UTILITY CLASSIFICATION 85 



not assuming the adult features very young. They are slow in 

 feathering and are always slow growers. It takes from six to 

 eight months or longer to mature a pullet to laying condition. 

 The males do not assume or attain the highest degree of perfection 

 for meat until from seven to ten months of age. Owing to their 

 slow development and slow feathering, they are rather hard to 

 raise during the first four months. Rainy weather and even damp, 

 unsettled weather seem to chill the young chicks, as they have 

 very little, if any, protection in the form of feathers. Although 

 growth takes place very late in the development of the birds, yet 

 the meat remains soft, so that at twelve months of age the flesh 

 may be as tender as it is at five or six months in the lighter breeds. 

 Later it becomes very fibrous. 



Persistent Sitters. They are naturally very persistent sitters 

 and good mothers; but, owing to their large size, feathered shanks, 

 and clumsy movements, they are apt to break the eggs or crush 

 the chicks in the nest. As there are several general-purpose breeds 

 which make as good or better sitters, hens of the meat breeds are 

 less used for that purpose. The Bantam meat breeds make very 

 good mothers, and are often used for that purpose. 



Poor Foragers. The heavy meat fowls are not, by nature, 

 adapted to seeking their own feed, and will not roam a great 

 distance from the roosting quarters in search of it. They are 

 easily enclosed, a three-foot fence being sufficient in most cases. 

 They are adapted to the small farm or city lot, where they are 

 confined in small areas. They are not persistent scratchers, and 

 can be given the freedom of a city lot without danger of seriously 

 disfiguring it. 



Extreme Hardiness. Fowls of the meat breeds are heavily 

 feathered, have small combs and wattles, and protected shanks; 

 this makes them well suited to withstand extremely low tempera- 

 tures. This fact should not encourage breeders to take undue 

 risk when providing winter quarters. No birds, regardless of their 

 make-up, will thrive in a house poorly ventilated or having an 

 excess of moisture. The Brahma is especially well protected 

 from the cold, owing to the small wattles and pea comb. The 

 Langshan (Fig. 53), on the other hand, has a rather large comb 

 and suffers more in this respect under adverse conditions. 



Egg- Laying. This group is not noted for its egg-laying pro- 

 pensities, being the lowest of any group. General-purpose breeds 

 surpass them in this respect. It is always true in animal breeding 



