THE EGG BREEDS 51 



Feeding. — On account of their small size, birds of this 

 type will subsist on a smaller amount of feed than heavier 

 birds, but owing to their greater activity more feed in pro- 

 portion is required for energy and heat. On the whole, 

 however, they eat less during the year and produce more 

 eggs than large birds. They are heavy foragers, traversing 

 large areas on the range in search of grubs and insects. 

 While ranging, they get such an abundance of green grass, 

 weed seeds, and other feed material as to permit the cutting 

 down of the grain rations very extensively during the sum- 

 mer. Allowing the egg breeds to range is economical because 

 of the decreased amount of feed required. 



Production. — The eggs laid by this group of birds have 

 white shells, are rather long in shape, and of good size. The 

 number produced in a year, on an average, is greater than 

 with other tjrpes. A fair egg production is about twelve 

 dozen, but some birds lay 200 or more, and there are records 

 which exceed 250. The meat production of this group is 

 poor, owing to their small size, and is also limited by their 

 activity. The quality, too, is poor, as the flesh is largely 

 lean meat with very little fat, and contains a large amount 

 of connective tissue, which makes it stringy and tough when 

 cooked. But the quick maturity and plumpness of these 

 birds when young makes them ideal small broilers. They 

 are even better in this respect than the heavier breeds, but 

 when they grow older the quality of the meat is poor and the 

 amount deficient. 



THE EQQ BREEDS 



Among the more common breeds classed as egg types are the 

 Leghorns, Minorcas, Campines, and Houdans. The student 

 should study specimens of these four breeds, and become 

 familiar with their general characteristics. The following brief 

 discussion will call attention to their chief characteristics. 



Legliorns. — The Leghorns belong to the Mediterranean 

 class, hence had their origin on the shores of the Mediter- 



