tember or October, with large moist vent, with large bright 

 red combs, thin pliable pelvic bones well spread apart, wide 

 spread between pelvic bones and rear end of keel, and large 

 soft pliable abdomen. In breeds with yellow skins, the 

 shanks of hens saved should also show pale or white shanks 

 and pale or white beaks and vents. 



A systematic culling of the flock, based upon six factors 

 should be used: vitality, moult, body capacity, pelvic bones, 

 pigmentation, and the crop. 



First: Vitality. This is judged from an examination of 

 the keel, breast, and head. A bird that lacks vitality is list- 

 less and mopes, its keel is shrunken, its breast does not indi- 

 cate vitality, and it has a small crusty comb, and long beak, 

 and dull eyes. On the other hand, the high producing hen is 

 plump about the keel, her breast is firm, indicating vitality ; 

 she has brilliant, prominent eyes, large comb free of scales, 

 and a short well curved beak, and a good shaped head. 



Second: Moult. The high producing hen will moult rap- 

 idly and late in the season, while the low producer will moult 

 slowly and early. Under ordinary conditions, a hen that has 

 completed, or is well into the moult in July or August, 

 should be discarded from the flock. The hen that is just be- 

 ginning to moult in September or October should be retained 

 as a desirable layer and possible breeder. The late moulting 

 hen will be characterized in the fall by broken and thread- 

 bare plumage. The early moulting hen will have clean, new 

 plumage, and a full coat of new feathers, by this time. 



Third: Body Capacity. This indicates ability to digest 

 and assimilate large quantities of feed. Place your hand 

 across the intestinal regions, index flnger pressing up against 

 the pelvic bones, which terminate on each side of the vent, 

 and the small finger resting down against the end of the 

 keel, which terminates at a distance between the pelvic 

 bones. The abdomen at this point should be full, soft and 

 pliable, but not baggy to such an extent that it drops below 

 the point of keel. It should not bend too abruptly upward, 

 nor be firm with fat deposit. The capacity of a good layer 

 ranges from four to six fingers in distance from the pelvic 

 bones to the keel. One or two finger capacity birds should be 

 culled out, though it pays sometimes to keep a hen with a 

 good three finger capacity if she is otherwise 0. K. 



Fourth: Pelvic Bones: The pelvic bones should be 

 straight, far apart, and ranging in thickness from 1-16 to 3-8 

 of an inch. Thick inflexible and crooked pelvic bones indicate 



48 



