CHAPTER II 



BREEDS AND VARIETIES 



With the development of poultry keeping on a sound 

 economic basis we have come to realize the importance of 

 considering the various breeds and varieties of poultry and 

 the part that they play in the growth of this industry. 



ORIGIN AND CLASSIFICATION 

 Origin. There is little definite knowledge as to the 

 origin of the domesticated fowl. It is assumed that our 

 present-day poultry is a direct descendent of one or more of 

 the wild jungle fowls which are known to have existed in 

 prehistoric times. Whatever may be its origin, our earliest 

 historic records indicate that poultry has been under domes- 

 tication for thousands of years. 



Classification. It has been only of comparatively recent 

 years, however, that we have had a variety of well defined 

 types and breeds of fowls, referring to chickens, which can 

 now be grouped according to their usefulness to man, as 

 follows: — 



1. The General-purpose Class. 4. The Game Class. 



2. The Egg Class. 5. The Bantam Class. 



3. The Meat Class. 6. The Miscellaneous Class. 



In the discussion that is to follow we. will concern our- 

 selves mainly with the first three classes on account of their 

 economic value and the extent to which they are raised to 

 produce food. The last three classes, that is, the Game, 

 Bantams and Miscellaneous classes, are raised principally 

 for show or pleasure, rather than for profit. 



Before proceeding further, the factors which make up 

 each of these classes should be considered. In any given 

 class as grouped above there is a number of breeds of poul- 

 try, all of which usually perform the same general functions. 



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