THE POULTRY YARD

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 312, 24 March 1928, Page 26

THE POULTRY YARD

(By

GEO. H. AMBLER.)

How to Practise Line-Breeding LINE-BREEDING is the main law in the breeding of domestic animals. Perhaps we can make this better understood by explaining the different phases of breeding, of which there are four methods generally practised in the breeding of domestic animals, namely, cross-breeding, out-breeding, inbreeding and line-breeding.

CROSS-BREEDING is the union ot two breeds of the same species, as a Langshan bred to a Brown Leghorn (this has no relation to hybridism, which is a phase of cross-breeding that is very uncommon, and is the union of totally different species of fowl or animals, such as mating a guinea fowl to a Barred Plymouth Rock; therefore such “cross-breeding” is not pertinent to this discussion). The results of cross-breeding are not beneficial in any way beyond the first cross, and it is practised only for market results.

OUT-BREEDING is the union of domestic animals or fowls of the same variety or breed, the members of the mating being entirely unrelated. Intelligent out-breeding produces the highest results in vigour and stamina, yet it is not a dependable method in reproducing characteristics of form, colour, markings and performance.

IN-BREEDING is the union of domestic animals or fowls of the same variety or breed that are more or less closely related. "We speak of close in-breeding, which is the breeding back to the sire of his daughter, the son to his dam, or brother and sister. In-breed-ing is the beginning of the method in the breeding of domestic animals or fowls which leads to domestic blood purity and is the chief factor in the establishment of the great law of breeding of domestic animals, namely, LINE-BREEDING. In-breeding is a dangerous path to follow, being full of pitfalls for the unwary and the novice, mainly because of that mysterious and unexplainable deterioration which accompanies its practice; yet careful and intelligent selection of specimens for their vigour and stamina builds a foundation upon which we may practice line-breeding which produces the best domestic animals, whether you are working with cattle, horses, swine, sheep or poultry. Only by in-breed-ing can we establish l.ine-breeding; in fact, line-breeding properly defined is in-breeding, but it is the kind of inbreeding that safeguards stamina and vigour and that fixes and perpetuates desired characteristics and enhances prepotency. Line-breeding defines itself. It is breeding in line or continuing a long line of ancestry without the introduction of foreign blood.

In judicious line-breeding the selection of the birds for their vigour and stamina in every mating is the safeguard against deterioration, because specimens so selected, while entirely related, are the farthest removed in relationship by the long line produced by in-breeding. Linebreeding, through the channel of close in-breeding, fixes family traits of form and colour and while perfecting the breed, also establishes strains of the breeds with a recognised individuality or family resemblance that differentiates them from other strains of the same breed that are bred to the same standard. That proves the great value of persistent line-breeding according to standard requirements. In-breeding and line-breeding may be called purity-breeding, because it drives out all undesirable characteristics or traits, thus blending the desired characteristics of colour and

form in what may be called a purebred breed of the purity or one-ness of blood. This is accomplished by introducing the parent blood into the blood of its own progeny and continuing this until the line is established or until enough individuals are created to breed back in safety, being far enough removed in relationship to insure vigour without the infusion of new or unrelated blood. Instances are numerous of unbroken lines of breeding extending over 10 to 30 years, where the vigour and stamina, size and. worth have been sustained without the infusion of one drop of new or unrelated blood. One Barred Rock breeder I know asserts that he can mate his Barred Rocks as he chooses, and get good .results because of their many years of line-breeding. The reason for thisis the purity of the blood of his strain from which all foreign elements have been purged. The brilliant and even red plumage and oblong type of the Rhode Island Red, so deservedly popular in our shows, is the result of but two decades of careful selection and judicious line-breeding for the desired object, as outlined by the standard of the breed. The same law produced the popular Orpingtons and placed them in the van as purebred fowls in a short space of time from their origin. Among other fowls of older ancestry, such as the Dorkings, Houdans, Cornish and the far-famed Sebright bantam, with its 200 years of history —they owe all to this wonderful factor, line-breeding. It is the real reason for their existence to-day, because it works for the survival of the fittest in domestic fowls with a surety nearly equal to the eternal survival of the fittest among the wild species, in wfrich case there is no problem of breeding. From my experiments and study of breeding problems, I have found that line-breeding and in-breeding solve the whole riddle of nature as applied to domestic fowls. Many of its puzzles were worked out in darkness of perception and travail of spirit and mind until continued proof, offered by experiments, convinced me that the continued practice of line-breeding or in-breeding is the only method by which to produce high-class fowls with such near-rpurity of blood that its prepotency will be sufficient to carry out nature’s desire and aim in regard to animal life, namely, that like shall beget like. In beginning line-breeding with any breed or variety, start with birds that are the very best of their kind and that are as nearly alike in type as it is possible to procure with standard colour markings according to sex. Naturally one breeds to an ideal, but your breeding birds must also be ideal or as near ideal as a domestic fowl can be; therefore, the simple first instruction is to breed to an ideal from an ideal. As the breeding advances, the traits of both sires and dams being simliar, family or strain characteristics are enhanced and a gain is made in standard requirements in both sexes from ONE MATING.