80 POULTRY FOR PROFIT 
layers molt late. Often they continue laying 
up until October and November. If you have 
hens nearly naked of feathers in October or 
November, just rest assured that these are 
your most profitable birds, and that they did 
not quit laying to put on a pretty coat of 
feathers in the middle of the summer. You 
should mark these birds in some manner, so 
that you can use them as breeders for the 
coming winter, because, if they are mated 
with a cockerel, that is the son of a good 
layer, your strain will be greatly improved, 
because these birds will transmit their laying 
ability to their offspring. 
A good laying hen will have a long, broad, 
and deep, rectangular body, with top and bot¬ 
tom lines parallel. This large sized body is 
essential to the hen, so that she will have 
sufficient room to digest enough food to make 
her eggs. A broad back is also necessary for 
proper room for the reproductive organs that 
make the egg. The head of the good layer 
is always of a healthy appearance. The good 
layer has a short' stubby beak, or bill, and 
gracefully curved, as compared to the long 
shapeless bill of the loafer. The eyes are 
