Bantam chickens have a strong appeal to grown people and to children alike. Interest in them is widespread. They are bred extensively for exhibition and are kept also as pets and as utility fowl. The standard breeds and varieties of bantams include such a wide range of shape, color, and other characteristics that any individual taste can be suited…

The ornamental breeds and varieties of chickens often have an unusual appeal, and a breeder who may be first attracted to such fowls by their unusual plumage or form may later develop a flock which has decided utility value. Thus the keeping of ornamental breeds and varieties of chickens contributes to pleasure and the possibility of ample reward…

THE BREEDS of chickens included in the Asiatic, English, and French classes are in the main of a relatively large size, and have been developed primarily as meat breeds. They are not so commonly kept in this country as either the general-purpose or the egg breeds. The best-known meat breeds in the United States are those of the Asiatic class.…

IMPORTANCE OF EGG PRODUCTION.

EGG production doubtless is the leading branch of poultry keeping, and, in addition, is a very important agricultural activity. According to the last census the eggs produced in the United States in 1909 numbered more than 1,591,000,000 dozens, with a value of more than $306,000,000. Eggs, of course, are produced…

The American class includes the Plymouth Rock, Wyandotte, Java, Dominique, Rhode Island Red, and Buckeye.

The fowls of these breeds are commonly called general- purpose fowls, because they are not only good egg producers but their carcasses are also well suited for the table. They are therefore the breeds best suited for the general farm flock,…

Breed utilization, genetic improvement, and industry consolidation are predicted to have major impacts on the genetic composition of commercial chickens. Consequently, the question arises as to whether sufficient genetic diversity remains within industry stocks to address future needs. With the chicken genome sequence and more than 2.8 million…

The interest in Plymouth Rocks is almost worldwide; no other fancy fowl has awakened so much enthusiasm. To perfect and beautify it, more continuous hard labor has been performed and more profound study given than has ever fallen to the lot of any other variety of fancy fowls. Theories have been evolved and almost as often exploded. Yet, one point…

THE LEGHORNS— INTRODUCTORY

A Favorite Family Fowl, That Is Equally at Home on the Farm and in the Show Room—A Glance at Their Present Standing, With a Few Remarks on Type and Color—The Standard Down-to-Date—Browns, Whites, Blacks, Buffs, Duckwings.

Leghorns, figuratively speaking, cover the earth. Take the world over, and Leghorns, perhaps,…

The third edition of Rackham's Poultry Directory is presented to the fraternity with the feeling that it is even more accurate than the previous editions. Yet there still remains room for improvement and we are ever ready to follow any suggestions that will add to its value. A directory of any kind is one of those things which, when worthy of the…

Not long ago I took a journey with an old friend through the eastern portion of Massachusetts. The main purpose of our trip was to find out a suitable place for the establishment of poultry breeding on a very extensive scale. One day, in the course of conversation, my friend said to me: "Mr. Felch, if you will write a poultry book, telling what you…

The breeding of domestic poultry has reached a point in this country where the most down-to- date methods must be applied if the results sought for are to be attained. Every year there are thousands of new recruits added to the rank of poultry enthusiasts. They come from all walks of life and are interested alike in making a success of their…

For a number of years there has been a growing demand among poultry breeders for the publication by the American Poultry Association of what are popularly known as Separate Breed Standards — a series of books each one containing the official Standard description of a single breed, and in addition, reliable and authoritative information in regard to…

The American Poultry Association was organized at a meeting held in the city of Buffalo, New York, February 15, 1873. The attendance was composed principally of delegates from state and county associations, prominent breeders and fanciers from different parts of the United States and Canada, and other interested persons. The object was to formulate…

CHAPTER I STOCK — GOOD AND BAD

In making a start with poultry, to select a good breed and, within that breed, the most suitable variety, is important. The statement reads tritely, but the truth involved is often hidden from the beginner. Since poultry-raising may be entered into, on a small scale, with little capital, and since accounts of big…

This breed book, devoted to the Plymouth Rocks, is the sixth edition of one of the most popular books on poultry ever printed. Realizing the wonderful improvement made in Standard Plymouth Rocks since the last edition was printed in 1906, the publishers deemed it advisable and necessary to produce an entirely new and greatly enlarged book in order…

A Complete Description of All Varieties of Plymouth Rocks, With the Text in Full From The Latest (1915) Revised Edition of the American Standard of Perfection as it Relates to All Varieties of Plymouth Rocks. Also, With Treatises on Breeding, Rearing, Feeding, Housing, Conditioning for Exhibitions, Exhibiting--etc.

The method of treatment adopted in this book is the simple, scientific method, — that of presenting essential facts in logical order. The following of this method has led to some departures from the conventional way of presenting poultry topics. The unity of the poultry group is here conceived as essential and arising from the nature of the birds,…