Breeding Poultry from a Fancier's Standpoint. 331 



ence that comes with years of mating and rearing the progeny of 

 these matings. 



I do not believe that there is a fancier in the whole United 

 States who can go into your poultry exhibition, if unacquainted 

 with the fowls, and select a pair, trio or pen of Barred 

 Rocks, from which he can produce next season the winners at 

 any of our larger shows. It is this continual mixing up of un- 

 related bloods that brings to the surface so many imperfections. 

 AVe hear the continual cry, " "We need new blood in our yards," 

 from those who have not bred in line even for three years. While, 

 on the other hand, continual success comes to those who have bred 

 their stock in line for 20 years. 



It is quite usual to attribute all the ill effects of bad matings 

 to inbreeding. You will often hear it said that size has gone, 

 the result of inbreeding for color. While this may be the pres- 

 ent condition of a flock of birds, it is the actual result of in- 

 breeding poor form and inferior size; for, if form and size have 

 equal consideration with color in your matings they are quite as 

 apt to improve as is the color. It is quite as easy to keep size 

 where it should be as it is to gain good color. 



When we have fully learned that size is largely influenced by 

 the female, we will begin to discard, as breeders, all females that 

 are undersized. More attention will be given to the selecting 

 of fine, large, vigorous females for our breeding stock. The 

 more familiar we become with the real value of such females, the 

 more willing will we discard or destrov the small or undersized 

 specimens. If we absolutely set our rule against the use of small 

 or undersized females as breeders, there will not be any danger 

 of injury to size from line breeding properly carried on for 20 

 years. 



At once we are prompted to ask: How shall this be properly 

 done so as to hold the vigor? This is the result of personal 

 knowledge as to the pedigree of your stock. The most absolute 

 knowledge of their breeding can come only from knowing the 

 hen that produces each individual egg, and in this way know the 

 sire and dam of each chick produced. If your fowls are mated 

 in pairs, and you possess three to five good hens, it provides as 

 many families as females bred, and the interchange of the sepa- 

 rate descendants from these hens will provide all the new blood 

 that can be needed for many years. If such care and attention 

 were given to their production, more fine show specimens would 

 be produced from a dozen good hens than are now produced from 

 flocks of a hundred. 



