32 MY POULTRY DAY BY DAY 
are two heavy breeds, however, that do quite well run on intensive 
or semi-intensive lines. I refer to the Wyandotte and the Rhode 
Island Red. These fowls are an American importation. 
But if you are to keep heavy breeds do not make the mistake 
of mixing them with light breeds. Light and heavy breeds are 
always better apart, and on the intensive system it is imperative 
that they should be kept strictly separate. I know an instance 
of a poultryman who bought a number of Buff Orpington pullets 
—a heavy breed—and put half of them in a house with White 
Leghorns. The other half he put in a house by themselves. 
They were all kept on the semi-intensive principle and fed exactly 
alike. The birds that had a house to themselves began to lay 
almost at once, but after two months not a single Buff in the 
Leghorn house had laid an egg. He separated the two breeds and 
put the Buffs in another house by themselves. They also began 
to lay almost at once, but were two months behind the lot that 
had the advantage of a separate house from the beginning. One 
reason, no doubt, why the Buffs in the Leghorn house remained 
backward was because, being slower and heavier birds, they did 
not get their fair share of food. While they were picking up one 
grain of wheat the Leghorns would have swallowed two or three. 
A Leghorn is a nippy bird and will dash in and secure what is 
going before a heavy breed realises that it is feeding time. And 
no doubt the Leghorns resented the intrusion of the Buffs into 
their house. The lighter bird, which is also the quicker and 
fiercer, picked and chivvied the slower-moving fowl, and generally 
gave ita bad time. Therefore, if you want the best results do not 
mix light and heavy breeds together. 
Leghorns, Anconas and Campines being smaller birds need less 
food for their smaller frame. That may be a consideration or it 
may not. I find that when hens are laying heavily there is little 
or no difference in the amount of food eaten by light and heavy 
breeds. A bird in full lay needs as much food as it wants. Other- 
wise the light breed may be said to eat a little less. The weight 
of the light breed varies from three to four pounds or a little more. 
A small bird does not necessarily mean a small egg. A Leghorn 
