300 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



There are three distiuct external characters that we have found and 

 have tested out and therefore know will work, all of which can be put 

 into practice without ever using a trap-nest. Now get these points 

 clear. First, always pick out the hens that are vigorous and healthy; 

 second, pick out those hens that moult late; and third, pick out 

 the hens that have pale shanks; fourth, pick out the hens that 

 have smooth texture to their combs late in the fall of the year. 



Our Mr. Kent and two helpers, examined a thousand hens or more, 

 whose records are known for a period of years. They examined them 

 and made a record, first, as to whether they were moulting early 

 or late; whether their shanks were very pale or very high color 

 or anywhere between ; whether the texture of the comb was soft and 

 pliable or whether it was dry and hard; and they put those three 

 characters together in the order of one, two, three, four, five in 

 grades, from the highest to the lowest, that is to say, if a bird was 

 all feathered out new, she counted as five because she was an early 

 moulter; if she was all ragged at that time in October, she counted 

 as "one" because she was perfect, a perfectly late moulter, or a 

 hen might be anywhere between an early and a late moulter, one, 

 two, three, four, five. They made the test as regards color 

 of shanks, and texture of comb, and then added those figures up 

 for each bird and, without knowing the records of the birds, be- 

 cause they were down in the office. They simply adding up the 

 score of each one of those birds, based on that arbitrary mathemati- 

 cal figure of proportion of those three characters, and could tell 

 with a great deal of accuracy whether these birds were high pro- 

 ducers or low producers. They did this with all the hens that were 

 trapnested simply for the purpose of ascertaining the facts. 



Every farmer can take those visible characters with certain caution 

 always in mind to guard against error in judgment. First always 

 consider constitutional vigor of the bird — she may have pale shanks 

 because she is sick, she may moult late because she is unwell and 

 cannot shed her coat, she may have a dry comb because she is 

 ill; the first thing to decide is that she must have constitutional 

 vigor. Having satisfied that, then find out whether she is an early, 

 medium or late moulter. Pick the late moulter. The third is, look 

 at the color of the shanks. If they are pale, it indicates that she 

 has laid the color out of her shanks. If they are high colored, it 

 shows that she has been loafing around doing nothing but boarding 

 on you and you are keeping her for the sake of her society. We 

 have found some of the finest looking birds in our flock, beautifully 

 plumed, their plumage shining and their combs red and their shanks 

 as yellow as could be found tliat hardly laid fifty eggs a year. The 

 fowls having soft, pliable combs are in a laying condition. 



