Chapter VIII. 

 HENS EXPRESSLY FOR EGG PRODUCTION. 



The best " egg producer" is good food and plenty of it. 

 The hen that sits on the roost or fence in zero weather, or 

 stands on one leg in the snow all day, is not a 7vinter layer. 



— Harriet. 



Keeping hens for laying purposes chiefly is a 

 profitable part of the poultry business when rightly 

 conducted and when the surrounding conditions are 

 favorable. 



The selection of the laying stock is a matter of 

 much importance. There is the "laying type" 

 among hens just as there is the " milk type " among 

 dairy cows. These are found 

 to some extent among all 

 breeds but in larger propor- 

 tion among the Mediterranean 

 class. Generally speaking, 

 good layers are fine -boned. 

 This is seen in the shank which 

 is slender and relatively short. 

 This feature is determined by one of the "laying 

 comparing specimens of each ^^ ^'^" 



breed by themselves, that is, Leghorn hens must be 

 compared with Leghorn hens ; Brahma hens with 

 Brahma hens, etc. A small feminine head with promi- 

 nent eyes and a slender neck are also indications of a 

 good layer, just as similar features in a cow betoken a 

 copious milker. The body of a good layer is rather 

 long and wedge-shaped, smaller in front than back. 



