THE BREEDING OF CHICKENS I'.'u 



tive rather than a!)sohite. While a \ou^, straiglit, narrow 

 beak is undesirable on any breed, the beak of a Leghorn 

 cannot be exjjected to be as short, stout and of the same 

 curvature as that of a Brahma or even a Plymouth Rock. 

 Breed characteristics must be gi\'en due consideration and the 

 comparison of these characteristics should be between mem- 

 bers of the same breed. 



The head should be of fair size because of its breadth and 

 depth rather than its length; show a pair of keen, alert, and 

 rather prominent eyes, which are directed nearly at right 

 angles to the long axis of the head and are free from ])ufi'>' 

 or overhanging eyebrows; carry a comb that is well ilc\cloi)c<l 

 and fiery red, and a beak that is comparatively short, stout, 

 and well curved. The so-called "cross-eyed" hen is to be 

 avoided. 



A head that carries a chronically congested comb, a long, 

 straight beak, or is itself long and narrow, or sunken, will 

 usually be associated with functional weakness throughout 

 the body. 



The body trunk must furnish ample room for the vital 

 organs and particularly those organs which are associated 

 directly with the digestion and assimilation of feed and the 

 manufacture of eggs. There seems to be a decided correla- 

 tion between a capacious body and digestive and reproduc- 

 tive organs of good size and vigor. For a time it was held 

 that the rear half of the fowl's body should be deep in pro- 

 portion to the front half. This was largely based on the fact 

 that the ovary and oviduct and the gizzard and intestines 

 extend from about the middle of the body (from front to 

 back) to its posterior extremity. From continued observa- 

 tion, however, it appears that while the great asset is capacity 

 and all great producers have it, the form of body wath regard 

 to its relative fore- and after-depth varies greatly. 



The heavy producers that are able to persist in their high 

 production for a number of years without becoming ruptured 

 or, as poultrymen term it, " breaking down behind," usually 

 have the abdomen supported by a long keel (breast bone). 



The individual that possesses a roljust constitution will 

 have the capacious body su])portcd by strong, parallel, or 



