Part II.] FOWLS FOR EGG PRODUCTION. 21 



by the texture of that comb, by the way it feels, whether a 

 hen is laying or not, with great accuracy, just because of the 

 sympathetic development of these two functions, — the re- 

 productive system in correlation with these external charac- 

 teristics. 



The hen that is in full moult is still more dormant than the 

 other, ragged in plumage, dry in comb and with pale shanks, 

 and she is in a physical condition of dilapidation, and so for 

 at least three months of her life. That is not always the case 

 wdth all hens; some hens have so much vitality that they go 

 right on laying during their moult; others cease laying when 

 they begin their moult. When the hen has moulted and begun 

 to lay again her body is taking its new shape of activity and 

 development of the deep abdomen; she has a different car- 

 riage, larger comb, brighter color and is now functioning again. 



Now that discussion will perhaps serve the purpose of paving 

 the way to a careful, systematic classification of these charac- 

 teristics of the birds. There are four characteristics that we 

 look for in the birds to judge of their productive power. The 

 first is the texture of the comb; the color is worth something, 

 but it is not as valuable as the texture. The size is indicative 

 of productive power, but it is not as important as texture. Mr. 

 Kent, one of our instructors, discovered this fact a few years 

 ago in making his studies of the birds; that the feeling of the 

 comb, as to whether it is dry and hard or whether it is warm 

 'and pliable and velvety and soft, indicates whether a hen is 

 laying or not at the time the observation is made, and so we 

 take five degrees of variation. No. 1 is oily and soft; that 

 indicates that a hen is in a laying condition. No. 2 is very 

 pliable; she may be just getting ready to lay or may have 

 ceased laying for a little while. No. 3 is slightly "pliable; this 

 stage indicates that it is about halfway between the very soft, 

 pliable comb of a laying hen and the dry, hard comb of a 

 dormant hen. Then we have No. 4, quite hard, and No. 5, 

 dry, hard and stiff, in the case of the dormant, moulting hen. 



The second characteristic is that of the color of the shanks, 

 and in the case of any of the breeds that normally have yellow 

 shanks, — the Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes and Leghorns, — 

 when the hen is in full health and functioning, then we know 



