86 CALIFORNIA POULTRY PRACTICE 



and it is very certain that they cannot do their best when they have 

 to be under constant irritation. 



The Hogan system of judging the prolific layers is a copyright 

 book from which to quote is an infringement, but to those who fail 

 to breed up and know the prolific hen from what has been said here 

 I would advise them to buy "The Call Of The Hen" as advertised by 

 Mr. Hogan. 



But even the Hogan system fails in some cases. For instance, 

 when the hens are not laying at all, all signs fail, partially. In moult- 

 ing there is very little to judge by for nearly all the hens are more or 

 less out of condition, and a person must be a very good judge indeed 

 who can go into a yard, not knowing each individual hen, and pick 

 out the best layers. 



In such cases there is no infallible way of telling, though if the 

 hens were laying, the trap nest would catch them even if other signs 

 failed. 



Knowing And Breeding The Heavy Layers 



There are quite a number of methods of selecting the laying hen 

 that to an observing person are as good as though the hens were 

 trap-nested, but the trap nest saves a person from exercising his ob- 

 serving powers and gives him exercise for the physical. Of course, 

 the trap nest is reliable and if we want statements to put on record 

 that is the way to get them. But the ordinary person has no time to 

 trap nest a lot of fowls; it is a slow job, and to prove anything must 

 extend over a length of time. 



One of the best methods of increasing the productiveness of a 

 flock is to select only the very early layers. These should be banded 

 and the numbers entered in a book set aside for that purpose. These 

 early pullets should be bred from, and the pullets that come from 

 these watched again for early layers. These early pullets will usually 

 be found to lay a considerable number of eggs before the others 

 start. 



Another method of selecting and breeding a flock of winter layers 

 is to hatch all eggs laid by the hens that lay the longest in the fall 

 without moulting. These pullets will invariably prove good winter 

 layers. 



In selecting layers from a flock, three things should (be carefully 

 considered: First, the shape; second, the comb, wattles, and face; 

 third, the actions of the hen. 



The shape, is what is called, type in breeds^ but no matter what 

 breed it may be, the laying shape is a hen that is wide behind, legs 

 well apart and having a long back. This gives great lung capacity, 

 big digestive organs and large egg bag. The crops of good layers 

 will usually be found full at night because they need the food and 



