POULTRY KEEPING 541 



full and bright red. Some Plymouth Rocks when laying heavily 

 will have lopped combs, and therefore become disqualified as show 

 birds. When hens are molting they lose all their color in face and 

 comb and the size of their combs become very small, but as soon as 

 laying commences, the combs enlarge and the color returns. Many 

 instances have been noted with Leghorns and Minorcas which indi- 

 cate that the birds with the largest and reddest combs are in heavy- 

 laying condition. Exceptions to this rule sometimes occur, but they 

 are rare. 



A laying hen is nearly always a singing hen. She works and 

 hunts for food all day, is the first off of the roost and the last to go 

 to roost. She is nervous and very active, keeping herself up to the 

 greatest passible pitch. 



The pelvic bone test is one which some have claimed as final 

 and conclusive. Immediately below the tail at the end of side 

 pieces of the back are two somewhat bony protuberances. These 

 are called the pelvic or "lay" bones, and are just above the vent 

 through which the eggs must pass. When an egg is laid, these 

 bones must be forced apart to allow its free passage. When these 

 bones are soft and pliable, and spread sufficient to allow three 

 fingers to be placed between them, it is an indication that the hen 

 is laying. If they are hard and bony, and close together, the hen 

 would not be considered as laying at that time. Experience has 

 shown that this method will usually tell whether or not a hen is 

 laying at the time the examination was made. 



To sum up, an ideal laying hen should conform as nearly as 

 possible to the following: (1) She must be healthy; (2) comb, 

 wattles and face, red in color; (3) eye bright and lustrous; (4) 

 neck not .<hort, but rather medium to long; (5) breast broad and 

 long, sloping upward; (6) back, long and broad; (7) abdomen, 

 wide and deeper than breast; (8) shanks, well spread and rather 

 long; (9) V-shaped in three ways, viz., (a) on sides, front to rear, 

 (6) top and bottom, front to rear, (c) base of tail, downwards; 

 (10) well spread tail. (Kansas B. 164.) 



Eggs for Hatching. One should be as careful in selecting 

 oggs for hatching as in selecting parent stock. Select eggs of a 

 medium size and an average as to color and shape. Let the selec- 

 tion be influenced by the average product of the hen or breed. An 

 unusually large egg for the breed or hen may be a monstrosity and 

 can not be expected to hatch. An unusually small egg may be 

 defective and should not be incubated. An egg of unusual length 

 or one of unusual rotundity should not be placed under a hen nor 

 in an incubator. An even, uniform lot, assorted as to size, color, 

 and shape, will be apt to give the best results. Freshness is a prime 

 necessity. While an egg six weeks old may hatch, the chick will 

 be weak and hard to raise. Fresh eggs hatch earlier, and the chicks 

 from them are stronger than those from older eggs. As a rule, 

 eggs more than twelve days old should not be placed in an incu- 

 bator. This is one of the reasons why eggs from a flock numbering 

 from ten to twelve hens are more apt to hatch than are eggs from a 



