620 Reading-Course Ft)R Farmers. 



D and F, and Figs, i, 4 and 12 show the contrast best. The fowl carries 

 its health certificate on top of its head. 



The eye is the mirror of the body. It shows, unmistakably, con - 

 ditions of health and disease. A fowl in good health should have o, 

 bright, clear, round eye, which should stand out prominently. The 

 lids should not droop, giving the appearance of a snake or turtle eye. 

 The latter shows a weakness of the muscle and indicates a lack of sufficient 

 vigor to keep the eye-lids open. Figs, i, 4, 5, 6 and 8, indicate the 

 difference in expression. 



The size of the tail and the way it is carried is also an indication of 

 vigor. A fowl having a strong constitution has a full development of 

 the tail feathers. These normally are carried erect. A fowl of the 

 same variety having a weak constitution, especially if it is suffering 

 from disease, is likely to have tail feathers less developed and to carry 

 them on one side or drooped. (Compare the sizes of the tails in Fig. 2, 

 A, C, D and F). This is more apparent when the weak fowl is suffer- 

 ing from fright, which usually will be the case when placed in the pres- 

 ence of the strong. (Fig. 2, C and F). 



The breast should be round and full, the keel bone well covered with 

 meat. This indicates good muscular development. A fowl shows 

 ill health and weakness quickly and unmistakably by a shrinking away 

 of the muscles about the keel. (Fig. 2, A, B, E and F). 



The shanks are a conspicuous indication of the strength of a fowl. 

 They should be of pronounced color characteristic of the variety; large 

 and plump as compared with the faded-out, thin shanks of the fowl 

 of low vitality. (Fig. 2, A, B, C, D, E and F). Cold shanks are a very 

 common accompaniment of low vitality. It is a common symptom 

 characteristic of most poultry diseases. 



The quantity, brilliancy and nature of the plumage are very reliable 

 indications of constitutional vigor. The feathers of a fowl of low vitality 

 growslowly. (Figs. 7 andS). They are likely to be dull and ruffled, as com- 

 pared with the close-fitting, smooth, fully-developed, bright plumage 

 of the vigorous fowl. Fig. 4, A and B, shows pronounced contrast in 

 brilliancy of plumage. The color pigment, so pronounced in the feathers 

 of the brilliantly colored breeds, does not develop to perfection with 

 physically weak fowls. Fowls that lack vigor do not, as a rule, have the 

 necessary surplus fat in their bodies to supply the gland at the base of 

 the tail. This gland furnishes the material to oil the plumage. 



The appetite is also a good indication of vigor. A vigorous and 

 strong fowl consumes large quantities of food. It is usually found with 

 a full crop if suitable food is available. A fowl that is constitutionally 



