34 



THE CALL OF THE HEN. 



hens will be two fingers between the two pelvic bones and 

 the rear of the breast-bone, some will be three' fingers, some 

 will be four fingers, some will be five fingers, some will be six 

 fingers, and occasionally one will be seven fingers between 

 the two pelvic bones and the rear of the breast-bone. The 

 depth of the abdomen indicates the capacity or the ability 

 of the bird to consume and assimilate food, and it applies 

 to all breeds, except that, everything else being equal, the 

 longer-bodied hen, having more room for the digestive ma- 

 chinery, would have some advantage over the shorter-bodied 

 hen. 



FIG. 7 Showing how to test capacity. 



Fig. 8. This indicates how to hold a hen when you 

 examine her for condition. This is one of the most difficult 

 and serious problems a poultryman has to deal with. To 

 illustrate, I will cite one case out of hundreds that have 

 come under my observation. A gentleman wrote me to call 

 on him, as he was having trouble with his hens. When I 

 arrived at his place, he told me that when he fed his hens 



