14 



The Business Hen. 



hens by the eye — studying shape and what egg-laying habits he could see — 

 said that when he finally made his selection he found the hens about 

 as follows: 



EGG TYPE. — "Large-boned, rather long in leg and neck, long on the 

 back, deep up and down, with legs set fairly well apart, breast bone some- 

 what prominent, flesh hard, strong and muscular, in good condition, but 

 not fat ; comb rather above average in size ; eyes bright and full ; disposition 

 lively, but not scarey; more inclined to follow after and crowd about than 

 to run and fly; large consumers of food, and always hungry when fed 

 regularly and given a chance to exercise." 



Of course the type for other breeds would differ from this, but the 

 owner must first decide what he wants his hens to be, and then watch for 

 that type in his flock. In most breeds the best layers are broad and deep, 



with rather long bodies, with a long 

 neck and small head. The shape of the 

 hen is not as safe a guide as with 

 other animals, for the hen is covered 

 with feathers which may seem to 

 change her shape. The actions of the 

 hen indicate her laying qualities far 

 better than her shape; still it is well 

 to fix a certain type in mind and use it 

 for our standard. Strong and vigor- 

 ous chicks cannot be hatched unless 

 the hens are in good condition. If 

 they are fat and dumpy the chicks will 

 fail. The hens must be kept at work 

 and in good condition. 



SELECTING BREEDERS.— When 

 a man is keeping poultry for profit, or expects to continue in the business, 

 he should keep these selected breeders by themselves with the best male 

 bird he can find. In this way he can use the eggs from these hens for 

 hatching. Usually he will have to select the male by his appearance, but 

 he should try to have him close to the general type of the hens, and be 

 sure that he is strong, vigorous and active. It is not a wise plan to select 

 these breeders in the Spring, just before their eggs are wanted for hatching. 

 All hens are laying them, the lazy as well as the good ones, and the hen 

 that lays 50 eggs a year may make more fuss while she is actually working 

 than the one that lays 150. We should watch the hens through the season, 

 and make the selection during the late Summer and Fall, when most of 

 them stop. 



TRAP NESTS. — There is a way of picking the robbers from tht 

 workers by using what are called "trap nests." Two of such nests are 



Fig. 4. TRAP NEST OPEN. 



