BREEDING AND BREEDS 89 



is much more to the farmer's interest to raise a 

 small brood of really superior fowls which will lay 

 well and therefore pay well than it is to raise a 

 large number of inferior fowls which unless sold 

 for meat will not only lay poorly but will actually 

 eat food that might be fed to the smaller flock at a 

 profit. It is idle to say that close culling will pre- 

 vent the rearing of sufficient numbers of chicks. 

 On the contrary, it is highly probable that with 

 breeding stock of a superior character and in ample 

 room, especially where well cared for, the breeder 

 will hatch and rear a large percentage of chicks, 

 and such chicks will be of greater commercial value 

 because more likely to be productive. 



IMPORTANCE OF CONSTITUTIONAL VIGOR 



There is no question that there is an intimate 

 relation between the physical characters and the 

 constitutional vigor of fowls. From appearance 

 alone a careful observer can pick out weak 

 fowls from strong ones. None but strong ones 

 should be used for breeding, because the trans- 

 mission of strong points from parent to offspring 

 is more likely tO' result favorably both in the 

 hatchability of the eggs, the livability of the chicks 

 and the strong constitution of the offspring than 

 where weak chickens are used as parents. For 

 these reasons a system of the most rigid selection 

 should be practiced in every poultry yard. This 

 selection should begin as soon as chicks are hatched 

 and continue until the breeding pens are made up. 



As soon as weakness is observed in growing 

 chicks, these chicks should be separated so there 

 can be no possible mixing of them with the breeding 

 stock and so they may be disposed of through 



