THE CALL OF THE HEN. 61 



is a typical meat type hen. All she consumes goes to the pro- 

 duction of meat, except what she uses in bodily maintenance. 

 The hen listed as 1-16 pelvic bone on chart No. 2 is a typical 

 e gg tyP e nen - The hen listed as 3-8 pelvic bone on same 

 chart is a dual purpose type hen and the one listed as 

 3-4 pelvic bones is a typical meat type hen the same rule fol- 

 lows in all the charts. All the hens listed as 1-16 pelvic bone 

 are typical egg type hens and they can't be made to pay as a 

 meat proposition. The hens listed in the center of each chart 

 are the dual purpose hens. They can be used as an egg and as 

 a meat proposition. The hens listed on the bottom of each chart 

 are the meat type hens. Nature has fitted them for the pro- 

 duction of flesh and there is no human agency that can change 

 them to a paying egg proposition. 



Between the above three distinct types, there are combin- 

 ations of each adjoining types this allows sufficient latitude for 

 the preference of each individual breeder. A person can 

 breed the typical egg type hen and cock bird with pelvic bones 

 1-16 of an inch thick. If he thinks this type is too delicate he 

 can breed from the 3-16 pelvic bone stock. This is my favorite 

 type. T,he hen of this type is better able to withstand the vi- 

 cissitudes of the poultry yard than her finer bred sisters. I will 

 have more to say along this line in the chapter on broilers. I 

 think we have given sufficient examples in chapters 3-4-5-6 

 and 7 to enable the reader to examine a hen so he may be able 

 to arrive at her approximate value, for the purpose he wishes 

 to use her for. 



In a previous chapter we have said there is occasionally 

 found a hen seven fingers abdomen. If the reader finds one 

 he can score her by chart No. 6 and add fifteen eggs to the 

 number indicated. For instance, if the hen is in condition and 

 measures seven fingers abdomen and her pelvic bones are 3-8 

 thick, chart No. 6 would indicate she was a 205 egg type bird, 

 we then add 15 eggs to the 205 which gives the hen 220 egg 

 capacity. If she is five finger abdomen and two fingers out of 

 condition we call her seven finger abdomen and proceed as 

 above which gives us the same results, There are two other 

 matters 1 wish to call the attention of the reader to in this 

 place. One is that I have found hens occasionally that laid a 

 great deal better by the trap nest than they scored by the 

 Hogan test, but it was owing to a mistake made in measuring 



