THE CALL OF THE HEN. 93 



this one was kept; but when we come to the 5 /Vinch pelvic 

 bone, we decide that we. have reached the lowest limit of 

 egg-production. 



The next hen may be six fingers abdomen, in normal con- 

 dition, and n /i6-inch pelvic bone; she will be a 130-egg type 

 hen, so we drop her. 



The next hen may be six fingers abdomen, in normal con- 

 dition; pelvic bones 3 /4 of an inch thick; she will be a 115-egg 

 type hen, so we will put her in the shipping-crate. 



The next hen may be three fingers abdomen, three fingers 

 out of condition, and Vs-inch pelvic bones. If her comb and 

 wattles are pale and bloodless, she is no doubt diseased and 

 should be disposed of; but if her comb and wattles are red, 

 it indicates, as a rule, that she is out of condition on account 

 of accident or lack of feed. In her present condition she 

 scores 166-egg type. If we get her in one finger better con- 

 dition, she will measure four fingers abdomen, and score 

 205-egg type; if we can get her in two fingers better condition, 

 she will measure five fingers abdomen and may be 3 /i 6 -inch 

 pelvic bones, on account of becoming a little more fleshy, 

 and score 220-egg type; and if we get her in three fingers- 

 better condition, she would then be in normal condition, and 

 her pelvic bones. might be 3 /ie or */4 inch thick; if the latter, 

 she would score 2!35-egg type. (We will have more to say 

 on the changing of thickness of the pelvic bone in the last 

 of Chapter XVIII.) 



We will continue selecting or separating the good from 

 the poor layers in the same manner, keeping every hen for 

 another year in the three-finger-abdomen class that is 5 /i 6 -inch 

 pelvic bone and thinner, and sending every hen to market 

 that is over 5 /i 6 -inch pelvic bone in the three-finger-abdomen 

 class; keeping every hen in the four-finger-abdomen class that 

 is 7 /i6-inch pelvic bone and thinner, and sending every hen 

 to market that is over 7 /i 6 -inch pelvic bone in the four-finger- 

 abdomen class; keeping every hen in the five-finger-abdomen 

 class that is 9 /i 6 -inch pelvic bone and thinner, and sending 

 every hen to market that is over 9 /i 6 -inch pelvic bone; keep- 

 ing every hen in the six-finger-abdomen class that is u /ie-inch 

 pelvic bone and thinner, and sending every hen to market 

 that is over n /ie-inch pelvic bone thick. 



