536 



JUDGING AND CULLING FOWLS 



Color or Pigmentation Changes. — (These should be observed 

 by dayhght.) A la3'ing fowl uses up the surplus fat in the body; 

 especially, it removes the fat from the skin. In yellow-skinned 

 breeds, this loss of fat can readily be seen by the loss of yellow 

 color. The different parts of the body tend to become white, ac- 

 cording to the amount of fat which is being taken from these parts, 

 depending, of course, on the amount of fat which has been store(l 

 up in these various parts, and the circulation of blood through 

 them. It should be recognized that all yeiiow color changes are 

 dependent on the feed, the coarseness of skin, and the size of the 



FiQ. 224 FiQ. 225. 



The Good and the Poor. 



Fig. 224. — A hen which has laid 261 eggs in the last t\yelve months and which at the 

 time this picture was taken showed every evidence of high production aa described in 

 the present chapter. 



Fig. 22.1.— a hen which has laid 56 eggs during the past twelve months and which 

 showed at the time this picture was taken practically every evidence of low or poor produc- 

 tion discussed in the current chapter. 



bird. A large bird fed on an abundance of green food, or other 

 material that will color the fat deep yellow, will not bleach out its 

 color in these various parts as quickly as will a smaller bird or a 

 bird which naturally has pale yellow coloring. The changes occur 

 in the following order: 



Vent. — The vent changes very quickly with egg production, so 

 that a white or pink vent on a yellow-skinned bird generally means 

 that the bird is laying; while a yellow vent means that the bird is 

 not laying. 



