THE CALL OF THE HEN. 115 



BODY TYPE 



20 Points, 60 eggs. 



A bird of good body is usually well balanced in that the body itself must be deep, 

 showing a nearly rectangular form, well developed in breast and abdomen. Great 

 depth of body is especially desirable, but apparent depth must not be due to loose 

 feathering, which is generally known by an evidence of loose thigh feathers. Cochin 

 and exhibition game type and feathering, are usually associated with poor production. 

 Large capacity is essential if a hen is to lay long and heavily. Such capacity is desig- 

 nated by a body that is deeper at the rear end of the keel than at the front end. The 

 underline should be fairly straight and the back should be comparatively horizontal. 

 Prominent breast development, with evidence of a long keel are desirable qualities in 

 a high-producing hen. The general body conformation of a heavy producer conforms 

 very closely to a rectangle with pronounced angles rather than smooth curves. A male 

 shows the same general characteristics as a female, except that the abdomen is not so 

 deep. 



A small-capacity hen generally stands erect. The body is either very shallow and 

 cut away at the breast and abdomen or in the case of beefy individuals, the abdomen 

 shows a pronounced sagging at the rear of the keel, due to large accumulations of fat. 

 Extremely poor producers frequently show a hump on the back. 



BODY CONFORMATION 



35 Points, 105 eggs. 



When taken in the hands, a heavy producer will show, by the sense of touch 

 great depth of body, especially at the front and rear of the keel bone Depth and slab- 

 sidedness may be measured by placing the thumbs on the middle of the back, and 

 the little fingers on the front of the keel bone and the middle fingers on the rear end 

 of the keel bone. Press in with the palms of the hands and do not squeeze the bird 

 up with the fingers. The deeper and more slabsided the bird feels, the better. It is 

 relative depth that is desired and not actual depth. A big hen may be actually deep 

 and yet relatively shallow and hence be a poor layer. Relative depth of front to rear 

 of body may be measured by spanning the body with the thumb and middle fingers 

 from back to breast and sliding the fingers and thumb along the keel and back. The 

 keel must be moderately straight, relatively long and carried well back. The space 

 between the pelvic bones and the keel must be free from excessive accumulation of fat. 

 Birds which are laying heavily can be readily detected by the development of the ab- 

 domen. Such birds will show pelvic arches which are widespread and a keel which is 

 forced down away from the pelvic arches so as to give large capacity. The pelvic 

 bones will be thin and free from fat, straight and widely spread in heavily laying hens. 



The vent becomes large, soft and moist and free from yellow color soon after a 

 bird begins to lay. A non-laying bird has a puckered, hard, dry yellow vent. The 

 condition of the vent gives information as to the present laying condition. 



The poor producer generally shows a shallow body, especially at the front of the 

 keel, a small shrunken abdomen, together with all evidences of small capacity. 



