102 POULTRY 
number of eggs that a hen has laid, because 
it has been found that the width between the 
pelvic bones may vary from day to day. 
Shape of Shanks. Another factor to be 
considered in culling is the shape of the 
shanks. It has been proved that a bird with 
a round shank is apt to be a poor layer; or, 
in other words, she is a meat hen. But if 
a hen has flat or wedge-shaped shanks this 
indicates that she will be a good producer. 
Therefore, in the culling, the birds having 
round shanks should be sold. 
The Head. The beak of a good-pro- 
ducing hen will be short and stubby, and 
will be faded, while the beak of a poor-pro- 
ducing hen may be yellow or may, very 
likely, be long and somewhat hooking. The 
eye of a good producer will be bright and 
not too prominent. If we hold the head in 
such a way that we look square at it, the 
eyes will not appear to be crossed. If a hen 
appears to be cross-eyed it will indicate that 
the bird has been a rather poor layer. The 
width of the head shows constitution; that 
is, the hen with a wide head is a strong, vigor- 
ous, thrifty hen, while the hen which has a 
