. The business hen (a new brood). Poultry. 14 The Business Hen. hens by the eye—studying shape and what egg-laying habits he could see— said that when he finally made his selection he found the hens about as follows: EGG TYPE.—"Large-boned, rather long in leg and neck, long on the back, deep up and down, with legs set fairly well apart, breast bone some- what prominent, flesh hard, strong and muscular, in good condition, but not fat; comb rather above average in size; eyes bright and full; disposition lively, but not scarey; more inclined to follow after and crowd about than to run and fl
. The business hen (a new brood). Poultry. 14 The Business Hen. hens by the eye—studying shape and what egg-laying habits he could see— said that when he finally made his selection he found the hens about as follows: EGG TYPE.—"Large-boned, rather long in leg and neck, long on the back, deep up and down, with legs set fairly well apart, breast bone some- what prominent, flesh hard, strong and muscular, in good condition, but not fat; comb rather above average in size; eyes bright and full; disposition lively, but not scarey; more inclined to follow after and crowd about than to run and fly; large consumers of food, and always hungry when fed regularly and given a chance to ; Of course the type for other breeds would differ from this, but the owner must first decide what he wants his hens to be, and then watch for that type in his flock. In most breeds the best layers are broad and deep, with rather long bodies, with a long neck and small head. The shape of the hen is not as safe a guide as with other animals, for the hen is covered with feathers which may seem to change her shape. The actions of the hen indicate her laying qualities far better than her shape; still it is well to fix a certain type in mind and use it for our standard. Strong and vigor- ous chicks cannot be hatched unless the hens are in good condition. If they are fat and dumpy the chicks will fail. The hens must be kept at work and in good condition. SELECTING BREEDERS.—When a man is keeping poultry for profit, or expects to continue in the business, he should keep these selected breeders by themselves with the best male bird he can find. In this way he can use the eggs from these hens for hatching. Usually he will have to select the male by his appearance, but he should try to have him close to the general type of the hens, and be sure that he is strong, vigorous and active. It is not a wise plan to select these breeders in the Spring, just before their eggs are wanted fo
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectpoultry, bookyear1904
