Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1918-10-23
Delaware County Farm Bureau
County Agents Oaice)
County Agents Oaice.)

pletely as those in bare yards. Som
soils also tend to bleach the color o
the legs. Hens showing stronl
or medium yellow shank colo
are most certainly poor layers. but oc
casionally poor layers. may show pal
the Rhode Island Red where tn
shanks may show horn color as vel
as yellow, the horn must no
be confused with the yellow. The rea
and sides of the shank show little o
this horn color. A sick hen or one IL
poor condition may also show pal
shanks.
Beak color-In breeds having vel
low beaks, the same principle apple!
as in the case of the yellow shanks
However, the color is lost from thu
beak more quickly than from thu
shanks and is also regained more
quickly. The lower beak bleache:
faster than the upper, but may be us
ed where the upper is obscured b,
horn or black.
Vent color-In yellow skinned
breeds the yellow color Of the Skin
Immediately about the vent is quickly
lost with laying, and is quickly regain
ed after laying ceases. White or pink
vent color generally indicates that the
hen is laying, while yellow vent
means that the bird is not laying.
Appearance of vent-The vent of a
hen laying heavily is large. expanded
or moist, while that of hen not laying
is comparatively small, hard, puckered
and dry.
Comb-When a hen is laying or
about to lay her comb is large, waxy
fun of blood, and bright in color
When not laying, the comb is small
and shrunken, pale or dull in color,
comparatively hard, and covered with
whitish scales A dark or blush COL
or usually indicates sickness. The
changes in the wattles and ear lobes
are similar to those Of the comb but
not so marked. 1t is necessary to keep
in mind the difference in size Of comb
of the various breeds.
Pelvic bones-As a hen stops laying
there is tendency for her to take on
fat This is noticeable in examining
the pelvic bones. the two bones
which can be felt as points on either
side of the vent When the hen is lay
ing, these bones are comparatively thin
and flexible. When she is not laying,
they feel thicker and less flexible, due
to the fat which has accumulated
there. The spread or distance apart
of these pelvic bones is also valuable
indication of whether or not the hen
is laying. When laying they are wild
err apart than when not laying. The
spread can be roughly measured for
practical purposes by determining
how many fingers can be laid between
the bones. If the spread measures
two fingers or less, the probabilities
are that the hen is not laying. while
If the spread is greater, she is probab-
ly laying. In measuring this spread
the size of the hens of different breeds,
with the corresponding natural DIFF
ference in the spread, must be kept in
mind.
Distance from pelvic bones to keel
bone-A hen laying we'll Is a good eat
err Her intestines are therefore
fuller and more distended. and require
more room than when she is not lay
ing and not eating so much. When
laying the ovary and oviduct are
larger and require more room. To
provide this extra room. the distance
from the rear end of the keel to the
pelvic bones increases with conse-
quent increase in size Of the abdomen.
A spread of three or more fingers in
the smaller breeds such as the Leg
horn and four or more fingers in the
larger breeds such as the Plymouth
Rock indicates that the hen is in lay
ing condition. A spread Of less than
three fingers in the smaller breeds and
less than four fingers in the larger
breeds indicate that she is not in lay
ing condition.
Flexibility Of abdomen-When the
hen is laying, the greater size Of the
abdomen, together with he lessened
tendency to accumulate fat at this