CHAPTER VII 



BREEDING AND MATING 



The hardest problem which confronts the poultry keeper 

 is the mating and hatching. Each year he must raise enough 

 pullets and cockerels to replace those sold on accoimt of age. 

 Proper breeding is a question which confronts both the 

 small back yard poultry keeper and the commercial poultry- 

 man, and a clear understanding of the practical nature of 

 the work is absolutely necessary, if good birds are to be 

 produced each year. 



Breeding Defined. — Breeding is the science which deals 

 with the reproduction and improvement of domestic ani- 

 mals; and as a natural function breeding is merely the repro- 

 duction of the species. When man systematizes breeding 

 operations, his object is to bring about improvement through 

 reproduction. Breeding in itself is a complex problem only 

 partially understood, and in this chapter will be pointed 

 out a few of the more important and practical methods of 

 solving this problem. 



Mating Defined. — Mating is a process in breeding. It 

 may be defined as the selection and pairing of individuals 

 possessed of desirable characteristics, with the hope that 

 these characteristics will be reproduced in their yoimg. In 

 artificial matings, the aim of the poultryman should be 

 improvement along some commercial line, such as egg pro- 

 duction, meat production, or the possibilities of dual pur- 

 poses. In practising artificial matings for improvement, the 

 poultry keeper should have in mind a well-defined ideal type, 

 for without some standard or ideal, no defuiite advance 

 can be made. By constantly selecting towards this type, 

 each succeeding generation should be better atlapted to the 

 purpose in view. 

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