Page 21 - Poultry Review June 2008

POULTRY REVIEW 21

those from the exhibition matings are,
good qualities of their ancestors to a
if any thing, larger but have not as yet
much greater degree than those bred for
commenced laying and we do not ex-
exhibition, and that the small space
pect they will before July ist to 15th. system and the brooder coop will
The one thing that has surprised us
develop the pullets in the best possible
most of all is the fact that al! pullets condition and in the shortest space of
from the utility mating commenc-d lay-
time.
ing within a week after the first com-
The following is the egg record of six
menced and there was only three days
of the pullets in the winter colony coop,
difference in the starting time of all
with one cockerel, from June 14th to
pullets from one mother, while those
20th: Sunday, 4; Tuesday, 5; Wednes-
hatched from other matings sometimes
day, 4; Thursday, 4; Friday, 5; Satur-
vary a month or more in the length of
day, 5. We expect an average of five
time required before commencing to lay.
eggs per day next week and w^ill be sur-
The two hens above referred to are
prised if we do not get six eggs at least
the results of the third generation of
two days during the week.
selecting for utility, but were not used
The average weight of the six pullets
for breeders on account of the under-
June 1st was four and one-half pounds.
size of one and white in the ear-lobe of
June 15th the average weight is five and
the other where it should be red.
one-half pounds and we expect two
Several things are learned from this
pounds will yet be added to the weight
experiment: First, that to get the best
of each pullet. The pullets from the
utility birds we cannot lay too much
stress on show points. Second that smaller hen are one-half to one pound
heavier than those hatched from the
breeding for great egg production for
eggs of the heavy hen.
several generations will produce the
Questions and Answers.
Do you approve of hatching by incu- of the success of raising winter chickens
bator all the year, or only during a by our system,
—^J. R. H.
certain period ? + * * *
AV'hat is the difference between the
The locality, market conditions, etc.,
liave much to do with the time of the term "cock" and "cockerel" ?-— J. R. H-
year best adapted for hatching. We .A cock is a bird hatched before Janu-
expect to hach every week this year. ary J St and a cockerel is hatched after
It requires skill to raise good chickens January ist. The term cockerel is used
during July, August, November and during the spring months to distinguish
December. The months best adapted a bird two years old from those hatched
to the work in this locality are March, the previous year, and is often used
April, May, September and October. when the birds are fifteen months old.
We have fully as good success during We consider a bird a cock when one
January and February; but it requires year old.
close attention and the very best care. We are now breeding from cockereb
The fact that we now have many pul- hatched in 1908 and if we were to write
lets laying, May 30th and ,-5 1st, that an article on this work using the term
were hatched January ist and 15th this cockerel nearly every reader would
year is pretty good evidence and proof think the bird was hatched during 1907.'