PRAIRIE FARMER'S POULTRY BOOK 



it cannot handle the raw material in abundance. If the di- 

 gestive and reproductive organs which constitute the egg 

 factory are in a cramped abdominal cavity they cannot be 

 expected to yield a large output in eggs. Capacity is usually 

 determined by the span between the ends of the pubic bones 

 and the lower point of the keel. This measurement should be 

 three fingers or more. If the measurement is four or five 

 fingers, capacity is large and the hen is probably a good pro- 

 ducer. If less than three fingers there is reason to doubt the 

 quality of the hen. 



This caution should be given. There are times when a 

 good producer will be found more or less contracted in the 

 abdominal region. This may happen at the close of a long 

 siege of sitting or during the period of the molt. This must 

 be taken into account in culling for this defect. Again, 

 capacity may sometimes be abnormally large, as with a hen 

 excessively fat or with a drooping abdomen. A baggy abdo- 

 men, which hangs below the keel, indicates a breaking down 

 of the egg organs, and such a hen should be marketed at an 

 early date. 



Temperament has something to do with the energy of a 

 fowl. Temperaments are described as nervous, sanguine, 

 l)'mphatic and bilious. A nervous temperament means 

 greater energy and more work accomplished than could be 

 possible with a bilious temperament. The Buff Cochin has 

 a bilious temperament and produces few eggs; a Plymouth 

 Rock has a sanguine temperament and is a good average layer. 

 A White Leghorn has a nervous temperament and excels in 

 egg-production. Many individuals of the dual purpose breeds 

 are nervous in temperament and excel in production. This is 

 illustrated in the White Rock hen. Lady Show-you, the 

 champion in the first Mountain Grove, Mo. contest. She was 

 nervous, exceedingly active and energetic, always searching 

 for food. Temperament is a good guide in selecting the good 

 producers of a flock. 



Anatomy. This term applies to structural characters. The 

 most important structural characters which have a bearing on 

 egg-production are the pubic bones. In a good layer these are 

 thin, straight and well spread apart. The spread is generally 

 measured by the tips of the fingers. A finger measures about 

 one-half inch to three-fourths of an inch. When a hen is in 

 laying condition the distance between the pubic bones is 



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