CHAPTER XI 
SOME OPEN SECRETS 
UCCESSFUL poultry keeping is not a ques- 
tion of secret methods. If it were, the few 
who had been initiated into the mysteries of 
the craft would reap the harvest of eggs, and the 
rest of us would fare but poorly. There are certain 
“short cuts,” to be sure, which have been widely 
advertised and some of which have merit. Very 
few of them, however, are not known in a general 
way to experienced poultry keepers all over the 
country. 
Take a much-exploited method of picking out the 
laying hens, which is dependable to a limited extent. 
The pelvic bones, which must spread to admit the 
passage of an egg that is being laid, are examined 
to determine their relative location. If three fingers 
can be placed between these bones, the hen is sup- 
posed to be laying prolifically. If room is found for 
two fingers, she is laying fairly well. li however, 
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