254 PRACTICE OF POULTRY BREEDING 



Birds with Large Appetites. — The consumption of a large 

 amount of feed is essential in the case of the heavy layer, in order 

 to secure the materials necessary for the egg, and it has been 

 found that heavy egg production is always accompanied by heavy 

 eating. The bird with a vigorous appetite should be selected, not 

 the one which is a small and delicate feeder. A bird which does 

 not eat cannot provide material for both maintenance and pro- 

 duction, and hence is unprofitable, even though her cost for keep 

 is but slight. 



Early Risers and Late Retirers- — In the selection of breeders, 

 it is well to choose birds which are off the roost early in the morn- 

 ing and the last on the roost at night. This habit indicates a keen 

 appetite, since they are up with the first break of morn looking 

 for feed, and are the last to give up the search at night. This also 

 shows vitality, for any bird out of condition or with low vitality 

 will leave the roost late in the morning and with reluctance. 



Selection. — At the same time that one is breeding for this 

 quality in accordance with the preceding brief suggestions, it is 

 essential to select for the following features: (1) Constitutional 

 vigor; (2) egg type; and (3) size. (See Chapter XXX, page 534.) 



Constitutional vigor means the health, activity, and vitality 

 seen in strong fowls, the lack of which in weak ones makes them 

 unsatisfactory producers and reproducers. 



There is great need of breeding and selecting for constitutional 

 vigor, because we are expecting more of the modern hen in pro- 

 portion to her live weight and size than from any other class of 

 domestic or farm animals (not including honeybees). As a result 

 of heavy strain from overproduction, fowls often break down, and 

 the effect is shown in the future progeny. Much of the low fer- 

 tility and low hatching power in poultry, the weakness of chicks 

 and mortality in mature stock, when such conditions arise, can 

 be traced in large measure to the broken-down constitution of 

 the fowl under exacting requirements. 



A good hen is expected, on an average, to lay in one year five 

 times her body weight in eggs. This would equal one egg every 

 three days during the year. In order to accomplish what is 

 expected of her, she must consume about 30 times her body 

 weight of feed. 



By observing one or more flocks, it will be noted that from hatch- 

 ing time till death fowls differ considerably in regard to their consti- 

 tutional vigor, all flocks showing strong and weak fowls, regardless 



