Montana Extensiori Service in Agriculture and Home Economics l". S. COOLEY, Director Montana State College of Agriculture and Mechanic.,Arts and the U. S. :r l ". Department of Agriculture Cooperating: Acts of Congress July 8 and June 30, 1914 NUMBER 5R MAROH, 1923. Culling the Farm Flock By H. E. CUSHMAN, Poultry Extension Specialist
Culling Chart TO DET'EiR.MINE: PItESENT PlioDUOTION Part Producer Non-Producer Vent Moist, wide, dilated Small, puckered, dry Pelvic. bones Thin, pliable, far apart Thick, stiff and close tr gether Comb """ Turgid with blood, de: Undeveloped and veloped and oily shrunken "Wattles, Well tucked up, bright Pushed forward but red shrunken Ear Lobes Prominent, soft, smooth Inconspicuous, rong dry Face Clean cut Pouchy, beefy Eye Bright, prolllinent Dull with over-hangit eyebrow Part Vent Eye ring Ear lobes Beak Shanks Plumage TO DBTERMINE PAST PRODUCTION Birds that have l~d fol' Birds that laid only some time & short time Bluish Flesh colored Thin, pale Thick, yellow Enamel white Tinted with yellow White Slightly yellow Pliable, fjilvery, thin Ridged, yellowish, fat JRagged, lacking oil Glossy, new in appe~ ance TO DETERMINE OAPAO'ITY :FOR INTENSE PRODUCTION Part Long cycled and contino Short cycled and intem uous production tent' production Pelvic bones Thin, pliable, straight Thick, coarse, apt to Abdomen Pliable, soft, velvety tex ture, with about 4 or 5 finger capacity Back : Well carried out Keel Slopes downward Lateral Processes Prominent, with out ward tendency Skin Velvety, soft and loose curved Hard, leathery texture with not more than or 3 finger capacit: Short, cutting in Slopes upward Hard to find, turninf upward and inwarc Leathery, hard and coarse.
Culling the' Farm Flock 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 we find some hens lay a great number of eggs during a year while others produce few. In fact, by this means some hens are found to never lay an egg. Of course if such a hen could be spotted, it WOllld be economy to take lier from the flock at once. Unfortunately the trap nest is very impractical for the average farmer, since it entails a great deal 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 jow producers until, because of recurrent features, we 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 know as II culling". FIG, I.-Oatching (l1'ate,
4 MONT.A.NA EXTENSION SERVICE WHEN' '1'0 OULL Culling in the broadest sense must be rigor'ously employed at all times. That is, the poultryman must be ever on the lookout for birds not up to the standard of vigor and vitality. Such birds should be removed from the flock at once. Nevertheless when it comes to the separating of layers and non-layers it is found that during the I'lUmmer months, J7lne, J7tly and A7tg7tSt,' the culling can be acoomplished with greater accuracy and in less time. For this is the time when the high producer is still iill production while the low producer has already ceased. HOW '1'0 CULL In culling it should always be borne in mind that we wish to I'll move the slackers without in any way causing a setback to our high producers. This means minimum handling without causing fright. Therefore every lloultryman should build a simple crate similar to the one shown on page 3, figure 1. 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 OAN BE, DETE&MINED BY CULIJ:N'G Of course the first thing to be ascertained in handling a bird is whether the bird is laying at present. Then if she is laying how long has she probably been producing and about how many eggs has she FIG. 2.-Hen No. 2029, a high producing, vigorous hen that laid 199 eggs (luring her pullet year.
CULLING 'l'he FARM FLOCK laid. Or, in other words, we wish not only to determine present pl'oduction but also past prod1wtion and intensity of p1 oduetion. TO DE,TERMINE, PRESENT PRonUC,TION If a fowl is laying at the time of examination you will find the vent wide, moist and dilated. This sometimes occurs several days pre vious to depositing the first eggs, during tile period of egg formation., On the other hand the. hen which is not producing has a pinched, small, dry vent. (See Figure 4.) The comb and wattles (often spoke of as secondary sexual char acteristics) 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 the secondary sxual features also enlarge, hecome brig'ht 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 non producer is apt to be fatty. Fat is deposited here 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 producel~'s eye is bright and can be seen {l'om the rear when looking at the face from over the bird's slloulder. The non-producer, as would be cxpected from the pouchy face, has a listless, sunken eye. FIG. 3.-The low vitality cull that uever laid au egg.
6 1WNTANA EXTENSION SERVICE FIG. 4.-Compadsoll of wide vent of high producer and pinched vent of the cull. TO DETE,RMINE PAST PRODUOTION 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 your better producers are resting, the "culling" would be far from accurate. More should be known than whether a hen is or is not laying. This can especially be determined with ease when handling birds of the yellow skinned breeds; that is, commonly speaking, American and Mediterranean breeds (as Rocks and Leghorns). In fact most birds are included except.the English breeds which are white skinned at all times. (Example, OrpingtonS ). Going over the same characters 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 wiele as the vent of the layer has been previously described, but it has also taken on even 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 region of the vent first is because that region is most plentifully supplied with a network of
CULLING THE FARM FLOCK 7 FIG. 5.-Comparison of heads of high and low producers. small blood vessels. Naturally, as would be expected, this hleaching or drawing on body pigment corresponds with the rate of circulation or a given part of the body. It is found in a hen having just started to lay that the eye ring (the inner edge of the eyelid) is stm 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 (H the bird is a white ear-lobed breed) soon after the bleaching of the ring. A short time producer has lobes still tinted with yellow. '1'he next bleached 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 one encounters a beak white at the tip and yellow at the base. This indicates the bird had layed long enough to bleach the beak, then had rested so that the yellow was again returning. It is found that the pigment always returns in the order of bleacll' ing; that is, it wm 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 shanks. At such a time the shank appears silvery while the back of the sllank is thin and pliable. This thin appear-
8 MONTANA EXTENSION SERVICE FIG. 6.--;The position of hands shows the shallow body of the non-pl'odueer. ance of the rear of the shank is a very important factor in determining the length of time a bird has been in production. 'fhe short time pruducer's shanks are ridged, yellow and fat. Along with the drawing of pigment from the body is found a urawing of oil from the feathe?'s. The long time producer has i'agged, soiled, dry looking feathers while the short time producer has glossy, often creamy feathers (if a white bird) and new in appearance. TO DETERMINE OAFkOITY 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 egg~ and resting a day or so before completing another cycle, Consequently ";0 go farther it must be determined whether the long time producers lave the capacity for intense and sustained production. These are' the lirds thnt bring in the greatest profit, and are the ones that should be used in the breeding pens, A hen capable of continous intense production must not only have a body built for consuming large qujlllti. ties of raw material to be converted into eggs but she must also be. able to lay these eggs with greatest ease, Hence in the long cycle hen there is usually found straight, thin, pliable pelvic bones, in contradiction to the thick, coarse, often cmved' bones of the intermittent producer.
CULLING 'fhe FARM FLOCK 9 FIG. 7.-Deep wedge shaped body of high producer. The great consumption of raw materials hy a heavy producer has a direct bearing on her hody 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 cycle hen. This increase in size of internal organs tends to force the kee~ bone downward and the latera~ p1'ocesses outward (those two smail bones that run parallel to the keel bone), giving the body greater depth and a cavity having a broader floor. Coupled with this depth of body you usually find a back well carried out and fairly broad instead of the cut-in back of the short cycled bird where the keel runs parallel with the back and lateral processes form no body cavity floor but remain tucked up and hard to find.. Along with the roomy framework of the heavy producer you usually find a velvety skin. This is especially noticeable in the abdomen of the high producer of great capacity where' you find a distance of four or five fingers between the pelvic and keel bones and every inch of it pliable, soft and velvety, in contradistinction to the short cycled
10 MONTANA EXTENSION SERVICE bitcl where all the food eaten is not used for egg production but part goes to the sto'ring of fat. In the latter case you find a hard leathery abdomen of not more than two or three fingers capacity. :MOLT While a fair job of culling can be done with the preceding knowledge alone, yet it is always safer to employ all factors available. The help that can be gained from knowledge of the molt is not to be under- FIGS. 8 and 9.-A comparison of distance between pelvic bones of cull (at left), olle finger, and high hen (at l'ight), three fingers. estimated. 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 cij11 that molts in June, July or August. The weather being warm and no need for plumage she goes into a complete molt, dropping all her body and wing feathers. WING :MOLT By careful examination of the wings of these early. molters the time can be approximately estimated that the hen has been molting and
OULLING THE FARM FLOOK 11 hence not laying-for as a rule she does not develqp feathers and eggs simultaneously. Usually the slow, early molter ai ops tile feather next to tile axial feather (the small dividing feather between the primary and secondary wing feathers) first. (See figure 12). She will take about six weeks to completely replace this. In the meantime when it is about two thirds grown she drops the primary feather next to it toward the outside of FIGS. 10 and ll.-a comparison of,abdominal /I capacity," the distance betweel keel and pelvic bones. The cull (at left) has two fingers. The high hell (at right) four fingers. the wing and repeats the process nntil all of them have been shed an replaced. Roughly estimating, it can be said that she is out of la~ six weeks for the first feather plus two 'weeks for every additiona feather. This amount of time cannot be allowed for the late molter an, high producer. She may molt four or five primary wing feathers at one and grow them at once. Or she may not drop the primary wing feathers at all but go through a partial body molt. What it takes a
12 MONTANA EXTENSION SERVICE cull four or five months to accomplish may be performed by the good hen in about as many weeks. TEMPEJ.tA.MENT Another factor to be considered when culling birds is. the temperament. This correlates closely with body shape, molt and the other characteristics. The high producer generally has a soeiable 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 not. easily tamed. In order that the high producer may supply her greater body requirements she must of necessity be a heavy eater, always husy and with keen appetite. She has short toe nails from constant scratching and is the early riser ancl late retirer, while the cull sits on the roost much and can in a short time with a small amount of food supply her few body requirements. GOVE.RNING FACTORS Although what has been stated is true you must allow for outside factors when judging live creatures susceptible to changes in environmeiit. 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 actors such. as change of temperature, irregular lighting, change,f 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 hroocling. 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 detriment caused a flock and the changing of characteristics following', due to infestations of red mites or presence of disease. SELEO,TION OF 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.
CULLING THE FARl\JI FLOCK 13 FIG. 12.-Wing: Note the thumb is placell directly below the axial feather; the small one divicling the primaries (the outside feather!» from the sec' onclal'ies (the inner feathers). You cannot expect the same capacity nor the same distance between pelvic bones in the male as you find in his daughters, but in general you expect to find a good depth of body-room for ]lis vital organs tjlat he may take care of large quantities of food and keep himself in the prime of condition. In other words, a bird full of "pep" and vigor. A bird of this sort has legs set well apart and has a full prominent eye, his back is well carried out and he has an alert, aristocratic air. The first maturing male is not always the best for the breeding pen for the early maturing male may lack large body frame which is necessary :for the continuation of standard size in carrying out breeding from generati<;>n to generation. ;.
Nuniber of' hens. 1\ef01'e culling REPORT ON VALUE.OP C'ULLING E.GG RECORD., Number of hens..after culli!1g NumbsI' 'of hens. Record of culls Date No.. Eggs. Date No. eggs Date No. eggs 1 2.;.--_:.- ~ _. u 3. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10," "',1 IlU 13 14 u.. _ Total..:.:... rrotal..~. Total... Date hens were culled :. Breed Name Detach and return to the Extension Service, Poultry Dept" State College, Bozeman, Monta.na. Montanll.