g6 PROFITABLE POULTRY PRODUCTIOK 



various parts of the fowl. This is one of the safest; 

 guides in selecting fowls on the basis of vigor. For 

 example, a fowl of low vitality is likely to have a 

 long, thin beak and head ; long, thin neck ; long, 

 slender body; long, thin thighs and shanks; and 

 long, thin toes. The reverse is true of the physically 

 strong. To examine a fowl in detail for physical 

 vigor we may begin at the head. This in the phys- 

 ically strong should be medium to large, short and 

 broad, while in the physically weak it is more likely 

 to be long, flat and thin, with long, flat beak, pro- 

 ducing a crow-headed appearance. 



"A strong fowl should have a medium to large, 

 bright red comb and wattles. The fowl carries its 

 health certificate on top of its head. The eye is the 

 mirror of the body. It shows unmistakably the 

 condition of health and disease. A fowl in good 

 health should be of a bright color, round eye, which 

 should stand out prominently. The lids should not 

 droop, giving the appearance of a snake or a turtle 

 eye. The size and the way the tail is carried is also 

 an indication of vigor. A fowl having a strong con- 

 stitution has a full development of tail feathers. 

 These normally are carried erect. A fowl of the 

 same variety having a weak constitution, especially 

 if suffering from disease, is likely to have tail 

 feathers less developed, and to carry them on one 

 side, or drooping. This is more apparent when the 

 weak fowl is suffering from fright, which usually 

 will be the case when placed in the presence of the 

 strong. The breast should be round and full, the 

 keel bone well covered with meat. This indicates 

 good muscular development. A fowl shows ill- 

 health and weakness quickly and unmistakably by 

 a shrinking away of the muscles about the keel. 



