SELECTING HENS FOR EGG PRODUCTION 145 



The eye ring, that is, the inner edges of the eyelids, 

 bleach out a trifle more slowly than the vent. The ear 

 lobes on Leghorns and Anconas bleach out a little more 

 slowly than the eye ring, so that a bleached ear lobe 

 means a little longer or greater production than a 

 bleached vent or eyelid. 



The color goes out of the beak beginning at the base, 

 and gradually disappears until it finally leaves the front 

 part of the upper beak. The lower beak bleaches faster 

 than the upper but may be used where the upper is 

 obscured by horn or black. On the average-colored, 

 yellow-skinned bird, a bleached beak means heavy pro- 

 duction for at least 4 to 6 wk. 



The shanks are the slowest to bleach out and hence 

 indicate a much longer period of production than the 

 other parts. The yellow goes out from the scales on the 

 front of the shanks first and finally from the scales on 

 the rear. The scales on the heel or rear of the hock 

 joint of the shank are the last to bleach out and may 

 generally be used as an index as to the natural depth 

 of yellow color of the fowl. A bleached-out shank 

 usually indicates fairly heavy production for at least 

 15 to 20 wk. 



The yellow color comes back into the vent, eye ring, 

 ear lobes, beak, and shanks in the same order that it 

 went out, only the color returns much more quickly 

 than it goes out. A vacation or rest period can some- 

 times be determined by the end of the beak being 

 bleached and the base being yellow. 



Body Changes Due to Laying. A laying hen has a 

 large, moist vent showing a dilated condition and loose- 

 ness as compared with the hard, puckered vent of a non- 

 laying hen. 



The whole abdomen is dilated as well as the vent, so 

 that the pelvic arches are widespread and the keel is 

 forced down, away from the pelvic arches so as to give 

 large capacity. The more eggs a fowl is going to lay the 

 following week the greater will be the size of the ab- 

 domen. The actual size of the abdomen is, of course, 



