BREEDING, LINE-BREEDING, IN-BREEDING, ETC. 



The subject of breeding for best results in the poultry yard is 

 exceedingly interesting, and is being developed more and more 

 every year, not only by poultry breeders, but I believe by some of 

 the government experiment stations. 



There is "in-breeding," "line-breeding," "out-breeding," "cross- 

 breeding," and no breeding at all. 



Many people are afraid of in-breeding. By this is usually 

 meant breeding brother and sister together for generations, without 

 the infusion of new blood. This kind of in-breeding is very apt 

 to result disastrously, because in such a flock the best, biggest 

 and most vigorous are sent to the market, and the inferior ones are 

 kept at home for breeders, unless a neighbor steps in and lends a 

 cockerel to solve the difficulty. 



For fear of the flock deteriorating, many people think it abso- 

 lutely necessary to have new blood in their flock every year, and 

 here is where the danger comes in for those who are raising thor- 

 oughbreds. If you buy pure-bred male of the same breed to 

 mate with your pure-bred female from another strain or family, 

 you may get one that will improve your flock, or one which will 

 bring you disqualified birds. This getting new blood of the same 

 family is called "out-breeding." J. H. Robinson says : "Most of 

 the evils assigned to in-breeding are not due to in-breeding, but to 

 careless selection. There is no evidence that in-breeding necessar- 

 ily initiates degeneracy. There is abundant evidence that with 

 proper selection for stamina to avoid common defects, very close 

 in-breeding can be followed for a long time without injuring the 

 stock. There is also abundant evidence that breeding unrelated 

 fowls without careful attention to vigor, and avoidance of common 

 defects is at once attended with precisely the same results as 

 breeding fowls of near kin under the same conditions." 



In making the new breeds, in-breeding is necessary to fix the 

 color, shape, etc. If it is necessary to fix superiority in color, it 

 is necessary to fix it in shape. If it is necessary to fix it in shape, 

 it is necessary to fix superior laying capacity, for rapid growth and 

 vigor. In-breeding is necessary because there cannot be intelligent 

 breeding without in-breeding. 



"Line-breeding," or breeding in line, is keeping to the same 

 family, the same blood. It is very careful in-breeding. When we 

 line breed we simply limit the number of ancestors in the fowl's 

 pedigree. By so doing we intensify the qualities in the fowl, for 

 it has been established beyond doubt that the mating of nearly 

 related individuals has a tendency to intensify the traits or char- 

 acteristics which they possess in common. As an example, I had 

 a White Plymouth Rock hen (Snow Queen), a 95^ point bird. 

 She laid 225 eggs in 9 months. I mated her, when I discovered her 

 wonderful qualities, to my first prize male. Four of her daughters 

 from that mating were prize-winners. The following year I mated 

 her to her best son, and the third year to her son who was also 



