Selecting Young Pullets for the Household Poultry Flock

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 81, Issue 4, 16 October 1950, Page 331

Selecting Young Pullets for the Household Poultry Flock

VV/H ETHER a householder begins poultry keep- ** ing with day-old chicks or perching pullets, the number bought is usually small. That, probably more than inexperience in culling, is the cause of the owner continuing to rear the backward and obviously uneconomic type of pullet instead of taking the action which will save money in the long run. Apparently the purchase cost is kept too clearly in mind and the householder is loath to wipe out that “asset” by culling uneconomic birds. The commercial poultry farmer culls out weak, ailing, and backward pullets as quickly as he recognises them because he realises that they are a source of danger to the others. In this month’s article for the domestic poultry keeper W. L. Mclver, Poultry Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Hamilton, explains why the householder should follow the general principles of the poultry farmer, especially on the subject of culling.

A PULLET is not backward for its age or ailing in health without reason. That reason must be diagnosed so that steps can be taken to surmount the trouble. A sick chick shows symptoms which are fairly easy to recognise. The backward pullet also shows readily discernible signs, though it might be more difficult to decide exactly why one bird is backward while its mates identically housed and fed are not. A bird that seems unlikely to reach the standard of the average member of the flock is best killed immediately. The cause of the backwardness may not be clear, but it is certain that such a pullet has less stamina than the others, and when stamina is deficient a breakdown in health will not be long delayed. A chick or growing pullet lacking in vigour is the one most likely to contract an ailment or disease, which can then be spread to the others. Prompt killing of obviously backward pullets should be regarded as the payment of an insurance premium to guard the good health of the rest. Not for that reason alone does the poultry farmer cull out sickly and backward birds. He is concerned with profit and loss. The profit from a hen is the value of all the eggs it lays less costs of rearing, food, maintenance, and labour. If a backward pullet, which is sure to start laying late, does not lay eggs of a - greater value than the cost of keeping it, the bird is better out . of the way so that more space is left for the superior birds. In such points it is proper that the backyard poultry keeper emulate the farmer. Without doubt culling should be started on the birds’ first day in their new home. If the householder hatches his own chicks, they should be culled

on the day of hatching. If the chicks are bought locally, they should be culled immediately they arrive and the culls taken back to the supplier. If too many appear to be culls, or if some mishap 1 seems to have occurred to the chicks in transit, the buyer should communicate with the supplier immediately and refuse to accept the chicks. Culling must be continued all the time. A watch must be kept for weaklings, but, in addition, regular periods should be set aside for special culling. After the day-old stage the chief times for culling are when the birds are 4,6, and 8 weeks old, then at 3, 4, and 6 months. Signs of Good and Poor Birds Examples of both excellent and uneconomic types are illustrated with this article. In brief, the good type has a rugged head, alert eye, healthy appearance about the face, short, strong beak, long back, deep front and abdomen, sturdy shanks, and strong frame. . The feathering and pigmentation of legs and beak are also evidence, but breeds vary in these respects. Weakness is frequently shown by an elongated head and beak, shape and position of eyes, uneven feathering, and length of legs and toes. The worth of each bird is decided virtually by comparison. The amateur should study the illustrations, memorise the main features to be examined, then inspect the pullets one at a time, at the same time comparing each bird with the average standard of the group. When young, growing pullets are being culled the only ones of concern at the time are those that compare unfavourably with their mates. If the comparison is too unfavourable, the bird is not worth keeping, but if there is room for doubt, it can be legbanded with a ring of a distinguishing colour so that it can be watched all the more carefully for the next few weeks.

Influence of Age At all stages the age of the pullets influences the interpretation of signs, but that factor is most useful at the time of maturity. Light-breed fowls mature and begin laying at an average age of 6 months. Some strains begin laying as early as 4| months. Pullets hatched early in the season are likely to start laying at a younger age than late hatches. Heavy breeds take about a month longer to mature than light breeds. A pullet which lags too far behind the majority in maturity should be culled. September-hatched White Leghorns may be quoted as an example. If some begin laying at 5 months, the majority at 6 months, and most of the others at 7 months, those that remain require careful examination. If any appear unlikely to start “reddening up” for a month or more, they should not be retained any longer in the hope that they may prove worth while after all, but should be sold immediately. Earlymaturing birds, if they are fed - and managed properly, frequently are late moulters; that gives them a long laying season. Late-maturing pullets all too often turn out to be early moulters, which reduces profit. If a dozen pullets are needed for the laying house, the householder should not start with 12 chicks. Ample allowance must be made for mortality and culling. It is better to rear too many than too few, retaining the best and sending the balance to the mart.

NEW POULTRY BULLETIN

A new bulletin on domestic poultry keeping, written by W. L. Mclver, who contributes the monthly articles on the subject... in the “Journal”, has just been published. It describes the most modern methods which make for efficiency and labour saving. Bulletin 336, “Household Poultry Keeping”, is obtainable free from the nearest office of the Department of Agriculture.