28 THE CALL OF THE HEN. 



the end of the breast-bone, or keel, and the pelvic bones. 

 The method will be shown in detail in Chapter IV. 



Second. Condition. If the hen under consideration is 

 an egg type, -she must be kept in proper bodily condition by 

 supplying her with the right quantity and quality of food 

 that will furnish her with vitality material necessary to pro- 

 duce the number of eggs required of her. If the hen is in 

 good condition, the flesh on the breast will be plump or prac- 

 tically flush with the breast-bone. Any variation in that 

 condition will be shown by a shrinking away of the flesh 

 of the breast, and will be followed by a corresponding shrink- 

 ing of the abdomen. We show this by illustration and 

 example later. 



Third. Type. She must be of a type that everything 

 she consumes is used in producing the desired effect, whether 

 it is meat, whether it is eggs, or whether it is the maximum 

 amount of eggs and meat that a dual-purpose hen can pro- 

 duce. According to our idea, the type of hen determines 

 how she will dispose of the food she eats. The kind of type 

 is shown by the relative thickness of the pelvic bones. The 

 very thin bone indicates the egg type. As we pass into the 

 dual-purpose and beef types we find the bones becoming 

 thicker. We show these by illustrations and charts later. 



With the reader bearing the above three propositions in 

 mind namely, Capacity, Condition, and Type we will pro- 

 ceed to show how to judge the hen with the least amount of 

 time and labor. 



Fig. 1 shows the interior of an open-front colony house, 

 largely used around Petaluma. The roosts are connected to 

 the house by hinges, so they can be hooked up out of the way 

 while cleaning the house or examining the hens, as in the 

 present case. These houses are usually about 8 feet wide and 

 10 feet deep inside, with 4 feet posts and pitch roof. These 

 houses are open front, with the exception of 18 inches on 

 each side, as can be seen on one side, where hens are going 

 out of the house into the catching-coop. When hens move 

 too slow to suit, one or more persons (children will do) can 

 take a grain sack by bottom side in one hand and top side 

 in the other hand and go into the house holding sacks spread 

 apart and moving gently close to the floor or ground and 

 drive the hens into the catching-coop. When the coop is 



