REARING PROBLEMS

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 110, 11 May 1935, Page 29

REARING PROBLEMS

PRACTICE1 OF IN-BREEDING

. Poultrymen are already considering mating up their breeding pens and selecting special blood lines for the production of their pedigree cockerels. Actually very few good hens will be ready for mating, but still plans must be_ made well ahead. Jn the past too much publicity has been given to the line-breeding practices of certain very capable breeders; it. is quite possible that excellent breeding practice can .be abused in the hands of a comparative novice, and in this respect inbreeding, causes no end of "trouble. There is little difference between the terms in-breeding and line-breed-ing, except that the latter is supposed to be more scientific. A brother-sister mating is decidedly an in-bred mating, whilst sire to daughters is often called line-breeding. Today most poultrymen avoid too much dose breeding, knowing well that such practice weakens constitution, but the keen novice, after reading much literature about good breeding practice, decides to do some close breeding a view to fixing ,the desired characteristics 'in his strain. In nearly every case ■he will fail for lack of "breeding sense. 1' Good stud masters are. rare indeed, and only those poultry;breeders- who can maintain for several years a strain of fowls very strong iin the qualities demanded are worthy of the term, stud, breeder; : ■ Althougli;in-breeding is practised in Nature (for'how else: could the different varieties of birds and animals have originated?) man W seldom able to produce similar results. There is a difference/then, between the. in-breed-ing of man and that of Nature. Man is too.quick, for he demands results within ; the space "of a few years 'or generations, whilst.Nature thinks little of'hundreds of years. In good hands there is ho doubt that, in-breeding is the '■ best method' of procuring fixation of-desired characiei^stics, but when undesirable features are also fixed the breeding programme breaks down. The chief difference between the inbreeding of man and Nature is that' man increased ability, such as} higher and higher egg production, whilst. Nature',s first demand is constitutional yigbur. In the wild state only the - strongest youngsters reach maturity:-under the law' of the . survival of .the fittest. . Thus, year after year, only the strongest "birds* live to reproduce their kind, and'continual in-: breeding for this feature eventually fixes; strength of vigour.- ' ;'■; ' -Today,- with artificial incubation and rearing, with force feeding rations,- and with' the continual demand for increased ability, there is a tendency to overlook the importance of vigour. One school of breeders very Wisely believes in using only well matured third .and fourth year hens in: thenbreeding pens, since by then signs' of any weakness would have developed. Others believe" that we 'should get back to' Nature's ways by rearing bur pedigree chicks on free range under the old natural. foster-mother .system, allowing the growing birds to perch in the trees until such time as .they arfe required for breeding purposes. But whatever system is adopted, v";,a [ keeh:>.knowledge pf_bird life,;and behaviour is essential to sucfcess in ; any : breeding: programme. It is not. enough (that the breeder should be able to cull out weak, birds; he must be able to ! anticipate weaknesses, and by. introducing fresh blood prevent.: their appearance in his strain,. Because in- | breeding is the quickest and best way of fixing- certain- poinis, leading breeders will'1 always make, use of ;it, but for gerieraV purposes ait> certainly is advisable to out-cross into .different' strains each season. / Many of^theleading utility strains in thisScouirtry are slightly related, Jsuicetithe'jSinterchange of stock- is commo^iatipiii'-any mating a small proportio^Hofi'1-the same blood will" usually 'mtfce> for a good "nick" of the two bloods?'""