APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING 



499 



FIG. 493. White Orpington hen. (Pho- 

 tograph from United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture) 



What the breeder of table poultry 

 aims to secure in his stock is full form, 

 quick growth, and a fattening tendency 

 strong enough to make the birds fatten 

 readily under favoring conditions, yet 

 not so strong as to be troublesome 

 under the usual conditions given to 

 laying and breeding stock. As a rule, 

 that part of an individual's lifetime in 

 which the desired balance of qualities 

 can be maintained is short as compared 

 with the normal productive life of its 

 kind. So we find that generally types 

 that make good poultry are the profitable 

 layers and breeders for only one, or at 

 most two, seasons ; but occasional indi- 

 viduals are found which, in this and 

 other points to be considered by the 

 breeder of table poultry, are much bet- 

 ter than the average. A bird of table- 

 bred stock of any kind of poultry that will keep in good laying and breeding 

 condition for two, three, or more years is of great value for breeding this class 

 of stock, not only because it gives its progeny something of the general- 

 purpose character but because it 

 produces more, and more vigor- 

 ous, offspring, and is a service- 

 able breeder for several seasons. 

 In most stocks and breeds used 

 especially for table poultry the 

 tendency to fatten is strong 

 enough to make any vigorous 

 birds take on fat readily when 

 put up for fattening. In devel- 

 oping a table type from an egg 

 type, fattening tendency must be 

 given special consideration, but 

 in improving existing meat types 

 a degree of recessiveness in that 

 character is to be preferred. 



Shape in table poultry. In 

 breeding for the table, shape 

 must be considered on a differ- 

 ent basis from that used in 

 breeding to a special breed shape. FIG. 494. White Orpington cock. (Photo- 

 The shape distinctions between graph by Graham) 



