100 SELECTION OF STOCK 



Breed Adapted to Purpose. — The breed which best fits the 

 market requirements for the product desired should be selected. 

 The requirements of a market demanding a good-sized, white- 

 shelled egg can best be met by keeping the Single-comb White 

 Leghorn. Where a full-meated broiler is desired, such a breed as 

 Wyandotte or Rhode Island Red will meet conditions to the best 

 advantage. Where an extremely large bird for meat purposes is 

 the aim, as for large roasters or capons, no better selection could 

 be made than the Light Brahma. 



The breed, however, does not signify everything. Particular 

 strains of the same breed often vary more than different breeds of 

 similar general type. It is possible after the first selection of stock 

 has been made to increase continuously the efficiency of the par- 

 ticular strain in hand by careful mating and continuous rigid selec- 

 tion. The first point for consideration should be the exact char- 

 acter of product desired, and then it is a much simpler proposition 

 to find a breed suited to that purpose. 



Manner of Acquiring Stock. — There are three general methods 

 possible in securing foundation stock: (1) Purchasing eggs and 

 hatching them; (2) buying the birds as adults or before they 

 reach maturity; (3) buying day-old chicks. 



In the first plan there is always the danger of getting eggs from 

 birds which do not come up to the standard set by the purchaser, 

 and the danger of loss during incubation and l)rooding. There is 

 expense and trouble in inspecting the stock from which the eggs 

 came. It is never safe to buy either stock or eggs from flocks which 

 the pui chaser has not personally seen or in some manner become 

 acquainted with. 



The most satisfactory method, where time will permit, is to 

 purchase a number of pure-bred birds of the type desired, usually 

 in the fall, and mate them during the late winter, getting them 

 into good breeding condition by spring, so that a maximum number 

 of fertile eggs will be laid during the breeding season. In this way 

 a large flock can be quickly raised from parents of known quality 

 and breeding, the cost being much less than where all the eggs 

 must be purchased at high prices. 



The second method takes a little more time, but in reality 

 the actual breeding and improvement of the flock starts sooner, 

 and definite improvement from breeding will be apparent more 

 quickly. 



A third plan for start/ing in the poultry business is quite com- 



