Page 3 - Poultry Review June 2008

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What Constitutes Good Stoct?

: WMis;.his.-;first ri:dea'.was, ''pe!l-hap&,- tb
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^ t.ari ci m g .ab'Qjji t wh3t;,consti.tutes fancy produce market egi^,- he-'soon' eomes- tio
pr;,siia.ii(Ifird ..^nd..., pjirerteed . fqwls. the conclusion that his birds' and'- eggs
Some expect when'they buy a bird tor are worth more than mongrels, so he
one,, two or three dollars, that it will be sells eggs for hatching to his neighbors
simply perfect and have all the show and, perhaps, advertises in the poultry
points they have ever heard of, and if papers, announcing that he has So-and-
the buyer possesses a Standard he will So's .strain direct. He does no culling,
expect the bird. to., he perfect in every but mates all the birds he raised- His
section. Such people are usually dis- stock is of the best, for is it not direct
appointed. On the other hand, the from one of the foremost breeders? He
beginner is very apt to get an inflated does not buy a Standard and go over
idea of his stock. He probably knows these birds section by section to see how
nothing about standard poultry or the many are up to Standard requirements
breed he expects to take up. He may and which are disqualified specimens.
have read the poultry papers a little Other beginners seeing these eggs ad-
and knows who the leading breeders of vertised at a reduced price, buy them
his chosen breed arc. He decides to believing them to be just as good as
start right, so orders eggs from a reliable though they .sent to the original breeder
breeder of reputation. Perhaps the and paid more for them.
breeder sells eggs from two kinds of I visited a poultry plant not long ago
stock, as many do, one being exhibition where some 500 White Leghorn hens are
matings for which he asks 5>3.oo or $5.00 kept. The owners purchased eggs for
per setting, and the other what he terms their foundation stock from Blanchard
utility stock, being 'rom birds lacking and Wyckoff, buying largely the cheaper
in standard qualities, but not especially grade of eggs. These men believed
bred for utility. From these last birds that they really have as good stock as
he sells eggs for $5.00 or $6.00 per hun- there is in the country and advert'se
dred. The beginner writes and is as- their eggs at a price a little below that
sured by the breeder that these utility charged by the breeders from whom
hii:ds .are of just as pure blood as the they seecured their start; using their
others,, lacking only in fancy points, names liberally. If they had culled
so he invests in the cheaper eggs and, if closely and only bred from the best,
successful, raises a nice bunch of chicks, they might have had stock to be proud