POULTRY NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 18 February 1933, Page 10 (Supplement)

POULTRY NOTES

THE QUESTION OF IN-BREEDING. AN EXPLODED THEORY. (By Geo. H. Ambler.) \ Considering the great advance made in poultry knowledge during the last tive-and-thirty years, it is surprising that the old prejudices against in-breeding, especially with poultry, should still exist in some minds. If those who decry inbreeding and the “evil-effects” that they assert are produced by it were to give definite examples of what has actually taken place as a result of in-breeding, their • argument would appear far more convincing than merely re-quoting the words of old writers who looked upon in-breeding somewhat in the same light as they viewed the plague. Personally, I' have neither read of nor met anyone opposed to in-breeding who could, from his own personal experience, give conclusive reasons that “evil effects” (a vague term, but one that is generally used by the opponents of in-breeding) were produced solely from this cause. Oh the other hand, I have personally ini bred poultry hundreds of times, as well as pigeons, rabbits, and pigs without any of those tiireatened “evil effects” arising, but in most cases the benefits derived have been considerable. I can imagine some who may read this saying, “Yes, you may have secured benefit from an exhibitor’s point of view, but not from that of the utilitarian.” My answer to that is: “I 'presume you will admit that our finest pedigree cows are the essence of perfection as regards utility? If so, I would ask you to study closely the pedigree of some of the best, and you will find that in-breeding has played no inconsiderate part in bringing them to this state of perfection." EFFECTS OF IN-BREDING. What are the effects of in-breeding? Put: briefly, .the results ■of in-breeding are to perpetuate and magnify, in the offspring those, points that are common to both parents. I will give two examples to illustrate my meaning. You have a very large combed hen that has produced, among other cockerels, one that takes after her, inasmuch as he, too, has a very large comb. These you mate, and the probability is that all the offspring produced from this alliance, if suitably reared, have also large combs, and one or two of them even larger combs than either of the parent stock possesses. Take another example. Your stock birds have not been in the best of health. During the incubating season a number of addled eggs and dead-in-shell have been discovered, and you have lost quite a number of chickens from liver disease, but one of those that survive you select one and in-breed to the parent hens. The latent disease in the stock will be magnified into activity in the offspring, and but few, if any, will be reared. Those who oppose in-breeding fully agree that the latter effect was produced as the result of such mating, but where they make’ the mistake is in not seeing that if in-breeding can magnify a bad point it is also capable of magnifying a good one in like manner.

To in-breed from stock that is not in th£ best of health, or from a cock that has produced weakly progeny, has resulted in failure because, as I have previously stated, the effect of in-breed-ing, is to magnify any characteristic in both parents,, whether good or, bad. For the sake of argument let us take the Hogan system of being correct. One of his points, viz., the distance from the breast bone to the pelvic, is considered as the chief characteristic in a good layer. Is there anyone of practical experience in poultry breeding who is prepared to dispute that by selection and in-breeding this point—or, for that matter, any other of the Hogan points—cannot be perpetuated and magnified. Or will it be maintained that, although such point or points are indicative of 1 a good layer, yet they are only of value, if they are produced by the infusion of foreign blood? DO NOT CARRY TO EXCESS. Everyone knows that indiscriminate inbreeding or in-breeding carried to excess is detrimental. to the health and wellbeing of. the stock, but so ; is anything else if carried to excess,; and I cannot help thinking that the ; insistent manner in which many writers , have dinned into the public ear concerning the . “evil effects” that may occur from in-breeding, and the manner in which, they have insisted on the necessity of foreign blood, has prevented far greater strides being made in egg production than have hitherto taken place. I readily admit that it would be folly (or worse? on my part to advise the novice, who has not the experience and practical intuition to know whether his stock is or is not in robust health, to in-breed, or even to recommend the experienced breeder to do so unless he has assured himself of the hardiness of constitution of the projected mating; but, given this, a very great deal may be accomplished by inbreeding, even when utility alone is concerned. FEATURES MAY BE MAINTAINED. From practical experience I have proved that both size and stamina can be maintained for a number of generations, even with the closest in-breeding. In Christchurch some fifteen years ago I gave an address on this subject to. members of the New Zealand Utility Club, Christchurch Poultry Club and a number of specialist clubs and gave several examples of the efficacy of linebreeding. I could give a number of cases where I have in-bred and pro-, duced not merely Exhibition points far superior to the parent stock, but .utility points as well, and I am fully convinced that no breeder of experience would condemn the practice itself, but only when it was a case of in-breeding from unsuitable parent stock. With poultry one should remember what the ancestors of our present breeds were, viz., the jungle fowl of India, which have their own particular laying and breeding season. the same as any other wild bird. That is has been only

by careful selection of sports, better feeding, accommodation and climatic influence that even the 100-egg strain of poultry Had been produced. And then, in addition, to the foregoing, we should remember the teachings of that great naturalist Darwin, who warns us that the infusion of foreign blood is liable to reproduce in the offspring, long lost characteristics of former ancestors. Put into other words, the infusion of foreign blood into a carefully-bred strain that is prepotent to produce its like," both as regards fixity of type and economic values, renders. it liable to lope .not only its outward'characteristics but also - its economic, properties. Fresh. blood—not necessarily, foreign blood—is at times desirable, but pure foreign .blood is almost certain to spoil the results of years of careful breeding, whether for exhibition or utility purposes. GENERAL NOTES. The official minimum market weight for a hen’s egg is for . first grade, . 2oz. The weight for a'pullet grade egg is 11 to 1 7-Boz. If your hens don’t lay, see if your methods are to blame; too many blame the birds. . ' .... Do everything in season if you want to succeed, for there is a time for everything.