CHAPTER II 

 The Principles and Practice of Poultry Breeding 



Selection is the key to successful and satisfactory 

 breeding of poultry. In order to make proper selec- 

 tions, in breeding domestic fowls for his purposes, the 

 poultryman should have a thorough understanding of 

 the' underlying facts and exercise his brain powers to 

 the fullest extent possible. His knowledge should ex- 

 tend to all of the influences and conditions affecting the 

 breeding of the birds. 



THE FACTOBS IN POULTRY BREEDING. 



The numerous influences involved in the propagat- 

 ing of fowls may all be included in three groups: first 

 those relating to Inheritance; second, those which con- 

 stitute Environment; third, those which are the result 

 of Exercise of Functions. 



1. Inheritance or Heredity includes all the powers, 

 qualities and characteristics which the parents transmit 

 to the offspring through the germ-cell of the egg. The 

 germ-cell in a hen's egg is easily observed if one will 

 gently make an opening through the shell, about midway 

 on one side of the egg, and then hold the egg with this 

 opening uppermost. The yolk of the egg floats to the 

 top and carries, imbedded in its upper surface, a whitish 

 circular spot about one-eighth of an inch in diameter. 

 This spot is the gern>cell, which in a fertile egg, sub- 

 jected 1 to the influences of incubation, develops as an 

 embryo and, if all goes well, hatches into a live chick. 

 Wonderful indeed is the working of this law of life, 

 which insures the conveyance of the combined or ming- 

 led qualities of the hen that laid the egg and of the 

 male bird that mated with her, to the little chick hatched 

 from the egg. 



This powerful influence of inheritance extends to 



