THE MEAT BREEDS 61 



Broodiness. — On account of their quiet, docile nature, the 

 broody instinct is highly developed in the meat breeds, and, 

 as a class, they are persistent sitters. Individuals become 

 broody early in the season, and this broody instinct continues 

 throughout the summer, yet, in spite of this tendency to 

 brood, the birds make poor sitters and mothers. By their 

 weight they are apt to break the eggs in the nest, and by 

 their awkwardness in moving around they may crush the 

 chicks when they are hatched. The dense feathering on 

 the legs and shanks makes it hard for the young chicks to 

 move about in the nest, and many are injured or crushed 

 in this way. Moreover, heavy breeds, because of their size 

 and lack of exercise, are inclined to contract diarrhoea, when 

 confined to the nest. 



Hardiness.^ — The heavy feathering of these birds and the 

 fact that their fluff and feathers are very downy protect 

 them from cold and make them hardy. Their excessive fat 

 makes them warm. Moreover, the head parts, such as 

 comb and wattles, are small, and therefore less liable to 

 freeze in cold, damp winter weather. The Brahma has a very 

 small pea comb. Owing to lack of exercise, they are more 

 or less subject to liver and digestive disorders, so that the 

 giving of corn and hard feed in the rations should be avoided. 



Feed. — Since meat breeds are of such large size, they 

 would seem to require a great deal of feed for maintenance, 

 but this is coimterbalanced by their sluggish disposition, 

 and disinclination to roam in search of feed, so that little 

 feed is called for to supply energy. They are poor foragers, 

 but like to stay in or near the house, and this necessitates 

 considerable feeding with purchased grains, the bulk of 

 which must be hard grain scattered in deep litter. The 

 cost of feeding these birds is materially greater than with 

 the light, active breeds, as the Leghorn. 



Production. — As a rule, it may be said that the heavier 

 the breed, the fewer the eggs laid. This is true of all Asiatic 



