THE CALL OF THE HEN. 11 



that the bird has laid continually without rest for a period indicated 

 by the amount of yellow present; whereas, if the bird shows more yellow 

 in any preceding part of the sequence as outlined, it indicates a rest 

 period depending on the difference of the yellow color found in these 

 parts. 



BODY CHANGES DUE TO LAYING. 



Vent. A laying hen has a large, moist vent, showing a dilated 

 condition and looseness, as compared with the hard, puckered vent of 

 nonlaying hens. 



Abdomen. The abdomen is dilated as well as the vent, so that 

 the pelvic arches are wide-spread, and the keel is forced downward 

 away from the pelvic arches, so as to give large capacity. The more 

 eggs the bird is going to lay in the following week, the greater will be 

 the size of the abdomen in proportion to the size of the bird. The 

 actual size of the abdomen is, of course, greatly influenced by the size 

 of the bird and to a certain extent, by the size of the egg laid. 



Quality of Skin. Heavy production is shown by the quality of 

 the skin. Fat goes out from the skin and body with production, so 

 that the heavy producers have a soft, velvety skin that is not under- 

 laid by heavy layers of hard fat. The abdomen in particular is soft 

 and pliable. 



Pelvic Arches or Pelvic Bones. Heavy production is shown by 

 the quality and the thickness and stiffness of the pelvic arches or bones. 

 In heavy producers these are apt to show high qualities by being thin 

 and pliable rather than stiff and thick; hence the thicker and blunter 

 the pelvic bones and the greater the amount of fat and meat covering 

 them, the less the production, or the longer the time since production 

 ceased. 



The pelvic bones are those found on each side of the vent and 

 abdomen. They are just below the tail bone and just above the rear 

 point of the breastbone. These bones will be thin, straight and pliable 

 in a good layer. They are usually crooked or thick and covered with 

 heavy skin and fat in a poor layer. Determine their thickness by 

 pinching them between the thumb and first finger. These bones should 

 not only be thin, but there should be a good distance between the point 

 of the breastbone and the pelvic bones. There should also be con- 

 siderable distance between the two pelvic bones when the hen is in 

 laying condition, but not so much when she is not laying. 



The spread or distance between the pelvic bones and point of 

 breastbone can be roughly measured for practical purposes by deter- 

 mining how many fingers can be laid between the bones. If the spread 

 measures two fingers or less the probabilities are that the hen is not- 

 laying, while if the spread is greater, she is probably laying. In measur- 

 ing this spread the size of the hens of different breeds, with the cor- 

 responding natural difference in the spread, must be kept in mind. 



Distance from Pelvic Bones to Keel Bone. A hen laying well is 

 a good eater. Her intestines are, therefore, fuller and more distended, 

 and require more room than when she is not laying and not eating so 

 much. When laying, the ovary and oviduct are of greater size and 

 require more room. To provide this extra room, the distance from 

 the rear end of the keel to the pelvic bones increases with a consequent 

 increase in size of the abdomen. A spread of three or more fingers 



