12 THE CALL OF THE HEN. 



in the smaller breeds such as the Leghorn, and four or more fingers 

 in the larger breeds such as the Plymouth Rock, indicates that the 

 hen is in a laying condition. A spread of less than three fingers in 

 the smaller breeds and less than four fingers in the larger breeds in- 

 dicates that she is not in laying condition. 



Sternal Processes. These, like the pelvic arches, should, in a 

 bird of good production or in a bird which is producing heavily, show 

 good quality by being soft and pliable, prominent, and generally bent 

 outward. 



Head. One of the finer indications, yet one of the most valuable 

 in picking the high layers, is the fineness of the head. The head of 

 a good layer is fine; that is, the wattles and ear lobes fit close to the 

 beak and are loose and flat, the face is clean cut, and the eyes are full, 

 round, clear, and prominent, especially as seen from the front. 



Feathering. The high layer is trimmer and always apt to be 

 somewhat more angular; that is, the feathers lie closer to the body 

 than on the poor layers, and after heavy production the oil from the 

 base of the feathers does not keep the plumage relatively so sleek and 

 glossy as on a poorer layer. On the other hand, the plumage of the 

 heavy layer is apt to become worn and threadbare. 



Comb, Wattles, and Ear Lobes. The comb, wattles, and ear lobes 

 enlarge or contract, depending upon the activity of the ovary. If 

 these parts are large, full, and smooth, or hard and waxy, the bird is 

 in full lay. If the comb is limp, the bird is only laying slightly, but 

 is not laying at all when the comb is dried down, especially at molting 

 time. If the comb is warm, it is an indication tha t the bird is coming 

 back into production. 



Molting. When a bird stops laying in the summer, she usually 

 starts molting. The later a hen lays in the summer, or the longer the 

 period in which she lays, the greater will be her production; hence the 

 high producer is the late layer and the late molter. The length of 

 time that a hen has been molting, or has stopped laying, can be de- 

 termined by the molting of the ten large feathers at the end of the 

 wing primary feathers. It takes about six weeks to renew com- 

 pletely the primary feather next to the middle feather of the wing, 

 and an additional two weeks for each subsequent or outer primary 

 to be renewed. 



Temperment and Activity. A good layer is more active and yet more 

 easily handled than a poor layer; she shows more friendliness, and 

 yet elusiveness, than a poor layer. A poor layer or a bird which is 

 loafing is apt to be shy, staying on the edge of the flock, and will gener- 

 ally squawk when caught. 



Type. In order to make a good record a hen must not only lay 

 long, but heavily. In order to lay heavily she must have sufficient 

 body capacity to digest large amounts of food rapidly. Large capacity 

 in a laying hen is shown by a body that is deeper at the rear end of 

 the keel than at the front end. The under line should be fairly straight 

 and the back should be comparatively horizontal 



A small capacity hen stands erectly. The body is either very 

 shallow or, in the case of beefy individuals, the abdomen shows a pro- 

 nounced sagging at rear of keel. A small-capacity hen generally pos- 

 sesses a hump on the back. The comb generally has sharp, narrow 

 points, with the blades pointing up. * 



