EXERCISE 79 

 A STUDY OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL VIGOR IN FOWLS 



Fig. 131. A White Wyandotte cock, showing con- 

 stitutional vigor 



The points of a fowl are marked and are as follows : 

 o, beak; i, comb; 2, face; 3, wattles; 4, ear lobe; 5, 

 hackle ; 6, breast ; 7, back ; 8, saddle ; o, saddle feathers ; 

 1 o, sickle feathers of tail; n, lesser sickles; 12, tail cov- 

 erts; 13, body and fluff section; 14, fluff; 15, wing; 16, 

 point of heel which is the division between the breast and 

 the body and fluff sections; 17, thigh; 18, hack joint; 

 19, shank; 20, spur; 21, toes 



Statement. Only fowls which have much constitutional 

 vigor are good producers. All the organs of the body, es- 

 pecially those which have to do with digestion, respiration, 

 and reproduction, and the nervous system which controls 

 these organs, must be healthy. 



Object. To learn to judge fowls in respect to their con- 

 stitutional vigor. 



Materials. Fowls to be judged; score card on page 159. 



Directions. In accordance with the instructions given 

 score a number of fowls. 

 Indicate in the proper 

 blank space the cuts 

 given each part and 

 explain by underlining 

 the corresponding words, 

 under Remarks. 



1. .Make a careful 

 study of the actions and 

 movements of the fowls 

 to be judged, as these 

 are probably the best 

 indications we have of 

 their physical condition. 



Fowls that are weak are likely to be inactive and dull, and more 

 likely to sit than to stand. They seldom range to any extent in 

 search of forage and do not scratch in search of feed. 



The loudness and frequency of the crow of the male and the 

 cackle of the female are indications of physical strength and 

 superiority. Weak fowls seldom crow or sing. 



2. Observe the form of the body for evidences of strength or 

 weakness. The strong bird has a bright, prominent eye, a well- 

 developed, blocky body, bright plumage, an erect carriage, bright 

 comb and wattles, and should be active and sprightly in move- 

 ment. A long neck, thin beak, narrow head, long, slender body, 

 long legs and thighs, or a stilted appearance indicate lack of 

 constitutional vigor. 



3. In the young chick low vitality is indicated by a stunted 

 growth, by slow feathering, a pronounced crowlike beak, drooping 

 wings and head, and a low-squatting walk. 



Fig. 132. A heavy- and a light-laying 



bird compared 

 The hen shown above is Lady Eglantine. 

 She laid 314 eggs in one year and holds the 

 world's record. The hen shown below laid 56 

 eggs in a year when well cared for. Notice 

 the long straight beak of the poor layer as 

 compared with the stout curved beak of Lady 

 Eglantine; also the comparatively undevel- 

 oped comb and wattles of the poor layer and 

 the lack of body capacity as compared with 

 the worlds record hen 



Questions. Define and give the advantages of selection. What 

 are some of the causes for lack of vigor in fowls? What are some of the signs of vitality and the 

 lack of it? What does the action of a fowl indicate and how may it be judged? 



References. Lippincott, W. A. Poultry Production, pp. 128-138. Lea and Febiger. Lewis, H. R. 

 Productive Poultry Husbandry, p. 256. J. B. Lippincott Company. Bulletin 45, Cornell Reading Course. 



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