SELECTING BREEDING STOCK FOR 
BROILER PRODUCTION 
By CHarLes W. Knox, senior poultry geneticist, and CLEMENT D. Gorpbon, 
assistant poultry geneticist, Animal Husbandry Division, Bureau of Animal 
Industry, Agricultural Research Administration 
The wartime demand on our meat supplies may be met to an 
important extent by increasing the production of poultry meat. 
Poultrymen who are equipped to produce broilers can aid in this 
emergency. 
The demand for meat chickens and the development, in some 
localities, of poultry farms devoted primarily to the raising of broilers 
have created interest in selecting breeding stock having superior meat 
characteristics. The presence of numerous farms engaged in broiler 
production in such localities has given rise to the term ‘“‘broiler areas’’ 
in which this specialized phase of poultry raising is well advanced. To 
aid poultrymen in producing superior broilers the United States De- 
partment of Agriculture has conducted investigations at the Depart- 
ment’s Beltsville Research Center, Beltsville, Md., the results of which 
are presented in this leaflet. The studies have demonstrated that by 
observing certain characteristics in day-old chicks and growing stock 
a poultryman can select breeding stock that will improve his flock in 
regard to broiler and fryer production. This can be done in practically 
all breeds and varieties with little or no loss in egg-production 
characteristics and at practically no additional cost. 
The plan consists in the selection of chicks for fast feathering, as 
shown by the number and size of the wing and tail feathers, and a 
later selection of the growmeg chicks for efficient and rapid growth 
and for superior meat production. Selection on this basis results 
in a material improvement in the quality of broilers or fryers pro- 
duced by such a flock of breeders. The selection is applied to both 
males and females and is maintained throughout the life of the 
breeding stock. 
Fast Feathering 
Fast-feathering stock is desirable for meat production because the 
chicks from such stock have a minimum of pinfeathers at broiler 
or fryer age. When chickens are killed and dressed, if there are too 
many pinfeathers the carcass appears untidy and poorly dressed. 
Such birds usually bring from 2 to 4 cents a pound less than birds 
properly dressed. 
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