8 THE CALL OF THE HEN. 



A Specirrien^must have lots of body capacity for large digestive 

 and egg organs, and for the consumption of a lot of food from which 

 to manufacture a large number of eggs. Therefore, select birds with 

 as much distance between the points of the pelvic bones and the point 

 of the breastbone as you can find. This will vary somewhat when 

 specimens are moulting and not in laying condition. They will show 

 less width or distance at that time than when in full laying. 



The skin over the abdomen must be soft and pliable and lacking 

 in thick, heavy fat or flesh in that particular section of the bird. The 

 skin on a good layer will feel soft, loose and pliable in all parts of the 

 body, more so than in a poor layer. 



If a hen has been a good layer in a yellow skinned variety, the 

 yellow pigment will be laid out of the legs, toes, beak and eye rings 

 of the bird, because same has been used by her in coloring the yolk 

 of the egg. 



No single one of these characteristics or points mentioned should 

 be taken into consideration in passing final judgment on any specimen. 

 They all play a more or less important part and each should be given 

 due consideration, and if that is done a poultryman can select the good 

 birds from the poor ones with almost as much accuracy as if he had 

 used a trapnest. 



The best time to apply this test is to begin about the close of the 

 heavy laying season to the beginning of the next laying season. In 

 other words, in most climates between June 1st and December 1st. 

 It is a good idea to go over the birds twice during this period, making 

 a first selection and later on a final selection, and then again before 

 the birds are finally put into the breeding pens. 



No definite method has yet been found for the selection of the 

 good layers among pullets before they have ever laid any eggs. It is 

 difficult to use any system outside of the trapnest with any great de- 

 gree of accuracy until the bird has passed through one laying season. 

 Something can be told about pullets, but we do not recommend apply- 

 ing this system until the birds have had an opportunity to produce 

 and reach their full state of growth and development. Next to the 

 trapnest there is no system in the world that is more accurate than that 

 outlined in this book. 



We would recommend that you read the suggestions that we have 

 given below for the selection of your layers and the culling of your 

 nonproducers, then after you have studied Mr. Hogan's suggestions 

 on the pages which follow and you have concluded all that he has said 

 on the subject, come back to this Chapter "A" and read all of this 

 chapter over a second time. You will then get its full effect and the 

 entire book will be clearer and the system more easily and throughly 

 understood. 



SELECTION VITALLY IMPORTANT. 



Right feeding alone is not the key to increased egg production. 

 More depends on careful selection of the hens. Too many farm flocks 

 are nonproducers and drones. Perhaps this is true of the entire flock, 

 or maybe only a part, but the drones are always responsible for the 

 limited profits. 



By selection, I do not mean that the farmer should buy prize 

 chickens at exorbitant prices, though I do believe in good blood. But 



