xt7x0k26cg1n https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7x0k26cg1n/data/mets.xml   Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station.  journals kaes_circulars_004_557 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. 557 text Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 557  2014 true xt7x0k26cg1n section xt7x0k26cg1n I cIRcuLAR 557
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I By c. E. HARRIS  
I
E
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
M_/ COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE I
Jurjc  I
10I»I»6-5I

 c.
, 1*
C O N T E N T S i Q
di
Page
Culiing begins early ................................................ . ..................... 3 ’
Accuracy of culling ......................,............................................... 3
se
Equipment .................................................................................. 4 ali
How to cull .....................,..............,...........................,.........A....... 5
ch
Combs and wattles ...................................................................... 5
Pigment .......................,..........................,.,................................. 6 Shu
Vent .....................................,......................,............................. 6
; M:
Pubic bones ......., . .................................................,..................... 6 ho
~ t
Mon ...........................................................................,..........r..... 7 0
cu]
Body conformation ...................................................................... I I aft'
` O1'
Handling quality ........................................................................ I2 I
Culling pullets ............,......................,........................................ I3 T DO
Culling chart ...... . ....................................................................... I5  I
PTO
Fed
I  A corr
 ` and
I HIEIY

 A Culling the Laying Flock
  By C. E. Harris
l Culling birds that are out of laying condition is necessary .or e...
 - cient production and most profit from the Hock. A hen must produc.
’ 100 or more eggs per year to pay for her feed alone. Therefore, if only
a few loafers are kept in the flock, the profit made by the good pro-
, ducers will be greatly lowered.
  .
3 ; CULLING BEGINS EARLY I
3   Eggs—All eggs that are to be set or sold for hatching should be
selected for normal size (28 to 26 ounces per dozen), normal shape,
4 . and smooth strong shells.
5 A Chicks—Weak and deformed chicks should be culled when putting
chicks in the brooder house.
5 Growing st0ck—All slow—feathering, slow-growing, runty birds I
6 should be sold during the growing period.  
6 i Layers—House only healthy, well-developed pullets for layers. I
Many good pullets will not be producing when placed in the laying
6 house. Therefore give the pullets ample time to become accustomed i
7 » to their new quarters and change of feed before doing any further
V culling. There should be very few culls for several months; however, I
I after 4 to 6 weeks in the laying house the few that go out of production I
 i or are showing signs of weakness should be removed. I
2 · Sell those that are good for food, destroy those that are diseased.
3 D0 not ojfer for sale any chickens you would not be willing to eat.
5 ~.  ACCURACY OF CULLING I
Z lt is unfair to cull any flock until it has had every opportunity to |
 JA produce. Accurate culling can be done only after the flock has bee11 {
' fed a balanced feed in the amounts needed. The flock should also be  
comfortably housed and in good physical condition, free of parasites, .
` and reasonably free of disease. To assure accurate culling, the general
management of the flock should be good.
’ a

 4  —
EQUIPMENT , ·
Culling will be much easier and will be done more often if a few hou
pieces of equipment are provided. y a h(
A few turl/2f“"Z"imr~;-·;7.,_.,. ,j·.,_, I »  " , ;‘T_ +.f -
   7   to    ~   l· ,...   ; Com
        r’ s "`  ” M ig'? ’ f     · `” 7  .     l
*#f7f*igi.?»é$¥*<¤;p·»7 ?~ ‘=’`   {   ‘ E . ZZ. `“  .  >—   =.~s   Z . s g 7 rl
 ;’·:;'%€£:1_gm7 ·»    ·   , , ,_   ;~¤     
nr ..:;E?5·¢`:?   #.11 of °   * »   E <= " ·     tr - 1
   · r         y   T i ‘ .¤. ‘=   i ·=·» l€¤
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     ;=’c?       * · ' . ‘ ‘ . Y fi? 7   7
    7 duct
$$.:.4         r { * \ ` _ ` '   'grgrgryr  ,  ..,
?'Y f;%?'I‘*·¥`#£&:.?‘;¥»‘i      ’» * 7  ir ,. ‘ 1056
  ~ f:    ` ·  e  at;.   in Whit
Fig. 2.- Catching coop with end doors and the trap-door open. This style of h?U'Sl
coop is inexpensive and light weight. to pi

 ( 5
E Several catching hooks should be hung at different places in the
few   house. These can be made by bending one end of a No. 8 wire to form
 l a hook. Nail the other end to a broom handle. Catching hooks can be
kept  A bought very cheaply.
A roll of 2-inch mesh, 5—foot poultry wire, 12 to 15 feet long, nailed
» to light sticks 3 to 4 feet apart, can be used to surround 25 to 30 hens
—¤ at a time, which makes catching easy.
. Most of the loafers can be spotted at night by using a flashlight.
‘ The birds picked out this way can be cooped and rehandled in day-
- light. This method of culling has the advantage of not exciting the _
 . birds and saves labor.
V lf the entire flock is to be handled, it should be done in such a way ·
_ as not to frighten or injure the birds. An easy way to handle a bird is
to place the breast bone on the palm of the hand with her head facing
you. By letting the bird rest in the palm of the hand with the first
( finger between her legs and the thumb over them, very little pressure
is required to keep her in place. When birds are held in this position,
* it is easy to handle and judge them (Fig. 4).
- ¤
il HOW TO CULL  
You must know the difference between a producer and a loafer if I
. you are to cull accurately. This knowledge can be gained by studying '
the chart (page 15), and by handling the birds. It is easy to distin- A
guish between the high and low producers. The medium producers I
t are the ones that may give the culler some difficulty. l
 _ The rate of lay and the price of feed and eggs should be considered j
. in culling. When the profit margin becomes less and is likely to re- I
I main so for quite awhile, more rigid culling should be practiced than
. when the reverse is true. l
L é, · Comb und Wcttles ;
  l There is a definite relation between the activity of the egg organs .
 lb  ‘ and the appearance and texture of the comb and wattles. When the l
  ’ hen is in heavy laying condition the comb and wattles become large,  
g  full, and glossy in appearance and feel warm and waxy. When pro-  
aft.), duction ceases and the ovary becomes dormant, the comb and wattles ‘
 , lose their gloss and fulness and have a dried, wilted appearance; a
“"“ white scale or dandruff becomes noticeable, and the comb is cool and
Lyle of — l1HfSh to touch. The condition of the comb is one of the best guides i
 ( to present production. J

   ·
Pigment
This is the yellow coloring matter found in the skin, beak, and
shanks of yellow—skin breeds. It comes from such materials as green
feed and yellow corn. When a hen is not laying, this yellow material
is laid down in various parts of the body, but when she begins to lay,
the yellow pigment is stored in the yolk of the egg. As production -
continues, the pigment begins to bleach from the various parts of the
body in a very definite order. Bleaching is first noticeable at the edge f
of the vent, where the color disappears in just a few days. The edges
of the eyelid, commonly called the “eye ring,” are next to lose their
yellow pigment and bleach a little more slowly than the vent. This is
followed by bleaching of the beak. The color fades at the base of the
beak or corners of the mouth first and continues on out to the tip of _
the beak. The arch of the upper mandible is last to bleach. Four to _ ‘
six weeks of production are required to bleach the entire beak.
The shanks are last to lose their color. Four to five months of pro-
duction are required to completely bleach the shanks. Usually the last —
part of the shank to be bleached is just below the feather line on the M0
~ hock. A hen which has produced heavily for five or six months should i
show scarcely any pigment in the shanks. Thi
After the hen goes out of production, the pigment returns to the j Ord,
various parts of the body in the same order in which it leaves, but _ and
much more rapidly.
Vent _
The condition of the vent is a reliable guide to production. The A
vent of the laying hen is large, pale, moist, and tends to be oblong in
zh pe. Contrast this condition with that of the hen which is out of pro-
luctlon. The vent of the non—layer is small, contracted, dry and yel-
low. The hen on the left in Fig. 3 is in production, while the one 0n L
the right is out of production. {
Pubic bones A  
The pinbones or pubic bones may also be used as a guide in judg- ii
ing present production. These thin, flat bones are found on each side  
of the vent. As a hen comes into production these bones become  
pliable and spread apart. They draw back together when she g0€S  .  
out of production. In Fig. 4 the hen on the left is in production. Three _  
fingers’ width is shown as the distance between her pinbones, while f  
only two fingers may be placed between the pinbones of the hen on _
the right, which has quit laying.  

   7
and  I  i f  Aj ; P      p   i_"  —
green .   `   Y 
ierial ~ p 1 . {   _ ~
·lay,   /     A  1  e     . '
ction T `   ·V _V ‘   %tA,     :»A       -» , V
fthe ?     T   V  ‘‘  ‘  
»» / ,   ~  =2g-:·.:w<- ...` a,   »1=·.; · — //r·   M  
Gd 5 47* " "     `  “·`‘ 1 ‘i 1, ` “   
ge       V ‘ »        
 ,   » ,   `Vv‘;   ‘  i Y  
*d%"S 1 .         1 »  
then ’ ii;   T   Wm     w»% 2 »  ·
ais is ’ 1 *t       1 t   ·*‘·i   /A·=“'    
‘ . ' `   s V· . T     V "?   I  1<»       »
fthe 1   .  ei E; ,     smaV,;?;;¥  `*_,. 2   ·
ip Of  ;V   R 1    1,   V;     V_V_   .vk’ =   p
Lu. to _,  i  ” , _  y _ V      » ·` ·. ii     _ · f V
Fig. 3.- The vent of the laying l1en (left) and the n0n—layer (right).
p1'O-
2 last .
1 the  V»  M0"-
Wuld The dro in of old feathers and rowin new is called moltinv. 1
*9 .
. This rocess is of value in `ud¤in “ ersistenc ” when cullin . The
l e Y t
9 tht ‘ order in which a molting hen drops her body feathers is neck, back,
» but ` and breast. This bod molt is followed in a few da s b the moltin T
Y Y Y E;
  Y · ' `·  . V ‘’`' L   —_ ` ` W I
The  A p I 1 _ _   ‘=.V   · ,_ i
ngin  p ' I     M. 1   14  I I
ip1‘0· 1 _ ‘ ¢\\       `· ,1 I
ie 011  · ‘   ,(·i       is  i k   {  ` i   I 1
  V    ».    V1» 1 ` ”*—#‘~   Q C   .,_. = '
1¤d1:- »   e      J    R - 1 tv ~ 1
·d   Y xx _ " _   ·»V-· ~ m V    ~—   _
I Sl P ,**+4: ’ V V  ~· ls;  N \   U
Com?  1     _ .· _ - " A   _ V _    
$5065   1. if `thl l I * ·t`i’r .   i`   ~ f`   
me ‘ 'VV1     1 1   -   V*     ;l\  
While Q   » __1A ;V  py   It N         ._ ,\ ~ ` p E 
i FIS- 4-- Measuring the space between the pubic bones of 21 layer (left) and
 · non-layer (right).

 8 i
of wing feathers. The wing molt is used in culling to determine how
long the hen has been molting. The main feathers of the wing are .
divided into two sections called primaries and secondaries, separated
by one feather which is known as the axial feather. The secondaries _
are those feathers which lie toward the body side of the axial; the
primaries are those which extend from the axial to the tip of the wing, »
Usually there are ten of these.
The primary feathers are dropped, beginning with one next to the U
axial feather and continuing outward toward the tip of the wing. An l
early slow-molting hen usually drops one of these feathers at a time. l
About two weeks after the first feather is dropped, the second one molts
and so on until all ten have been rnolted. It requires about 6 weeks ‘
for a feather to grow to maturity replacing the one dropped. About :
60 percent of this growth takes place during the first three weeks and  
about 40 percent the second three weeks. Thus it is a relatively simple T A
matter to estimate how long a hen has been molting. ‘
Some hens molt much more rapidly than others. A hen which lays
late into the fall molts rapidly. Usually late molters are the best pm-
i ducers and records show that they come back into production in the
· Spr
_ vac
cas
‘ l ` A V OIIC
,     I ` X: ' HCV
 i i . tt. `   H   _   h21S
V l ~ , ·       i the
  J l /   · _» ·   l··’ ”·`* /·.. r   ‘  ` Th<
‘ I I. Q Z'}   ’· { l _ be
L I " .,   I'? . puffy Wk     be 4
in ‘     ° `    ’   pl  · 5 al
. _ Q v_   in l
·» ·  _·"` -.,.. . ur If.; I l ,
L. _.~._ .. _-.._ —.:c. ;._."K .......;.32.;;.;.,...c ag. ,. ....   ...-.s..a.... » h' SITIC
Fig. 5.- The early molter (left) is the poorer producer. 4 me;
quit

 9
= how r , y , y  —»»,;——-»-—     1.     ¤·——
are  _ ‘ . ' gw I    
éated I is I   ,  Y  
iarles  I   .5    Y 1 .
l; the I     I ."
Wing} _   ’»,  y  V V L , ~ ,
g. A11  F A U   xl \
time. 1 A y · l ._   _ J     · ·
molts V" E     · ; A .
weeks , g . , `l ` l
About   I V »1 ! ’ J " -  
;s and l   T ;_  
cimple   _   ·. I A= ‘°   . A
h lays Fig. 6.- Rapid molt, five primary feathers molted at one time.
1t pro-
in the l
spring nearly as quickly as the early molters, thus taking a shorter l
vacation and laying more eggs.
The wing molt of an excellent producer is shown in Fig. 6. In this I
W case five primary feathers were molted at once. In estimating how long i
` 1 a hen has been molting where several primary feathers are molted at I
once, the clip of feathers, in this case five, is considered as one. The
. new primaries are about two-thirds grown, indicating the wing molt I
. has been in progress three or four weeks. 1
_ In contrast with the wing of the rapid molter, notice the wing of
1 - tl1e hen in Fig. 7. In this case one feather has been dropped at a time.
4 . The two feathers at the top of the wing are old feathers which will Q
’ ) — be dropped later. The new feathers in an early stage of growth can  
I be seen between the old and new feathers. This hen is shown in Fig. l
1   5 also.  
. l g The plumage of a heavy producer is usually soiled, dry, and ragged  
_ in late summer and early fall. The plumage of the poor producer is '
`4 ‘ smooth and neat in appearance.
Sickness, digestive disturbances, or drastic changes in manage-
ment often cause a partial molt. Hens usualy recover from this rather
quickly when conditions are readjusted to normal. j

 10 _V
l Bc
V _ ; , i i 1¤>
. g, __ —;¤V   y. —
i .    _ » l · sh<
, , , · lx   :  ‘ lll
\` ._    ` 1  , .
, i     n 4 i PIC
a *¤.     I  ·
Y ` {ll   ‘ i  .
  ‘;;’v   ‘   ;._    E V    _
Fig. 7.- Slow molt, one primary feather molted at a time.
    V t e         rerr * ( .  
· »i·‘’ . TV? Z'.   irrgg.   *:i         ..;.    L      i ` .
  if     ‘·   ‘‘·=   -V    V " “*·»# l
1 "   _' ‘ ' j‘E"§";?_I-   X. E       y i U > q G A ,
.—     `.‘.V       V*  l`  w ", Y   :"  ·  i Fig'
‘ .`,.,   ·—  `·`'  I  
J ’°           . I
'   —, ....   · .   ,``' T   -“``‘iV   ,   V
``i`i   f _. ji 2   ii ; iam  *2 M A find
  . ¥    `¥V· . e t
, ·      na  ‘ = V *   lOW
I   S0m4
Fig. 8.- A \N1(l€ back (left) compared w1th a narrow back. has _
‘
l ditio

 _1 11
T Body conformation
  n In order that a hen may produce a large number of eggs she must
  1 lay ata 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
e I T the hen must have good body depth and width. The depth of the body
  should be measured by placing the thumb on the hen’s back and the
{ fingers of the same hand on the breast bone. Width of rib and back
  . should be studied by placing the hand over the hen’s back as shown
l  = in Fig. 8. Note the width of the back of the hen to the left in the
}  r picture compared with the one on the right. `
   L
  _ ,
 » :/=    »   .  ry,   ·‘  
      » n rn · - ..      
    . .           
in  1,   pg ‘    »=._ l `  1  p 
. ? l.,- >    w as r \, . .» » I
A   1   4  _°>:. f   l
            —=·;;’. I
u l l   '   I E "   _ I
31 ` '
 V “· Fig. 9.- The good producer has a deep abdomen compared with the poorer
V i producer (right).
  _ Depth of abdomen is shown in Fig. 9. This measurement is made  
   i by placing the Hngers over the abdomen between the tip of the keel E
Y and the pubic bones. The hen on the left in this picture has good  
 / ._ difpth, Space enough for four fingers, as compared with the more shal-
  low hen measuring only two fingers in depth. This measurement varies
  somewhat on the same hen at different seasons because the keel bone
has a tendency to s rin downward as the hen comes into layin con-
_ _ _ P S 8
! f pro- _ Pullets should be carefully culled before they are housed in winter I
arse or » uarters. At that time the ullets should be careful] culled on the
q P Y
results basis of conformation and vigor. All immature, weak, or diseased stock i
sh and should be discarded. Vi or is essential if the ullets are to be ood
S P S
roducers of e s ca able of hatchin vi orous chicks. The followin l
P gg P g S g
bOH€S_ are characteristic differences. {
; good   I
should .
heavy · _
dicates High Vitality Low Vitality
, is tlré Broad, deep head Long, slim head (crow-head) '
PY?]. ; Bright, prominent eye Dull, sunken eye l
.t. It ’ :
Long. dee , rectan ular bodv Short, shallow. muncl body ;
:unl<€U- ; P g ’ ’ 1
OD illv ` Strong, parallel legs linoclvkneed  
OU thf $lylish carriage Droopy appearance
'OYUOM  · mv 11· · · L 1 · 1 d" ‘ ‘
.» e ·
rinkled 1Sp0S1[1OD azy, s uggrs 1 1spos1t1on

 14 T
Late-maturing pullets seldom make good layers. Careful records
in trapnesting at the Kentucky Experiment Station show that Leghorn
pullets which begin to lay at 5 or 6 months of age and Plymouth Rocks
(general—purpose breeds) which begin at 6 or 7 months usually lay
the largest number of eggs during the year. Pullets which lay very
early (under 5 months) seldom attain suilicient size and consequently
produce small eggs. Pullets which do not begin to lay by the time they
are 8 months old seldom mature before mid—winter and may not lay
until spring.
(
Co
Fat
Vez
Pul
Lat
h Abc
C
Eye.
 . Earl
Bea
Shar
. Pluu
_ Mol
Cl
v Abdr
Cap;
Body
  Publ
` Skin

 15
zcords  i
ghorn  _
Books ` CULLINC CHART
ly lay  R
QEIER  1 CHARACTERISTICS OF LAYERS AND NON-LAYERS
2 they
Ot lay  - PRESENT PRODUCTION
j Character Layer Non-Layer _
;,  Comb and wattles ...... Large, smooth, glossy soft, Small, rough, shriveled,
I bright red t.,....... .. ,..,.,.,.... dry, scaly .
A Face .t..........,.....,.........,. Bright red ...,...     ...,...t...... Pale, yellow tint
Vent .........4.................... Moist, smooth, enlarged .,..., Dry, puckered, shrunken
Pubic (lay) bones ...,.... Pliable, spread apart ..,.,.,.... Rigid, close together
I Laterial processes ,,....., Pliable, becoming
prominent ,,...,....... . ,..,......t Rigid, less prominent
Abdomen ......,.......,....... Expanded, becoming
` pliable . ...,.., . ...............,..... Contracted, hard, fatty
I
PAST PRODUCTION l
Long continuous laying I
Character period Sl10rt laying period ‘
`— Eyelids .....,.,..,,.............. \Vhite .......,.............................. Yellow tinted l
»_ Earlobe . ..,.................... ¥Vhite ..._.......,.............,............ Yellow tinted I
Beak ...,,....,,..,.,.t...,........ White ........... . ..... . ....,...,........ Yellow, partly yellow
Shanks .,i.....i.........,..,.... \\’hite, hne, rather flat , ,..... Yellow, coarse, round I
I , Plumage .._....,.......,.,,..... Broken, soiled, worn .....,.,.... Smooth, not worn I
 I Molting ,.....,....... I ..,...... Late, rapid, probably I
  laying some ..,...,..,,....r.,.....t karly, slow, not laying
RATE OF PRODUCTION  
 I Character High Rate Low Rate ;
Z.  Abdomen ......._.,..,,,_,,.r., Soft, pliable . . ,... . t.r...r..... l-lard, fatty  
_' Célpacity of abdomen Deep, 4 or more hngers ..,.... Shallow, 2 or 3 fingers .
.» Body ........... . ........._.,.,.,.. Broad over ribs and back, Narrow over ribs and baCk.
deep from breast to back. shallow
Pubic (lay) bones ........ Thin, pliable ......,.,.....,.. . ....... Thick, fat deposits on ends
_. Skin ...,.......................... Soft, silky, pliable, free
 · of fat .............................,,..... Harsh, thick, fatty

 Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics: College of Agriculture
and Home Economics, University of Kentucky, and the United States Department ui *
Agriculture, cooperating. Frank J. Welch, Director. Issued in furtherance of the Acts I
of May 8 and June 30, 1914. l
Lexington, Kentucky
]une, 1958  
 
1oM~6·5¤