BREEDING RHODE ISLAND REDS FOR 

 RAPID FEATHERING 



By F. A. Hays and Ruby Sanborn 



Introduction 



Rapid chick feathering is considered to be a very valuable character in flocks 

 bred for high egg production. Cockerels sold for broiler purposes command a 

 significantly higher price if they exhibit complete feathering. Rapid feathering 

 is also thought to offer some protection against feather pulling and cannibalism 

 during the early growing period. During the last two decades poultry breeders 

 have given much attention to fixing this trait in the general purpose breeds 



The fact has long been known that such breeds as Rhode Island Reds, Ply- 

 mouth Rocks, Wyandottes, and Orpingtons show a sex-dimorphism in the rate 

 of feathering. Females of these breeds usually develop complete feather cover- 

 ing at an earlier age than males. Saharova (1926) called attention to sex differ- 

 ences in the rate of feathering of the general purpose breeds, to the slow feather- 

 ing in the Asiatic breeds, and to the rapid feathering in the Mediterranean breeds. 

 He indicated that the dimorphic type of feathering was dominant over rapid 

 feathering, was not sex-linked but was partly sex-limited. Danforth (1929) 

 crossed White Leghorns, Barred Plymouth Rocks, and Rhode Island Reds and 

 grafted skin from one breed to another. He concluded that there are two factors 

 producing slow feathering. One of these factors is sex-linked and occurs in Rhode 

 Island Reds. A second factor produces an inhibitory effect through the soma. 

 Both the sex-linked and the inhibitory factor occur in Barred Plymouth Rocks. 



Warren (1925) reported on the mode of inheritance of a single sex-linked re- 

 cessive gene for rapid chick feathering in White Leghorns when crossed with 

 Jersey Black Giants. Kinugawa (1927) reported the existence of a sex-linked 

 recessive gene for rapid chick feathering in Leghorns, Hamburgs, Minorcas, and 

 Nagoyas. 



Considerable attention has been given by a number of investigators to the 

 relation of rate of chick feathering to other important characters in laying flocks. 



Martin (1929) studied the rate of chick feathering in both exhibition and pro- 

 duction-bred Barred Plymouth Rocks. He noted that the rate of feather de- 

 velopment over the back was closely related to rate of growth, the heavier chicks 

 feathering the more rapidly. Barring was superior in the slow-feathering and 

 slow-growing chicks. No linkage was found between genes for rate of back 

 feathering and the gene M for winter pause or either sex-linked gene E or auto- 

 somal gene E' for early sexual maturity. 



Gericke and Piatt (1932) investigated the effect of varying amounts of protein 

 in the ration on feather growth in Barred Plymouth Rock chicks from hatching 

 to 8 weeks of age. Their data indicated that higher levels of protein increased 

 the rate of feather growth. These workers noted further that the growth of 

 feathers was slower in the dorsal tract than in any other region except on the 

 head and the wing bow. A high correlation was also observed between body 

 weight and feather development. Rapid feather development offered consider- 

 able protection against feather picking. 



Jaap and Morris (1937) studied the variation in body weight and rate of 

 feathering at 8 weeks of age in six general purpose breeds and crosses. Their 

 data indicated some association between rate of growth and rate of feathering. 

 They found, however, that reciprocal crosses between rapid- and slow-feathered 

 stocks gave a more or less intermediate feather development. 



