Constitutional Vigor in Poultry Breeding. 



617 



last to get off the perch in the morning, and the first to go to roost at 

 night, and frequently is found on the perch during the day. 



The loudness and the frequency of the crow of the male, or the song 

 or the cackle of the female, is a reliable indication of strength. The 

 weak fowl seldom crows, or sings, and is less likely to do so when in 

 the presence of a strong individual of the same sex. 



Gallantry on the part of the male is shown in his generosity toward 

 the females, as indicated by his calling them and giving to them the 



Fig. 10. — Two flocks of Leghorn chickens graded according to their constitutional vigor. 

 Group A, strong; Group B, weak. Some of the same chickens at a later age are 

 shown in Figure 1 1 . 



tenderest morsels to eat. This is one of the indications of physical vigor 

 on the part of the male especially during the breeding season. 



The shape of the body is closely related to the health and physical 

 vigor of the individual. The deep, thick, compact body, with large 

 fluff, shows greater vigor than the slender, long-jointed, more delicate 

 body of the same variety. This is particularly noticeable in comparing 



