CLASSIFICATION OF BREEDS 27 



Economic Qualities of Breeds. It is difficult to classify 

 breeds and varieties of fowls by their utility or economic 

 qualities. When it comes to practical qualities it should 

 be understood that no hard and fast classification can be 

 given, because so far as egg production is concerned there 

 is no known type or shape of fowl that indicates laying 

 qualities with any measure of certainty. It has been dem- 

 onstrated that 'there is a wide range in productiveness of 

 fowls. Individuals 'of the same breed vary from no eggs 

 to as many as three hundred in a year. High egg-laying is 

 not a fixed breed characteristic; there are good and poor 

 layers in all breeds. It is a question of individuals rather 

 than of breeds. 



And yet it may be conceded that high egg production is 

 more often found in fowls- of small size and active nervous 

 temperament than in larger, less active kinds. The ability 

 to go in the horse is usually associated with high energy 

 and spareness of flesh. The cow that does things in milk 

 production is spare in flesh, small in bone, and nervous in 

 disposition. The little Shetland pony, it is said, produces 

 power cheaper than the Clydesdale or Percheron It seems 

 to require less fuel or food in the small animal to produce 

 a given result, whether the result be milk, eggs, speed or 

 power, than in the large animal. As the size is increased 

 the cost of maintenance is increased. The large fowl is 

 not the most economical producer of eggs. Frequently 

 the large fowl will lay more eggs than the small fowl. 



There is however, a relationship between size of fowl and 

 egg-laying. But it cannot be said that high egg-laying is 

 a fixed characteristic of any breed, or that there is any type 

 that indicates with any certainty the laying qualities of 

 the fowls when it comes to a question of selecting the good 

 from the poor in any flock of any breed. 



The system of trapnesting has shown us how widely in- 



