48 



MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 215. 



Selecting Breeding Males on Production Pedigree. 



Before proceeding further with this question, it is necessary to define a few 

 terms that are used in this report. Sire's inherited production is calculated from 

 the average annual egg records of the .31 dams in five ancestral generations of each 

 sire. Dam's inherited production is calculated from the average annual egg produc- 

 tion of the 31 dams in five ancestral generations of each dam. Sire's potential 

 production is the average of the annual records of all his daughters made during 

 their first laying j'ear. It is the same as daughter's annual production, save in 

 those cases where a sire was used for more than one year. 



It is a common practice to select males for breeding that come from dams with 

 high annual egg records. In some flocks the practice is to emphasize the egg records 

 of as many of the dams back of the sire as possible. In such cases the annual egg 

 record is used as the guide for selection in a large measure, rather than any specific 

 characters that the individual and his relatives may possess. 



The inherited production of the sires used for the mating years included in this 

 report is given in Table 2. This inherited production amounted to an average of 

 138 eggs in 1914, 152.35 in 1915, 149.93 in 1916, and so on up to an average of 

 174.47 in 1921, showing that although untested males from the progeny stand- 

 point were used, those in charge were able to select a superior class of males each 

 year, based on average annual records and pedigree. The progress that has been 

 made in the flock as a whole would seem to indicate that this is a commendable 

 practice. Such a method can be followed by breeders who keep complete pedigree 

 and trap-nest records of their flock. Breeding sires from such flocks should com- 

 mand a high figure and should be very much appreciated by all smaller breeders 

 who are seeking to improve their flocks without the use of the trap-nest or pedi- 

 gree system. This method would be especially useful for selecting the more desir- 

 able cockerels to be retained. Mature sires can be selected with a greater degree 

 of certainty from their progeny test. 



Relative Importance of Sire's and Dam's Pedigree. 



A great deal of discussion and difference of opinion exists as to the relative 

 importance of the sire and the dam in breeding for egg production. Poultry in- 

 vestigators differ in their opinion on this point, some holding that sex linkage 

 makes the sire of greater importance than the dam, while others hold that sire and 

 dam are of equal importance. In Chart III the average inherited production of 

 the dams for each year is given as a dash line. A similar figure for the sire is given 

 as a solid line. The actual annual production of the daughters coming from the 

 mating of these sires and dams on their respective years is given as a dotted line. 

 It should be understood that the egg record of the daughters was finished the year 

 following the hatching year. These graphs are fitted to a straight line by the 

 ordinary method of least squares. 



