Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-02-27
RESULTS IN EARLY WINTER.
A Breeder Who HASN'T Found a Vail
liable Secret-PrepOtency


l have not been successful in getting
early winter eggs. During November
and December I average only two or
three eggs per month per hen. try
to give just as good care then as at
any time of year, although it is not
always feasible to have full supply
of green food My method of feeding
is the customary One-a mash of bran
and middlings with fish scraps or an
imal meal in the morning, mixed with
hot water in cold weather. For a
month past wheat has made a large
part of the grain ration simply because
it is cheap. 1 have got no better re-
suits than from feeding cracked corn.
Whole corn is now being fed at night.
Have good tight houses, yet l have
not found the secret of large supply
of eggs in the early winter. 1 am in
clined to think that to a certain extent
the fowl is governed by it's original ma
ture to lay little at this period while
melting or finishing feather growth.
Something might be accomplished in
the way of getting more eggs at this
season by proper selection of breeding
fowls.
In breeding do not make it point
to mate birds not near akin. l intend
to select the best birds, regardless of
relationship. 1 do not think it desira-
BILE to regularly procure fresh blood.
1t is desirable, however, to get fresh
blood if the animal secured is better
than the best one has in his own
flock. 1t would be better if the "new
blood" could come from the same
strain as the one on to which it is to
be bred.
Does any one know of any thorough
ly successful breeder who has estab-
lished a high reputation for his stock
who regularly introduces new blood'
into his flock? Of far more impor-
lance than the Introduction Of "new
BLOOD would it be to discover in ones
flock an animal of superior merit that
possesses the power of transmitting it's
good qualities and then hold on to tho =
bird as long asst IS IS ecdd,sabie of breed
Ing. Look at the pedigrees of the phe-
nomenal trotting horses as one after
another they 'break the record" Near
ly every one of these great trotters
has in it some of the blood of the old
race horse Messenger, transmitted
drought his great-grandson, Hambleto-
MAN. There are few more remarkable
examples of prepotency on record
In poultry breeding we need to breed
more from individuals and less from
focks. The trap nest and careful
following up of the matches from eggs
of different individuals will help US.
prefer system of somewhat close
breeding when the stock bred from
possesses extra good qualities, because
by this method, combined, of course,
with careful selection, we can intensi-
fly the good qualities of our stock.
My most serious mistake was in
breeding from some badly colored fe-
males one year when I was a very
young beginner, thereby putting me
back a couple of years or so in the
continuous improvement of my stock.
One of the best moves | know is that
of keeping an accurate account in con-
nection with my poultry keeping, so
that when l get blue at temporary bad
returns 1 can see that, on the whole |
am coming out right, and when l am
doing well can try to do better.-W.
II. Bishop in Farm Poultry.