BROILER RAISING 381 



must be tender, due to rapid growth, and should be juicy and 

 free from excessive connective tissues, the latter fact depending 

 somewhat upon the breed used. (4) Yellow skin and shanks 

 bring the highest price. (5) White or light-feathered birds 

 are best. After plucking, there are no dark pins and pits to 

 detract from the appearance; this feature is less important than 

 those previously mentioned, yet it does have weight. (6) Broilers 

 should have been hatched from a quick-maturing strain or 

 breed, from parents which were quickly matured. The broilers 

 must be brought to maturity as quickly as possible to economize 

 time, to secure tenderness and texture of flesh, and to reduce 

 the cost of feeding and labor. A broiler which has developed 

 slowly, and taken twice the usual time to attain a given weight, 

 will never be a profitable bird, for the margin of profit is 

 small. (7) A broiler to make a first-class appearance should 

 have small comb and wattles, small shanks and feet and 

 short legs. The large comb is usually a sign of age and 

 slow growth. An understanding of the above requirements, 

 and their bearing on price and demand, is necessary in order 

 that the possibilities of the broiler industry may be fully 

 realized. 



Breeds Best Adapted to Broiler Raising. — As a rule, it may 

 be stated that the American or general utility breeds more nearly 

 fulfil the requirements for broiler raising than any other class 

 of fowls; this is especially true of the large broiler. The Wyan- 

 dottes, Plymouth Rocks, and Rhode Island Reds, if properly 

 managed, will attain a quick growth in twelve to fifteen weeks, 

 weighing at that time from one and one-half to two pounds each, 

 and they dress well and are always in demand. The White Wyan- 

 dottes probably offer as great opportunities for this class of broil- 

 ers as any one breed. It must here be emphasized that it is not 

 always the breed, but the breeding back of the particular strain, 

 which tells the story. 



In the hands of different breeders, various breeds may be 

 made to excel one another. The aim should be to select a good 

 breed, with the distinctive characteristics desired, and then by 

 breeding attempt to intensify those characteristics, at the same 

 time breeding to develop early maturity and vitality (Fig. 177). 

 For the squab and medium broiler trade, it is possible to turn out 

 the highest quality of poultry in the shortest possible time and 

 at the least expense by using White Leghorns. They are quick to 



