JUDGING POULTRY AND POULTRY PRODUCTS 479 



SCORE CARD FOR JUDGING UTILITY HENS AND PULLETS 



Egg produc- 



Parts scored Perfection tion value 



Body type (as seen in coop or on floor) 25 points 75 



Head and adjuncts 15 



Body conformation (as determined by handling) 30 



Handling quality 10 



Legs and toes 5 



Condition. ... .15 



45 

 90 

 30 

 15 

 45 



Total for perfection 100 300 



The following discussion is given as explanatory of the application of 

 the score card in utility judging. 



BODY TYPE 



Perfect Score 25 Points, 75 Eggs 



A bird of good body is usually well-balanced in that the body itself 

 must be deep, showing a nearly rectangular form, well developed in breast 

 and abdomen. Great depth of body is especially desirable, but apparent 

 depth must not be due to loose feathering, which is generally shown by 

 an evidence of loose thigh feathers. Cochin and exhibition game type 

 and feathering are usually associated with poor production. Large 

 capacity is essential if a hen is to lay long and heavily. Such capacity is 

 designated by a body that is deeper at the rear end of the keel than at 

 the front end. The underline should be fairly straight and the back 

 should be comparatively horizontal. Prominent breast development, 

 with evidence of a long keel are desirable qualities in a high-producing 

 hen. The general body conformation of a heavy producer conforms 

 very closely to a rectangle with pronounced angles rather than smooth 

 curves. A male shows the same general characteristics as a female except 

 that the abdomen is not so deep. 



A small-capacity hen generally stands erect. The body is either very 

 shallow and cut away at the breast and abdomen or, in the case of beefy 

 individuals, the abdomen shows a pronounced sagging at the rear of the 

 keel due to large accumulations of fat. Extremely poor producers 

 frequently show a hump on the back. 



HEAD AND ADJUNCTS 



Perfect Score 15 Points, 45 Eggs 



One of the best indications in picking high layers is the fineness of the 

 head. The head of the heavy producer is fine, showing a lean face, free 

 from wrinkles and overhanging eyebrows. The wattles and ear lobes 

 fit close to the head and are not loose and flabby. The face is clean cut, 

 the eye is full, round and prominent, especially when seen from the front. 

 An eye which gives a clean-cut wide-open appearane is desirable. The 

 eyeball of the heavy producer is generally set in the rear of a large oval 

 socket, showing considerable of the white eye membrance in front of the 

 eyeball. The head of a heavy producer should be well balanced, being 

 moderately deep and broad. The extremely fat, full head of the beefy 

 bird and the long, thin pointed head of the low-vitality birds are both 

 undesirable and should call for heavy cuts in this section. The low- 

 producing bird generally shows a depressed eye with over-hanging 



