National Agricultural Library

Standard Varieties of Chickens: III. The Asiatic, English, and French Classes

U. S. Department of Agriculture

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. However, the breeds of the English and French classes, while averaging somewhat smaller in size than those of the Asiatic class, were developed for their table qualities and therefore are popularly grouped among the meat breeds. In the opinion of many persons the Sussex and Orpington breeds, both English, are general-purpose breeds. The Orpington, in particular, is a fairly common and popular farm fowl in the United States,

The best-known section of the United States in which large table fowls of superior quality are produced in considerable quantities is the South Shore district of Massachusetts, near Boston.

The chicks are hatched in the fall or early winter, and both males and females are grown to a good size and marketed as South Shore roasters. The males usually are caponized, but are marketed as roasters rather than capons, and the pullets are marketed before they begin to lay.

Farmers' Bulletin

Number 1052