Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-10-19
Which is the Best Breed?

Which is the Best Breed?
ssI intend going into the poultry
business, and wish to know which
rs the best breed. Wish to get fancy
price for eggs and chicks"
This is just one of number of in
quiries about the 'best breed" all a
little different, but all alike in one
respect. They show clearly the writ
ers know too little of poultry raising
TO make it safe thing for them un-
Til, at least, they learn something of
it.
They ignore The meat side of poul-
Try. This is shown in almost every
letter. Now, for the average farmer,
and even the village "back lot" poul-
fry is of prime Importance.
An ordinary hatch of chickens will
usually have about equal proportions
of cockerels and pullets, and as soon
as they reach the age, when sex can
be distinguished all the males should
be separated from pullets.
Pullets also should be culled. AS
soon as pullets reach the age when
their physical conformation, as an in
dication of probable future produc-
tiveness, can be safely noted, quite
good proportion should be set aside
for table use.
The Mediterranean breeds-Leg-
horns, Anconas and Andalusians, and
also the Campines and Hamburgs are
all deservediy popular. Many of them
are heavy producers of eggs, and
produce them on a less amount of
feed than the larger breeds. But they
naturally are summer rather than
winter layers (though this may be
modified somewhat by proper timing
of hasches), their eggs are apt to be
small, and they are all very small
birds and their flesh is of inferior
quality.
The American and English breeds
are all fowls of good size, ranging
from or 51a to pounds for pull
lets and hens, and from to IL
pounds for cockerels and cocks. All
the American breeds have yellow
skins. The English breeds have white
skins, which, while not so popular as
yellow skins, by no means indicate
the slightest inferiority in quality.
The lordly orpingtons with white
skins, are of choice table quality, be-
side reaching about the largest size
for poultry when full grown. The
Sussex, also English, are unexcelled
as table fowl, bringing top prices in
The best English markets. Then, the
Speckled Sussex offers varied plum
-age, mahogany red, with greenish
black bars and white tips to feathers
that are a constant delight to the
owner of beautiful poultry.
Our American Plymouth Rocks,
Wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds and
Whites, Buckeyes, and the latest ac-
.cession, the Jersey Black Giants, are
all fowls of good size and of good
choice table quality. The cockerels
of any of these breeds, if caponized,
make the choicest quality of table
poultry, and command top prices in
ali leading markets. The Minorcas,
though Mediterranean breed, reach
the size of the Americans and also
show quality of flesh.
In egg production most of these
breeds rank high; in fact, we find
from laying contest records that some
of them equal the best of the Medi-
terraneans. II is in all breeds, some
what, a matter of strain rather than
breed. Then all Of them are most de-
cidedly winter rather than summer
layers and most of the lay larger
eggs than the Mediterranean and
mostly brown or brownish eggs.
AS mothers, Mediterraneans are
unreliable and are usually classed as
non-sitters. AS we see it, the farm
poultryman and "back lot" breeder
should always select an American or
English breed as offering the best