Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1919-08-22
Flock Improvement Results
From "Grading-Up' Practice
Poutrying Three -Four Generations Produce Hens
ton

has on hand in order to purchase
quality birds.
If possible the beginner in poultry
keeping should start with well-bred
foundation stock, but in case he be-
gins work with grades there still is
an opportunity for him to improve
his stock. By the use of carefully
selected, standardized males, the
flock owner may grade up his flock
so that in three or four generations
he will have pullets and hens of SUI
perior egg and meat producing
qualities. Special emphasis, however.
should be laid on the fact that it is
preferable to purchase the standard
bred breeding stock to start with and
not to attempt grading up under other
conditions.
Grading Up Tested
Specialists of the United States De-
partment of Agriculture have obtained
some interesting results in poultry
breeding work at the Government
experimental farm, Beltsville, Md,
where they have mated mongrel hens
of unknown lineage with standard
bred males. Up to the present the
particular purposes of these investi-
cations have been to increase the size
and weight as we'll as to improve the
uniformity of type of the progeny
The study will doubtless be continued
to cover egg production and the
transmission and improvement of
other hen characteristics during the
near future.
STANDARDIZED white Plymouth
Rock males were crossed with mon
grel hens which weighed only ABB
pounds apiece. The first generation
progeny of this union at the same
age had an average weight of 5.68
pounds apiece. while the grade fowls,
composing the second generation,
weighed en- average of 5.9S pounds
apiece at the same age, and those of
the third generation, $40 pounds
pounds apiece. The gain due to in
creased size md Matchmaking quail
tiles which resulted the first year
from the crossing work amounted to
1.35 pounds per bird. Naturally the
first step in the up-grading work when
the standardized male was mated
with mongrel hen. The increase
resulting from the mating of another
standardized male of the same breed |
with the pullet of the above cross,
was not so great, amounting to only
0.3 of pound, while the gain of the
third years Investigations totaled O.51
of pound. The total gain as shown
by these three generations Of inten-
sive upgrading work amounted to |
2.16 pounds a bird.
Other Tests Similar.
Similar experiments were carried |
out by the use of barred Plymouth |
Rack males of standard breeding with |
mongrel hens. Results were almost
as noteworthy. The weight of the
original mongrels were "A pounds
apiece, while the grade progency of
the first generation weighed $50
pounds at the same age; those of the
second generation, 6.22 pounds; and
the birds of the third generation $40
pounds The gain in weight the first
year from this improved breeding
work amounted to 123 pounds, while
that of the second year was O.59
pounds and that of the third year OPT
pounds, making a total gain during
the three generations of 2.09 pounds.
From the standpoint of meat pro-
duction this upgrading work should
be extremely profitable to the average
farmer. as the investigations show
conclusively that the introduction of
superior blood into the flock by the
Utilization of standard bred male in
creases the meat-producing and size
increasing ability of the progeny. If
the progeny of grade hen, united
with standardized male, will weigh
" to pounds more at market time
than will the same aged offspring OF
a mongrel hen and a common male, it
should be easy to convince every
farmer that it Will be mare profitable
for him to keep better blood in his
flock.
Members of the electrical workers
a L L. i n