106 THE BEGINNER IN POULTRY 



know of one large firm which reports a loss of not more 

 than one per cent, among its thousands of layers during 

 the entire year. This may be regarded as the ideal 

 toward which every poultry raiser should struggle. But 

 only the best of selective and preventive work can bring 

 any poultry raiser close to this ideal. 



The owners of this great farm, the size of whose op- 

 erations may be indicated by the fact that it places, on 

 occasion, orders for 20,000 hatching eggs with one firm, 

 have described their system somewhat in detail. One 

 year, out of a lot of several thousand cockerels, 1500 

 were selected as the most desirable. This. bunch was 

 reduced, later, to 1000. When they were about half 

 grown, a final and more exacting selection threw out 

 one half of those remaining. On the same basis (that 

 of saving about one in eight as breeders), the farm pro- 

 ducing 100 young cockerels would keep the best dozen 

 only for breeders. On some farms, under small han- 

 dlers, selection is much more rigid than this ; only the 

 best two or three raised being reserved to head breed- 

 ing pens. Selection being first for vigor, then for type 

 and beauty and prolificacy and all other desired quali- 

 ties, the few reserved, if from good parentage, ought to 

 be almost perfection as far as the eye can judge. (Fur- 

 ther discussion of selective breeding will be found in 

 the chapter on Line Breeding.) 



Our first and keenest inquiry, here, must be directed 

 toward finding out the active agencies which enter into 

 practical prevention ; or, on the other hand, into the 

 spread of disease. The great preventive agencies are 

 good food, proper exercise, fresh air and the sunshine 

 which is its complement and a disinfectant as well, 



