>>Students should become familiar with the different parts of the hen.

>>In particular, the comb, the eye ring, the ear lobe,

the beak, the wattles, the shoulder, the breast, keel bone, hock,

toes, shanks, abdomen, vent, pubic bones and tail.

>>Hens deposit yellow coloring or become bleached in certain areas

of their body including the vent, the eye ring, the ear lobe,

the beak, the bottom of the foot, the entire shank and the hock

and tops of toes.

Egg-Type Hen Selection Criteria

The most important selection criteria are pigmentation

and handling qualities and abdominal capacity.

They are both considered of equal importance.

Next are plumage condition and molt;

constitutional vigor and vitality;

and head and head parts, in that order.

>>As the hen ages and lays eggs, she packages zanthrophil,

the yellow pigment, in the yolk of her eggs.

This pigment or color is taken from various parts of her body.

>>Pigmentation is a term used to describe the presence

or absence of yellow pigment in the skin,

shanks and feet of the egg-type hen.

>>Leghorns or inbred crosses of leghorn type chickens

normally exhibit yellow pigmentation on the skin

and other parts of the body.

>>Students should learn how to accurately read pigment

as it is a good indicator of the number of eggs

laid by each hen.

Pigment fades from the hens body parts in a specific order.

First, pigment begins to fade from

in that order.

>>First, we begin by demonstrating the proper way to remove

the hen from the cage.

These birds are especially flighty,

so be careful as you remove them from the cage.

A hand is placed on the back of the bird

and on the stomach of the bird

and then the head of the bird is tucked into

the crook of the elbow.

This makes the bird comfortable.

It makes the bird relax, so that it can be maneuvered for evaluation.

Notice how the bird appears to be fairly comfortable

during the evaluation.

First, we evaluate a bird that has had good past performance.

Notice how bleached the eye ring is; totally devoid of color.

Notice how bleached the ear lobe is.

If you look closely, you can actually see

the hole where the bird hears.

The ear lobe is below that.

Notice the beak and it’s fairly bleached as well.

And notice that the comb and wattles are red and waxy

and in good condition.

A bird with poor past performance will have

a dry and shriveled up comb.

>>Now we turn the bird over and examine its vent.

Notice that this vent is bleached, moist and large.

This indicates that this bird has had good past performance.

>>The backs of the shanks and the bottoms of the feet

are thoroughly bleached as well indicating good past performance.

>>The front of the shanks are bleached as well,

indicating good past performance.

>>Next we determine the abdominal capacity of this hen.

This is done by placing the fingers between

the pubic bones and the keel bone.

In this case, it’s 4 fingers, indicating good past production

and good abdominal capacity.

Next we determine the pubic spread.

This is done by placing the fingers between the pubic bones

and determining how many fingers can fit there,

in this case, 3, indicating good abdominal capacity.

Next we check for abdominal fat.

If there is not very much abdominal fat there

then the bird is a good past producer.

The next procedure is to check the primaries

and determine how many primaries she has or if she is in molt.

This is done by finding the small axial feather

and then fanning out the primary feathers

and counting them one by one.

In this case, this bird has all 10 of her primary feathers

and she not in molt, indicating that she has good past performance.

Do both wings. Same procedure is used.

Find the axial feather, which is the small one,

and then count the primary feathers.

In this case, she has all 10 and she is not in molt.

She is in full production.

>>In some cases, good producing hens

can have frayed feathers.

>>Next we look at a hen with poor past production.

She has a shriveled comb and wattles.

She has coloration around her eye ring and a colored beak.

This bird is not bleached and still has coloration

on the backs of her shanks and the bottoms of her feet,

indicating poor past production.

>>This hen still has yellow pigmentation on the front

of her shanks and the tops of her feet,

indicating poor past production.

>>Next, we look at her vent and find that it’s small

and still has yellow pigments, indicating poor past production.

>>Looking at her primary feathers,

we find that couple of her primary feathers are missing.

Again, indicating poor past production.

>>Looking at the other wing, it’s easy to see

that she’s lost her primary feathers there as well.

With this bird, there is only a 3 finger spread

between her pubic bones and her keel bone,

indicating poor past production.

She only has about a 2 to 2.5 finger spread

between the pubic bones.

Again, indicating poor past production.

>>Checking for abdominal fat, we find that this bird

has more abdominal fat than the other one,

indicating, again, poor past production.

>>When we compare the color of the shanks of the four birds

side by side progressing from the best producer on the left

to the worst producer on the right,

we see the color differences.

We see that the one on the left has the lowest amount of pigment

and the one on the right has the most.

>>Using these techniques, the hens are placed in order

from best to worst.

© 2012 University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences