CROSSING PRODUCTION AND EXHIBITION RHODE ISLAND 



REDS 



By F. A. Hays, Research Professor of Poultry Husbandry 



INTRODUCTION 



It is a widely recognized fact that production-bred Rhode Island Reds differ 

 significantly from exhibition-bred birds of the same variety in a number of 

 specific characters. Hays (1933), in a preliminary report, pointed out character- 

 istic differences in fecundity characters. Another important question constantly 

 before breeders of Rhode Island Reds is the relationship between plumage color 

 and desirable fecundity traits. 



This report includes the results of a five-year study in crossing production- 

 bred birds with exhibition-bred birds. The character of the parental stocks is 

 first considered and later the character of offspring from eight different types of 

 hybrid matings. Attention is first given to fecundity traits and finally the be- 

 havior of plumage color is considered. 



Production-bred stock was selected from the station flock bred for high fecun- 

 dity since 1913. Exhibition-bred stock came from hatching eggs furnished in 

 1929 by one of the world's leading breeders. Hybrid offspring were hatched over 

 a four-year period from 1930 to 1933. 



CHARACTER OF PARENTAL STOCKS 



In these studies females are classified as follows: 



Early maturing — laying their first egg at 215 days of age or younger. 



Highly intense — having a mean winter clutch size of 3 or more eggs. 



Non-pause — showing no cessation in egg production as great as 4 days 

 between Nov. 1 and March 1. 



Non-broody — exhibiting no broodiness during the first laying year. 



Highly persistent — laying for not less than 315 days from first pullet egg. 

 Other characters reported in Table 1 are of importance in production breeding. 



Table 1 presents an interesting and valuable comparison between the parental 

 stocks used for crossing in this experiment. A study of the two populations 

 gives a general picture of the differences that are most likely to occur so far as 

 fecundity or related characters are concerned. 



Exhibition birds were heavier at first egg, but this difference was almost if not 

 entirely due to their greater age. The production birds were decidedly superior 

 in early maturity, the exhibition birds being characteristically late maturing. 

 Production birds were greatly superior in intensity, only one bird of the exhibi- 

 tion group showing high intensity. The percentage of birds with winter pause 

 was about the same in the two lines. Because of earlier maturity, the production 

 birds laid for a much longer period during the winter season than did the exhibi- 

 tion birds, which gave greater opportunity for pause to occur in the production 

 line. The mean egg weight from first egg to January first was considerably 



