The blue Andalusian : its breeding, management, and exhibition by Dun Silver

Author:Dun, Silver
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Andalusians (Poultry)
Publisher: London : The Feathered World
Published: 1897-03-25T05:00:00+00:00

mother and sou, such being a haK-blood cross, but in the case of a whole blood cross, as between brother and sister, this is the closest breeding possible, and has been termed by Sir John Sebright breeding in-and-in.

Strains that for several generations have been bred in too closety^ even if the members of the family were in a state of perfect health and condition, are, I believe, always Hable to sterility. This, of course, may be Natiu-e's method of showing her objection to the system, but if it can only be proved that such close breeding assists-in the operation of producing (what I believe has never yet been produced, viz.,) perfeetly-fonned specimens, there are few breeders-but what will even run the risk of their strain becoming extinct in the mad rush for superiority. If, however, with aU the care in the world in the way of the rigid exclusion of all birds whose bill of health is in any way doubtful, it can be shown that close breeding is-prejudicial to the stamina of the strain, it will reaUy mean death to the system by the natural extinction of the individuals. At the same time, whatever may be said against the principle of sailing so close to the wind by this inter-family mating, I do not consider that it has been as yet proved that the judicious mating together of birds-related together distantly in blood, but having the same racial tendencies, is deleterious in any way to the feathered world. On this point Darwin says:—" The evil results from close breeding are difficult to detect, for they accumulate slowly and differ much in, degree with different species, whilst the good effects which almost invariably follow a cross are from the first manifest. It should, hoivever^ be clearly vnderstood that the advantage of close inter-breedivg, as far as the retention of character is concerned, is indisputable, and often outweighs the evil of a slight loss of constitutional vigoi.r." (The italics are my own.) Such is the opinion of perhaps the greatest authority on the question at issue.

With all the forethought and care that may be brought to bear upon mating, it must always be remembered that only a very small percentage of the young can be expected to show anything like the desired improvement upon the breeding stock, so that failures must not lead the breeder to lose his patience with his flock, and despair tempt him to resoii; to a haphazard or happy-go-lucky system. In compiling my notes upon this subject I have endeavoured to get at the results of scientific mating as experienced by breeders of all varieties of domestic poultiy, as whatever be the vaga}-ies that obtain in other live stock, I think we may take it for granted that in this particular domain of the animal kingdom Nature has certain rules that may, to a very great extent, be relied upon to apply to aU. varieties.

As far as I can gather, not only from my own experience, but

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