their gloss and l`ulu€$~ hub
  Wfii and have a dried, wilted appearance; a white scale or dandrllll the
li   Yle?
l  
l l

 t
Cul/ing Farm Poultry 7
nt becomes noticeable, and the comb is cool and harsh to touch. The
in condition of the comb is one of the best guides to present pro-
of duction.
ltd     .   .
i      l       t a io;i_i .   ;;»    
`    it  `     A ii I ,
. — *        ?   ri     .‘~,»r»¢<    .  »_,,  ’
  A .       . Y T `*Z`   `L  A  ,
  ·»·a   ro, . . . s.    ;=“·  ie .     l
      *.‘’    ·          
ol`i            
in   ‘   ·‘ iiv'» 2*   °’·‘’   v   ~ J
l Fromm 4. Measuring the space between the pubic bones of a layer (left:) and non- 4
J layer (right). `
Persistency, This is the ability of the hen to lay for a long
period of time. Hens which cease production in _]uly lack persist»
my ency, while those producing thru the summer and fall are persistent
HC. producers. Pigment and molt are two characters which are of value
ul, in determining which hens to keep and which to sell. f
my- Pigment. This is the yellow coloring matter found in the skin, ,
ren beak and shanks of yellow—skin breeds. It is derived from such
thi materials as green l`eed and yellow corn. When a hen is not laying, _f
(-nl this yellow material is laid down in various parts of the body, but f
| iii is diverted to the yolk of the egg when the hen begins to lay, where y
it is stored in the tiny fat globules of the yolk instead of in body
thi- tissue. As production progresses the pigment begins to bleach from f
tht the various parts of the body in a very definite order. Bleaching is
tlti· first noticeable at the edge of the yent, where the color disappears
atttl in just a few days. The edges of the eyelid, commonly called the ‘
he Heye ring," are next to lose their yellow pigment and bleach a l
my little more slowly than the vent, This is followed by bleaching of I
wl] Lili? l)€zll<. The color fades at the base of the beak or (`O1`ll(“l`S of the t
V

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h . g i 8 Ixentucky Extenszon Czrcular N0. 330 ·
i     mouth first and continues on out to the tip of the beak. The areh bod
» i { . . . , .
T     ol the upper mandrble is last to bleach. 1~our t0 six weeks of pro. the
} V _   duction are required to bleach the entire beak. i
Q · E The shanks are last to lose their color. Four to {ive months of
. I { the
Q   i production are required to completely bleach the shanks. Usuallv vyin
.   l the last part of the shank to be bleached is just below the feather at 2
I l i _ . . _
. i   hne on the hock. A hen wluch has produced heavily for Eve or sry SCG
§ ’   { months should show scarcely any pigment in the shanks, mq
’ — . .
;   Alter the hen goes out ol production the pigment returns lo [hc
* ·= . . . . .
E p   the various parts ol the body in the same order m which it leaves, the
  . Q but much more rapidly. Th
1 ~ Q. .
l _ E T   . . , . _ has
l o ze t T
i   : i ’ i
é , El V . ~
g ni     . p -
?»   ~  * ‘ »   ‘`.·_  
{   .     »
i A rl  y, . A . —       zri  f
p i . 1   i, V'; .
2 " li    -.   r   i. · _
i_   ll.   » . -  
?‘ _‘_T1{ r   , _ ‘ ~g—r,fi% _
F  GE , ` ‘ .  ’   i `
 gi   _`  fi Fromm 5. A good producer as she appeared in November
    Z  M0/I. The dropping ol` old leathers and growing new is called layi
  __V` - .·_p   lg   molting. This process is ol` value in judging persistentzy when cull- rap
t     ing. The order in which a molting hen drops her body feathers is ber
[‘_-".-ji} '.g_—:i neck. back, and breast. This body niolt is followed in a [ew dup Fig
lr  by the molting of wing leathers. The wing molt is used in culling wh
3 `i.` p’f;AQ_;_  ._; to determine how long the hen has been molting. The main feathers CYS
 1- ol the wing are divided into two sections called primaries and see ll1i·
    ondaries, separated by one leather which is known as the axiHl mv
  _j‘.£fjQ* leather. The secondaries are those feathers which lie toward tht
   
* Q:

 1
Calling Farm Poultry 9
rh body side of the axial; the primaries are those which extend from
0- the axial to the tip of the wing. Usually there are ten of these.
The primary feathers are dropped beginning with one next to T
Ol the axial feather and continuing outward toward the tip of the
ly wing. An early slow-molting hen usually drops one of these leathers
er at a time. About two weeks after the hrst feather is dropped the
ix second one molts and so on until all ten have been molted. It i
requires about (S weeks for a feather to grow to maturity replacing A  
to the one dropped. About (SO percent of this growth takes place during  
es. the first three weeks and about 40 percent the second three weeks. j
Thus it is a relatively simple matter to estimate how long a hen Q  
_ __ .· I
has been molting. I
. l
. . f i I  
i   ‘ . 2
. I}- ` ' t Z E
—     5 I is { ~ _ .   i
' his  i     l i
V yr.   ` qc? ' ,»    
  ..i.»   y M         ,   i
.;»·.     V .. ‘ A.:  `‘`i   _ 1e Q·’Z;s , .? i
      [ fi '   J . i i ~ii‘*~,:·u 4
  .v_:i—.           sl   ll   T \
;·Q ‘l.i   . . r s `   · # 
  V-r‘;¥   ‘ ·il_. » YV »· .    it   ‘ ' ca f.; ·
Frcuizz 6. The early mclter (left} is the poorer producer. `
Q
_ Some hens molt much more rapidly than others. ,·\ hen which l
let! lays late into the Iall molts rapidly. Figure 5 shows a late as well as
ull- rapid inolter. This picture was taken about the middle of` Noyem— 1
sis ber. Note the new feathers coming in over the neck and back. l
lap Figure ti shows this same hen contrasted with an earlier molter
ing which has grown a complete set of new feathers. Usually late molt- {
ren CYS HTC the best producers and records show that they come l>2l<‘l< f
set- ll11t> ]>l`t1(ll'I(Tll()ll in the spring nearly as (llllCl{l}' IIS the t‘£ll`l}‘ l
gin] Hitillttrs, thus taking a shorter vacation and laying lllUl`(T eggs.  
the The wing molt of` the excellent producer is shown in figure 7. y
1
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4 V. I  
~»   t IO Kentucky Extmzszmz Circular N0. 330
  A % z
  A     In this case five primary feathers were molted at once. In estimating iudil
  ·   E how long a hen has been molting where several primary feathers I
: I II-I? are molted at once, the cli) of feathers, in this case Eve, is erm. · .
_— __ II I I of t1I
? I ` `E s1dered as 0ne. The new 1`ll'l'12`l1`1€S are about two-thirds own ·
V I I I r El [II
· !
e -i » I II .s.. I- I   III   I I  I .     IIIII _ '
V IIIV V? I     __V I I     I whit
  — r I     III ··     *’>“"`
I I ` { I I_   _I   ,,5  J show
r · ‘¢     ,I¢~ I A ps? j
i I  I I; ., _,¤ I ;g_V VI V
      V I   I -  I· W V V r V   l_____V_,     Hlgg
    ° __ -I V_ r   ` we V     prod
  jj-` I   `.,» · inf   I I       S
}_ VV   V -‘ _ 2* >2 I II *   ` I *5 »r‘— men
I _·   . V · II   I · \ I — ··   ’1[l]4
k,V»¥"` V.  4 V _ ` *,', ‘   X _ if _I •     (
I. I ‘i |I       *9 ‘-.‘ Ii r    
  `_·` ·I II * '  ¤; ir ‘-··   I I »  
I V_ ..I. _ gIV     f II ’
L , I E V = ;I I Q'. I »
I l:"Yt;"· ‘ I    ·-I·      
‘   -   t‘+    t’ `  i *   
  ‘‘·Ir· i { Fmmm 7. Rapid molt, five primary feathers molted at one time.  
· --tI   __II   I II    
rTQ{?:L_i;   ` li I °4   rII I III.r.   I >2 °‘ i'“‘· I
[i ·i.I     ·~ `    I  
if  2 Q   I irr     I  
    ' ’·’ -.       
rz;~;;E;·   I I °’     I* I—I¢  —.  
g ;f~_ iIj.‘V(yQ; ‘ _] ' r `‘·‘‘.   V- ‘-  
     
  ·;;V ~ ’ - I r `· \ .I  
E' :·I1`;l~¤;¥·* ‘ . I Xi    EY ‘—= kw
¤}¥*¥`€ Qi? ` · I · tp    
  I I » `       I
      ‘ ' I I " {       mlm
fQ£I,i·;§?·T:   Q i·I. _ V   I r I I ‘   K;   .
  `I   `II·..I»’ ·· r   I I   I   [ 1   “?  ’  Per"
      `   ·I·=   { ‘         dige
  IIIII >   '     I     I
  r  I » I e·»·  »  ·  I- rerri dew
  III   I I I _ I I       __ PIM
  `‘I»`· {$i§ ham
;,g;jV · {Ls  umm . ow mo , one primary feather molted at e time.
V_:V_VVVVVVV;i F; s S1 lt
"""     ;
{Iii `‘·» 3;  

 1
Calling Farm Poultry ll
lg indicating the wing molt has been in progress three or four weeks.
*1`S In contrast with the wing of the rapid molter notice the wing
“‘ of the hen in hgure 8. In this case one feather has been dropped at
U. a time. The two feathers at the tip of the wing are old feathers
. which will be dropped later. The new feathers in an early stage of i
growth can be seen between the old and new feathers. This hen is
shown in Hgure 6 also.
The plumage of a heavy producer is usually soiled, dry and ` ,
ragged in the late summer and early fall. The plumage of the poor i
iroducer is smooth and neat in a J nearance.
I .
Sickness, digestive disturbances, or drastic changes in manage- . y
ment, often cause a partial molt. Hens usually recover from this  
rather quickly when conditions are readjusted to normal. Q
-   ·.-.-       A . ‘·`- Y if l   · i—·  if i
? ‘ LZ .     Y: ·‘ ' ~   .. · r i   `  if {
  .V&V..   Q __..   f   ·     . " ‘   A
      " ‘''     -   l '
 _    tti.··     2    _ _  4   ._.. _ ; ··s·t· V t  .
 KJ .»i»,        , 1  . “ ’ `` ‘ ‘     ··
    .-t...t    ~.   _.V_...._     .   4
  "~— ’=.. ¤  >~   ....v.     ·‘‘t   t ~ t
          ‘‘=· A   .  
      ``‘l     °   **  rt
  ‘ ‘     V   ‘ tt. » . — e -
      ’.`..  
  ’‘‘   -   ~.’’’  t
  ~   Y   *‘’‘     t
  · ~   ‘      ‘tt·   ·,·‘·` Mg.   
  ‘   .:t`-.     K ‘ _; ..i       5 1
  =¤#’ , -2;.    c Q  v_   ...-   - . . g
  ._...  Vg; gi.   5%  -»· V .       .   .
  =t· ‘        X t   i»»r.         n
  _   Q ` _._____·V     ·  T ‘` ' l
Fmumc 9. A wide back (left) compared with a narrow back. A
Body C0nf0rmati0n_ ln order that a hen may produce a large
number of eggs she must lay at a high rate as well as over a long
period of time. A large capacity is necessary for the egg organs. }
digestive tract, heart and lungs. Thus the hen must have good body ’
depth and width. The depth of the body should be measured by I
placing the thumb on the hen`s back and the Hngers of the same §
hand on the breast bone. Width of rib and back should he studied I
i
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    l2 Kentucky Extension Circular No. 330 ° ~
Q   by placing the hand over the hen’s back as shown in figure 9. Note » good
    the width of the back of the hen to the left in the picture compared Shgui
r_ i   with the one on the right. tho 1
i E De >th of abdomen is shown in fi ture 10. This measurement is also
{ l
·   l made by placing the Hngers over the abdomen between the tip ai ‘ Ont
i i   the keel and the pubic bones. The hen on the left in this pictui-Q brigl
i ’ . .
{ ` has good depth, space enough for four Hngers as compared with thy and
_ { . . , . -
— y [ more shallow hen measuring only two fingers in depth. This meas l1$llC
E   urement varies somewhat on the same hen at different seasons be. hCH—standin form of the desirable male.
y   l YP S l S
g·   This bird has a good head and good body type. The poorer type
{ l I; male has a shallow body and is particularly narrow over the back.
F'     l·. Male birds which are to be kept for breeders should be reason-
2 j j_ ably true to the type and color typical of the breed.
1 ~  
      CULLING PULLETS
 `.   (lareful culling of pullets before housing in winter quarters
    ·_ , should be practiced. At that time the pullets should be carefully
  i_f"f°  ~ culled on the basis of conformation and vigor. All immature, weak
    ~ . or diseased stock should be discarded. Vigor is essential if thc
F i   ` s ullets are to be ood iroducers of e s ca iable of hatchin vi or
l     » P S l SS l S S
i   j   I ous chicks. The following are characteristic differences.
[Q   High Vitality Low Vitality
l__’ ° *1.: 1. Broad, deep head Long, slim head (crow-head)
?_ _   , 2. Bright, prominent eye Dull, sunken eye
l   .j`{ . 3. Long, deep, rectangular body Short, shallow, round body
li c   4. Strong, parallel legs Knock-kneed
li; P   . 5. Stylish carriage Droopy appearance
Lf    °· 6. Active disposition Lazy, sluggish disposition
»· l.

 l 1
   
Cu/ling Farm Poultry 15 ·
. Late—maturing pullets seldom make good layers. Careful records   i
i in trapnesting at the Kentucky Experiment Station show that Leg- ‘ `
‘ horn pullets WlliCll bffglll to lily ill 5 Ol` 6 mOntl1S of age and Ply { `
mouth Rocks (general-purpose breeds) which begin at G or 7 months `
usually lay the largest number of eggs during the year. Pullets i
which lay very early (under 5 months) seldom attain suflicient size f
and consequently produce small eggs. Pullets which do not begin i
to lay by the time they are 8 months old seldom mature before I J  
mid-winter and may not lay until spring. 6
Y T
SELECTING EGGS FOR HATCHING   Q
Egg size, color and shape are inherited characteristics. Very . i
long eggs and round   should not be used for hatching. Tinted f  
eggs should be avoided when white-shell eggs are preferred on the Q  
market. Size is an important factor in market eggs, therefore eggs A  
for hatching should not be smaller than 23 ounces to the dozen, in   g
order to maintain and improve size.    
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