BROILER RAISING 381 
must be tender, due to rapid growth, and should be juicy and 
free from excessive connective tissues, the latter fact depending 
somewhat upon the breed used. (4) Yellow skin and shanks 
bring the highest price. (5) White or light-feathered birds 
are best. After plucking, there are no dark pins and pits to 
detract from the appearance; this feature is less important than 
those previously mentioned, yet it does have weight. (6) Broilers 
should have been hatched from a quick-maturing strain or 
breed, from parents which were quickly matured. The broilers 
must be brought to maturity as quickly as possible to economize 
time, to secure tenderness and texture of flesh, and to reduce 
the cost of feeding and labor. A broiler which has developed 
slowly, and taken twice the usual time to attain a given weight, 
will never be a profitable bird, for the margin of profit is 
small. (7) A broiler to make a first-class appearance should 
have small comb and wattles, small shanks and feet and 
short legs. The large comb is usually a sign of age and 
slow growth. An understanding of the above requirements, 
and their bearing on price and demand, is necessary in order 
that the possibilities of the broiler industry may be fully 
realized. 
Breeds Best Adapted to Broiler Raising—As a rule, it may 
be stated that the American or general utility breeds more nearly 
fulfil the requirements for broiler raising than any other class 
of fowls; this is especially true of the large broiler. The Wyan- 
dottes, Plymouth Rocks, and Rhode Island Reds, if properly 
managed, will attain a quick growth in twelve to fifteen weeks, 
weighing at that time from one and one-half to two pounds each, 
and they dress well and are always in demand. The White Wyan- 
dottes probably offer as great opportunities for this class of broil- 
ers as any one breed. It must here be emphasized that it is not 
always the breed, but the breeding back of the particular strain, 
which tells the story. 
In the hands of different breeders, various breeds may be 
made to excel one another. The aim should be to select a good 
breed, with the distinctive characteristics desired, and then by 
breeding attempt to intensify those characteristics, at the same 
time breeding to develop early maturity and vitality (Fig. 177). 
For the squab and medium broiler trade, it is possible to turn out 
the highest quality of poultry in the shortest possible time and 
at the least expense by using White Leghorns. They are quick to 
