Heterosis in Poultry

THERE is a great deal of interest today in the possibilities of utilizing hybrid vigor in the breeding of poultry. The best way in which to accomplish this is a highly controversial issue. There are those who advocate crossbreeding for both broiler and egg production. Some have found success by crossing strains, more or less distinct, of the same breed. Others believe that only after a period of intensive inbreeding followed by crossing will it be possible to derive the maximum benefits from heterosis. At the other extreme there are those who are convinced that a good purebred developed by the conventional methods of closed flock breeding is still the most important method for the future improvement of poultry. This lack of agreement among commercial poultry breeders, and even among experiment station geneticists, is largely a consequence of our inadequate knowledge of heterosis in the fowl. Certainly there is …