Feed Cost May Be Reduced 

 through Breeding. Reduction of feed 

 cost is of paramount importance to 

 the poultry industry and to every 

 poultryman. large or small. Any re- 

 duction that can be brought about 

 through breeding will mean addi- 

 tional profit to the poultryman. 



Research is under way in an at- 

 tempt to identify individuals and 

 families that will utilize their feed 

 more efficiently than others. Indi- 

 vidual body weight and feed con- 

 sumption data are recorded for 

 males and females, as well as egg 

 production data for the hens. Chicks 

 are produced from these males and 

 females and their efficiency is noted. 



Results to date show a wide vari- 

 ation between individuals in feed 

 consumption. For example, male B 

 (Fig. 12), weighing 7.76 pounds, 

 consumed 84.65 pounds of feed in 

 40 weeks in contrast to male D (Fig. 

 13), weighing 7.69 pounds which 

 consumed only 61.09 pounds during 

 the same period. This difference of 

 23.56 pounds of feed is equivalent to 

 30.7 pounds per bird per year. 

 Therefore, for every 65 males simi- 

 lar to male D instead of male B, 

 a saving of one ton of feed per year 

 may be realized. 



tWj l » l i|p. i » ... ^ ^ v> 



Fie. 13 





Male D which made efficient 

 use of his feed. 



A total of 186 chicks was hatched 

 and feed consumption and body 

 weight to 10 weeks were observed. 

 Variations in the proportions of the 

 two sexes and differences in the 

 weight of chickens in different proge- 

 ny groups render it difficult to draw 

 definite conclusions. However, the 

 work is encouraging and conclusive 

 evidence is anticipated. Inbreeding 

 work has been initiated in an attempt 

 to get more uniformity of the stock. 

 The first pullets from brother-sister 

 mating will soon come into produc- 

 tion. 



C. W. Hess 



SoiL 



Fig. 12 — Male B which utilized feed 

 rather inefficiently. 



Save that Topsoil. High yields can 

 be obtained only if erosion is pre- 

 vented. Plots on a Paxton sandy 

 loam from which different ainounts 

 of topsoil had been removed to simu- 

 late erosion gave the following re- 

 sults in 1948, when in hay: 



35 



