Choosing the Keepers?

[saysfaa]

Oh. If you are near a land grant college, they often have these kinds of books in their stacks. Or did up until 5 or 10 years ago. I know they are starting to purge such things to make room for computer stations, coffee bars, and such.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'll tell you if this one says more than those two sources.

Thank you.

I've got a very old Standard of Perfection in a box somewhere in storage after my move last year. Once I find it I will reference it since it's old enough to be from when production mattered.

 

[saysfaa]

I wouldn't have thought of "irregular pupils". It made more difference in production than symptoms of colds.
Other signs of low vigor are: crow-headed, small bodies, and long rangy bodies.

First picture is in the intro part of the chapter on selection. It says that is useful for identifying good layers as pullets as well as identifying better layers after they have laid long enough to know which are good layers.

Ok, the section on selecting pullets.
It wasn't too many pages, so I just took pictures of all the pages of pullets and males.

 

[saysfaa]

Wow, I read the next section too. It says, "Give the hens enough room. The results one gets with a flock of laying hens can often be related to the number of birds in a given area. ... The general recommendations in square feet per bird where they are kept confined is in Table 17." Table 17 says up to 50 birds per pen is 5 square feet per leghorn and 6 square feet per heavy breed.

My obsrvation: This must be before the cages, debeaking, and ventilation fans of todays (2020s) confinement housing.

It also says poultry books of fourty or fifty years ago (from 1952), show a large number of monitor or semi-monitor houses. ... vs 1950s predominateltvshed roofs except in warm areas because the cost of construction and maintenance is lower.

 

[saysfaa]

And ventilation is the single most important factor of housing.

Sorry for getting off track. Oh, it has cool air intake ideas and. Sorry. Thank you so much for pointing me here, I hadn't made a point of looking in these old books.

 

[3KillerBs]

I wouldn't have thought of "irregular pupils". It made more difference in production than symptoms of colds.
Other signs of low vigor are: crow-headed, small bodies, and long rangy bodies.

First picture is in the intro part of the chapter on selection. It says that is useful for identifying good layers as pullets as well as identifying better layers after they have laid long enough to know which are good layers.

Ok, the section on selecting pullets.
It wasn't too many pages, so I just took pictures of all the pages of pullets and males.

That was fascinating.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Wider birds will lay larger eggs.

 

[3KillerBs]

I have weights now and the first crude measure of body capacity -- how many fingers I can fit between the legs. All the data is here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/introducing-the-ideal-dozen.1469451/post-24705725 starting with the linked post.

If Buffalo is a boy I need to keep all the Dominiques as well as all the Langshans, but I'm thinking we can sell a French Cuckoo Marans and a Silver-Laced Cochin soon as Started Pullets. I don't know how highly to consider the fact that one of the Marans has very lightly-feathered legs while the other two are much thicker feathered.

I know that Marans aren't supposed to be as heavily-feathered on the feet as a Brahma or a Cochin, but don't know enough to know how important that is.