Culling the Farm Flocli

Bulletin No. 188 October, 1940 Culling the Farm Flocli By H. E. CUSHMAN Extension Specialist in Poultry Montana Extension Service in Agriculture and Home Economics, J. C. Taylor director. Montana State College and United States Department ot Agriculture cooperating. Distributed in furtherance at the Acts of Congress, May 8 and June 30, 1914. 3M ~ 10-40

Culling Chart To Determine Present Production Part Producer Non-Producer Vent Moist wide, dilated Pelvic : b~~~~:::::::::::: Thin, 'pliable, far apart Comb Filled with blo~dl' de veloped and 01 Y. Wattles.well tucked up, bright red Ear lobes Prominent, soft, smooth, Face Clean cut Eye Bright, prominent Small, puckered, dry Thick, stiff and close to gether Undeveloped and shrunken Pushed forward but shrunken Inconspicuous, rough, dry Pouchy, beefy Dull with overhanging eyebrow To Determine Past Production Birds that have. laid Part for some time Vent Bluish Eye ring Thin, pale* Ear lobes Ena\nel white Beak White* Shanks PJiabIe, silvery, thin* Plumage Ragged, lacking- oil *In yellow skinned bre~ds: Birds that lay only a shart time Flesh CDlored Thick, yellow* Tinted with yellow Slightly yellow* Ridged, yellowish, fat* Glossy, new in appearance To Determine Capacity for Intense Production Long cycled and con- Part tinuous production Head Broad, square Pelvic bdnes Thin, pliable, straight Abdomen Pliable, soft, velvety texture, with about 4 Dr 5-finger capacity BaclQ Broad, well carried out Keel SIDpes downward Littel;al processes,:.::pr:d111inent,. with: out:.. warg.. tendency Skin :. Velvety, soft and loose Short cycled and intermittent production Narrow; "cr~w head" Thick, coarse, apt to be curved Hard, leathery texture with not more than 2 or 3-finger capacity Narrow, short, cutting ir Slopes upwal'd.hard.to.find, turnirtgup ward and inward Leathery, hard and coarse

Culling the Farm Flock 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 econom'1y 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 productiveness by the external body characteristics. This method of classification and separation is known as "culling." 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 tnat 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 discovered, the commonly accepted ~aning of culling is the process of removing the non-producers from a laying flock at a time when they are mol'3t easily recognized. It has been found that this can be best accomplished during the summer months, June, July and A'ugust, when the high producer is still in production and the low producer has already ceased.

4 MONTANA EXTENSION SERVICE How to Cull In culling it should always be borne in mind that slackers should be removed without causing any setback to the high pro ducers. This means minimum handling without causing fright. Therefore every poultryman should build a simple crate. (See Fig. 12). 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. 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, and about how many eggs she has laid. In other words, determ,fnt! present production, past production, and intensity of production. 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 formation. On the other hand the hen which is not producing has a pinched, small dry vent. (See Fig. 3). Fig. I.-Hen No. 2029, a high producing, vigorous hen that laid 199 eggs during her pullet year.

CULLING THE FARM FLOCK 5 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. whereas in the body, where 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 seen from the rear when looking at the face from over the bird's shoulder. The nonproducer, as would be expected from the pouchy face, has a listless, sunken eye. '1'0 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. 2.-The low vitality cull that never laid an egg.

6 MONTANA EXTENSION SERVICE Fig. 3.-Comparison of wide vent of high producer and pinched vent of the cull. determined with ease when handling birds of the yellow skinned breeds, such as American and Mediterranean breeds (Rocks and Leghorns). In fact m;ost birds are included except the English breeds which are white skinned at all times (Orpingtons). 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 carry on the developmeilt of egg yolks. The reason for the change occuring in the vent is because it is most plentif.ully supplied with a network of small blood vessels. Ais would be expected, this bleaching or drawing on body 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.

CULLING THE FARM FLOCK 7 Fig; '4.-Comparsj.on of heads of high and low producers. 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 l~bes 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 shank, 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 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 in production. The short time producer's shanks are ridged, yellow and fat.

8 MONTANA EXTENSION SERVICE Fig.. 5.-The position of hands shows the shallow body of the non-producer. 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 determ~ned whether the long time producers have the capacity f~r 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 eggs but she must also be able to lay these eggs with ease. Hence, in the long cycle hen there usually are found straight, thin, pliable peivic 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 direct bearing on her body shape. Not only do her intestines

CULLING THE FARM FLOCK. '9 Fig. 6.-Deep wedge-shaped body of hig'hpl'oducer. increase in size to accomplish this featb~t~lsothereproductive 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 floor 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 a:bomen of the high producer of great capacity. The abdomen has a spread of four or five fingers between the pelvic and 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

10 MONTANA EXTENSION SERVICE Figs. 7 and 8.-A comparison of distance between pelvic bones of cull (at left), one finger, and high hen (at right), three fingers 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 cease 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. kg the weather is warm there is no need for plumage so she goes into a complete molt, dropping all her body and wing feathers.

CULLING THE FARM FLOCK 11 Figs. 9 and lo.-a comparison of abdominal "capacity," the distance between keel and pelvic bones. The cull (at l-eft) has two fingers. The high hen (at right) four fingers.. 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 simultaneously. Usually the slow, early molter drops the feather next to the axial feather (the small dividing feather between the primary and secondary wing feathers) first. (See Fig. 11.) It takes about six weeks to comlpletely 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.

12 MONTANA EXTENSION SERVICE This amount of time cannot be allowed for the late molter and high producer. She may molt and grow four or five pr~ary 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 the 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. 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 natural incubation and brooding. All these tend to give 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.

GULLING THE FARM FLOCK 13 Fig'. H.-Wing. Note the thumb is placed directly below the axial feather; the small one dividing the primaries (the out side feath rs) 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 each individual pullet is known. This necessitates a system of banding or toe punching of chicks if several ages are reared on the same farm. But taking pullets of an equal age that have received the same care and feed, the early maturing pullets turn out to be the heavy producers while slow maturing pullets are later discarded as culls. 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 Upullet 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.

14 MONTANA EJljTENSION SERVICE 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 to 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 bird 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. Fig'. 12.-A desirable catching crate.

CULLING THE FARM FLOCK 15 Report on Value of Culling Egg Record Date Number of hens. Before culling No. Eggs Number of hens. Kept after culling Date No. Egg's Number of hens. Record of culls Date No. Eggs 1. -_ -~ _.._- _..,,..... ~ 2. 3,. 4, ~ 5. _ 6. 'I,. 8,.. 9,.. 10. 11. 12 ~. 13. 14.. Total Total Total Date hells were culled.. Breed Na me Address Detach and return to the Montana Extension SerVice, Poultry Department,. Montana State College, Bozeman, M-ontana.