The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1904-12-03
WHAT IT MEANS.
One of the Men Who Follow the Sys.
tenn Describes Line Breeding.

What is meant by line bred birds or
line Dreedlng?' is a question asked me
very often quite recently What is
meant by line breeding is where the
same strain or family of fowls is bred
continually for years without injury
TO the vigor or stamina Of the flock or
individual specimens. Your readers
will pardon me for taking as an illus
tration my own strain of fowls, the
Fishel White Plymouth Rocks, but l
feel | can better explain the matter by
doing this than by taking some other
line bred strain with which I am not
we'll acquainted
Several great advantages are gained
| by buying line bred birds for your
foundation for a flock of fowls, among
these being, first, you can expect them
to produce better offspring than the
parent stock; second, you will get ex-
| cellent layers in line bred birds, for no
breeder would think Of breeding hens
that were not good, l will say excep-
tionally good, layers. Still another good
reason for buying line bred birds is
controlled than in specimens bred in
the old haphaZard way.
| To start breeding in line, or, better,
to start line bred flock, you must
secure the best birds which you can
possibly afford, and if possible secure
for your foundation stock birds that
you know are line bred. For example,
we will say you have bought breed
ing pen of ten females and one male
for your foundation stock of Mr.. A.,
who has practiced line breeding for
years. You rear this season from this
pen several hundred very choice pull
lets and cockerels. After the birds
have matured and you are ready to
make up your yards for the coming
season select from the lot your very
best cockerel and mate him to your
hens. Select your very best pullets
and mate to the cock bird. Reserve
some of the remaining cockerels and
pullets for fear of your losing some of
your breeders; also for fear the follow
ing season you will want several yards.
In that case you will need more fe-
males than you now have in your
yards, as also a few male birds. In
selecting your breeders always look
well to standard requirements, so as
to keep improving your flock as you
progress.
| The coming season 1 would suggest
as a cheap way to infuse new but not
foreign blood, ordering a Sitting of eggs
from whom you got your first pen. The
chicks from these eggs, being bred in
line with the birds you already have,
will produce both male and female
which you can use the following sea-
son in refreshing your flock or building
up certain defects which you may wish
improved. If you feel you need no help
from the parent stock of your flock do
not get the eggs. but take the progeny
! from the two pens and mate them, the
cock bird to the offspring Of the cock
erel and hens and the two-year-old cock
to the progeny of the cock and pullets
while the young birds can be mated up
as the previous season the following
year. The progeny Of the old cock bird,
this being the last season you can use
the old bird owing to age, will mate
nicely with anything you have in the
flock.
By following up this system Of line
breeding and mating you can soon have
your birds under perfect control, so
that in one season YOU can breed low
combs or any other special point you
desire. Never introduce extreme for
eign blood in line bred flock. If you
feel you must have some foreign blood
in the flock (but am sure you will not
find this required If you follow the sys-
tenn of line breeding as laid down here)
buy a male bird and mate him to few
very select hens. selecting male the
coming season from this mating for
another special mating, and the third
year the offspring will contain enough
pure line bred blood in him not to tear
down any work you have accomplished
in building up your fock.-U. R. Fishel
in Poultry Keeper.