Culling the Farm Flock

Transcription

1 ~ 3t1 73E M'l~ b Bulletin No June, 1947 Culling the Farm Flock By H. E. CUSHMAN Extension Specialist in Poultry Montana Extension Service in Agriculture and Home Economics,' R. B. Tootell, Director. Montana State College and United States Department of All'l'iculture Cooperating. Distributed in furtherance of Acts of Congress, May 8 and June 80, M ~ 6-47

2 Culling Chart To Determine Present Production Part Producer Vent.:...._.--Moist, wide, diiated Pelvic :bones Thin, pliable, far ape,rt Comb....._-Filled with blood, developed and,oily, Wattles Well tucked up, bright red Ear lobes.prominent; soft, Face smooth Clean cut Eye Bright, prominent Non-Producer Small, puckered, dry Thick, stiff and close together Undeveloped and shrunken Pushed forward but shrunken Inconspicuous, l'ough, dry Pouchy, 'beefy Dull with overhanging eyebrow To Determine Past Production Part Vent Eye ring Ear lobes Beak Shanks Plumage *1n yellow skinned breeds. Birds that have laid for some time Bluish Thin, pale* Enamel white Whito* PIiable, silvery thin*. Ragged, lacking oil Birds that lay only a short time Flesh colored Thick, yellow* Tinted with yellow Slightly yellow" Ridged, yellowish, fat* Glossy, new in appearance To Determine Capacity For Intense Production Part Head Pelvic 'bones Long cycle and continuous production _Broad, square Thin, pliable, straight Abdomen..Pliable, soft, velvety texture, with about 4 or 5-finger capacity. Back.. : Broad, well carried out Keel.... -Slopes downward Lateral processes Prominent, with outward tendency Skin Velvety, soft and loose Short cycled and intermittent production Narrow; "crow head" Thick, coarse, apt to be curved Hard, leathery texture with not more than 2 or 3-finger capacity Narrow, short, cutting in Slopes upward Hard to find, turning upward and inw~rd Leathery, hard and coarse

3 Culling the Farm Floc,k By H. E. Cushman Extension Specialist in Poultry The only absolute method of determining the number of eggs laid by an individual hen is by means of the trap nest. By its use some hens are found that lay a large number of eggs during a year while others produce few. Some hens are found that never lay an egg. Of course if such a hen could be spotted, it would be economy to take her from the flock at once. Unfortunately the trap nest is very impractical for the average farmer, since it entails a great amount of labor, time and expense. Nevertheless, by means of the trap nest, experiment stations and individual breeders have observed the external characteristics of the birds known to be high or low producers until, because of recurrent features, they are now able with a high degree of accuracy to classify birds according to degrees of pl'oductiveness by the external body characteristics. This method of classification and separation is, known as "culling." Fig. I-Catching crate. When to Cull Culling in the broadest sense should be employed at all times. It should enter into the selection of eggs for hatching, the chicks to be reared and pullets for the laying house. After the hens have once entered the laying house, the poultryman should constantly be on the' lookout for birds that are not up to the standard of vigor and vitality, or birds that have long crow heads, ones that mope or droop and those that do not have a keen appetite. While low vitality birds should be removed' whenever dis-

4 4 MONTANA EXTENSION SERVICE covered, the commonly accepted meaning of culling is the process of removing the non-producers from a laying flock at a time when they are most easily recognized. It has been found that this can be best accomplished during the summer months, June, Jt~ly and.i1t~g U8t, when the.high producer is still in production and the low producer has already ceased. How to Cull In culling it should always be borne in mind that slackers should be removed without causing any setback to the high producers. This means minimum handling without causing fright. Therefore every poultryman should build a simple crate or panel (See FIg. 1) with crate. The birds are driven into the crate through the accustomed exit to the house, the small door then being closed and the birds lifted from the crate, one at a time without greatly disturbing them. With panel, the birds are driven into the enclosure. One operator lifts them, puts them through the aperture, while a second person culls them. This method causes the least amount of disturbance. What Can Be Determined by Culling The first thing to be ascertained in handling a bird is whether she is laying at present. If she is laying, find out how long, Fig. 2-Comparison of wide vent of high producer and pinched vent of the cull.

5 CULLING THE FARM FLOCK 5 S e and about how many eggs she has laid. In other words, determine "'Jresent production, past produ,ct{on, and intensity ofpl'odu,ction. ; To Determine Present Production If a fowl 'is laying at the time of examination the vent will be wide, moist and dilated. This sometimes occurs several days previous to depositing the first eggs, during the period of egg s formation. On the other hand the hen which is not producing has a pinched, small dry vent. (See Fig. 2)., The comb and wattles (often spoken of as secondary sexual characteristics) bear a very close relationship to the egg producing organ, the ovary. As the development of eggs goes on in the ovary it enlarges. At the same time secondary sexual features also enlarge, becoming bright red and soft, and velvety to the touch, When the ovary lies dormant, the comb is small and shrunken, the wattles are also shrunken and pushed forward because of the usually fatty face. As intimated in the preceding paragraph, the face of the nonproducer is apt to. be fatty. Fat is deposited there as well as in the abdomen and around the pelvic bones when the hen is not using her surplus energy for the production of eggs. On the other hand the face of the layer is clean cut and lean. The producer's eye is bright and can be se.en from the rear "len looking at the face from over the bird's shoulder. The non- Fig. 3-The low vitality cull that never laid an egg

6 6 MONTANA EXTENSION SERVICE producer, as would be expected from the pouchy face, has a listless, sunken eye. To Determine Past Production So much for whether a bird is or is not laying at the time of examination. But should this examination take place when some of the better producers are resting, the "culling" would be far from accurate. More should be known. This can especially be Fig. 4-The vigorous high producer. determined with ease when handling birds of the yellow skinned breeds, such as American and Mediterranean breeds (Rocks, New Hampshire and Leghorns). In fact most bir-ds are included except the English breeds which are white skinned at all times (01' pingtons). Going over the same characteristics in the order discussed under present production, the vent is first noted. If the bird has been laying for a long time the vent is not only moist and wide as previously described, but it also has taken on a bluish appearance in place of the flesh colored vent of the short time layer. The pigment which was present in the vent when the hen began laying has been absorbed into the blood stream in order to carryon the development of egg yolks. The reason for the change occuring in the vent is because it is most plentifully supplied with a network of small blood vessels. As would be expected, this bleaching or drawing on body

7 CULLING THE FARM FLOCK 7" pigment corresponds with the rate of circulation of a given part of the body. In a hen that has just started to lay, the eye ring (the inner edge of the eyelid) is still thick and yellow while a couple of weeks of laying bleaches the ring and leaves it thin and pale. Next to bleach is the ear lobe which becomes enamel white (if a bird is a white, ear-lobed breed) soon after the bleaching of the ring. A short time producer has lob~s tinted with yellow. The next to bleach is the beak. The circulation is meager in the horny beak and it is only with difficulty that yellow disappears. Thus when finding a pale beak it may be judged that the. bird has been producing at least a month. The yellow beak indicates a much' shorter period of laying. Sometimes a beak white: at the tip and yellow at the base is encountered. This indicates; the bird has laid long enough to bleach the beak, then has rested' so the yellow could return. The pigment always returns in the order of bleaching; that is, it will be redeposited where circulation is greatest-the vent, eye ring, ear lobe, beak and shank. The shcm7c, as mentioned above, is the last to bleach and the last to take on color. It takes several months under ordinary conditions to take the pigment from the shank. At such a time i the shank appears silvery while the back is thin and pliable. This, thin appearance of the' rear of the shank is a very important factor in determining the length of time a bird has been ip pro- I ;, ~ I,',.,:,: Fig. 5-The position of hands shows the shallow body of the non-producer.

8 MONTANA EXTENSION SERVICE <luction. and fat. The short time producer's shanks are ridged, yellow Along with the drawing of pigment from the body is found a drawing of oil from the feathers. The long time producer has ragged, soiled, dry looking feathers while the short time producer has glossy, often creamy feathers, (if a white bird) new in appearance. To Determine Capacity for Intense Production Strange though it may seem, it does not always follow that the long time producer is a highly profitable bird or a very heavy producer. She may be what is termed "a short-cycled bird" laying a few eggs and resting a day or so before completing another cycle. Consequently it must be determined whether the long time pro- Fig. 6-Deep wedge-shaped body of high producer ducers. have the capacity for intense and sustained production. These are the birds that bring in the greatest profit, and are the ones that should be used in the breeding pens. A hen capable of continuous, intense production must not only have a body built for consuming large quantities of raw material to be converted into

9 CULLING THE FARM FLOCK 9 eggs but she must also be able to lay these eggs with ease. Hence, in the long cycle hen there usually are found strai,ght, thin, pliable pelvic bones, in contrast with the thick, coarse, often curved bones of the intermittent producer. The great consumption of raw materials by a heavy producer has a dir,ect bearing on her body shape. Not only do her intestines increase in size to accomplish this feat but also the reproductive system expands. The ovary and oviduct of the continuous producer is many times the, size of similar organs of the short-cycled hen. This increase in size of internal organs tends to force the keel bone downward and the lateral processes (those two small bones that run parallel to the keel bone) outward, giving the body greater depth and the cavity a broader floor. Coupled with this depth of body there usually is a back well carried out ' and fairly broad. The short-cycled bird has a cut-in back where the keel runs parallel with the back, and lateral processes do not form a body cavity fl<;or but remain tucked up and hard to find. Along with the roomy framework of the heavy producer there usually is a velvety skin. This is especially noticeable on the Fig. 7-A comparison of distance between pelvic bones of cull (at left), one finger, and high hen (at right), three fingers.

10 10 MONTANA EXTENSION SERVICE abdomen of the high producer of great capacity. The abdomen has a spread of four or five fingers between the pelvic and the keel bones and every inch of it is pliable, soft and velvety. This is in direct contrast with the short-cycled bird where only a portion of the feed eaten is used for egg production. The remainder goes to the storing of fat. The latter bird will have a hard leathery abdomen of not more than two or three fingers in width: Molt While a fair job of culling can be done with the preceding knowledge alone, it is always safer to employ all means available. Help can be gained from knowledge of the molt. Birds that are. capable of producing continuously do not ce~se laying to drop feathers until late autumn, unless forced into an unnatural molt by feed or other outside conditions. It is the cull that molts in June, July or August. As the weather is warm there is no need for plumage so she goes into a complete molt, 'dropping all her body and wing feathers. Fig. 8-A.comparison of abdominal "capacity," the distance between' keel and pelvic bones. The cull (at left) has two fingers, The high hen (at right) four fingers.

11 CULLING THE FARM FLOCK 11 Wing Molt By careful examination of the wings of early molters the time can be approximately estimated that the hen has been molting and hence not laying-for as a rule she does not develop feathers and eggs simultaneoqsly. Usually the slow, early molter drops the feather next to the axial feather (the small dividing feather between the primary and secondary wing feelthers) first. (See Fig. 11.) It takes about six weeks to completely replace this feather. When it is about two-thirds grown she drops the primary feather next to it and toward the outside of the wing. The process is repeated until all have been shed and replaced. She is out of lay about six weeks for the first feather, plus two weeks for every additional feather. This amount of time cannot be allowed "for the late molter and high producer. She may molt and grow four of five primary wing feathers simultaneously. Or, she may not drop the primary wing feathers at all but go through a partial body molt. What it takes a cull four or five months to accomplish, may be performed by the good hen in about as many weeks. Temperament Another factor to be considered when culling birds is temperament. This correlates closely with body shape, molt and other characteristics. The high producer generally has a sociable disposition. She is contented, sings and enjoys being handled. On the other hand the cull is nervous, irritable, shy, staying near the outside of the flock and is not easily tamed. In order that the high producer may supply her greater body requirements she must of necessity be a heavy eater, always busy and with a keen appetite. She has short toe nails from constant scratching and is the early riser and the last to retire, while the cull sits on the roost a great deal of the time and can quickly supply her few body requirements with small amounts of food.. Governing Factors Although what has been stated is true, allow for outside factors when judging live creatures susceptible to changes in environment. When estimating length of lay based on pigmentation, take into consideration whether the birds have been fed on corn or oats, alfalfa or dry range. With corn diet and on alfalfa range the color persists longer. Consider the breed. It takes a heavy breed greater time to bleach than it does the lighter breeds.

12 12 MONTANA EXTENSION SERVICE When estimating molt take into consideration whether outside factors such as change of temperature, irregular lighting, change of feed or lack of feed has caused a "forced molt." Broodiness should not be overlooked when giving a verdict, nor the fact that the hen has been used for Ilatural incubation and brooding. All these tend to given a good hen characteristics found only in the cull, such as retention of color, shrinking of comb and a lessening of capacity. Also do not minimize the harm done a flock and the changes of characteristics resulting from infestation of red mites or presence of disease. Fig. g--':':'wing. Note the thumb is placed directly below the axial feather; the:,~mall one dividing the primaries (the outside feathers) from the secondaries (the inner feathers). ''Pullet Segregation" or Pullet Selection Through the same medium, the trap nest, that has given a basis for culling, shows that most of the out-and-out culls can be removed at the time the pullets are put in winter quarters, provided that the age of el:].ch individual pullet is known., This necessitates a system of bahd~ilg pr toe punching of chicks if several ages are reared on the saine farm. But taking pullets of an equal age that have received the same careandfeed, the early m,aturinj pullets turn out to 'be the heavy produoers while slow m,atl,(,rinj

13 CULLING THE FARM FLOCK 13 pullets are later discarded as oulls. This is only a natural result of capacity. The early maturing pullet has the deep body and room enough to eat the food necessary for early maturity. The slow bird is. slow because no matter what care she has received she cannot eat enough to develop her frame. In "pullet segregation," the pigmentation, molt and distances between pelvic bones must all be disregarded. Maturity as indicated by comb development and body capacity are the only characteristics that can be taken into consideration. Selecting the Male Bird When culling the flock the question of the selection of the' male bird always arises. In the main, choose the male that may transmit to his daughters characteristics highly desirable in the laying hen. Neither the same capacity nor the same distance between pelvic bones can be expected in his daughters. The desirable male generally has good depth t() provide body room for his vital organs so he may take care of large quantities of food and keep himself in prime condition. In other words, select a bil'd full of "pep" and vigor. A bird of this sort has legs set well apart and has a full prominent eye, a broad back that is well carried out and an alert, aristocratic air. The first maturing male is not always the best for the breeding pen; the early maturing male may lack large body frame which is necessary for the continuation of standard size in carrying out breeding from generation to generation.

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15 CULLING THE FARM FLOCK Report on Value of Culling Egg Recol'd Number of hens Number of hens.. Number of hens. Before culling Kept after culling Record of culls Date No. Eggs Date No. Eggs Date No. Eggs _ _-_._ ".'_._ _ Total Total Total -_...._..._.;..._---_._.._- Date hens were culled._......_. _ Breed Name Address....._.._._.... Since the Montana Extension Service is interested in the use you make of culling information, gleaned from a demonstration or through this bulletin, it will be sincerely appreciated if you keep a record of production prior to and following -culling, sending the same, this sheet, to the Montana Extension Service, Poultry Department, Montana State College, Bozeman Montana. (Note: No stamp is necessary, merely mail it.)