Genetics of the Fowl: The Classic Guide to Chicken Genetics and Poultry Breeding

Genetics of the Fowl is still the most useful work on poultry genetics. Just the last chapter, "Genetics in Practice," provides the best introduction to successful poultry breeding ever written, covering the difference between breeding for dominant vs. recessive characteristics, individual selection vs. progeny testing, inbreeding vs. crossing, and much more.

F. B. Hutt was sympathetic to the needs of practical farmers, show breeders, and researchers, so this book is far more than a compendium of genes, and yet this aspect is covered in loving detail. Chapters include the genetics of plumage, egg production, body type, disease resistance, and much more, with many illustrations and examples of how the genes work in practice.

Other works have come and gone since Genetics of the Fowl's first publication in 1949 (most notably R. D. Crawford's 1990 Poultry Breeding and Genetics, now out of print, for which Hutt himself wrote the preface at the age of 91), but Genetics of the Fowl is still the first book everyone should read on poultry genetics. New information has come to light since its publication, but it builds upon the solid foundation laid down by Hutt.

This Norton Creek Press book is an exact reproduction of the original edition.

Frederick Bruce Hutt's career in scientific writing began at age 8, when he sent a letter correcting a newspaper account about the first butterflies of spring, since he had observed the butterflies several days earlier than reported. A mentor launched him into poultry breeding by giving him a setting hen and clutch of eggs at age 11.

His precocity continued into old age. At 35, he became the youngest president of the Poultry Science Association. He researched, taught, and wrote extensively. He published more than 250 papers and articles, some intended for audiences of farmers and poultry hobbyists and others intended for researchers and geneticists. His clear, well-organized style won him a warm welcome with all audiences.

Hutt did ground-breaking research in breeding for disease resistance (including Marek's disease and salmonella pullorum), spearheaded the use of "progeny testing" as the most reliable breeding method, and created the first chromosome map of the chicken. He was a professor at Cornell University and served on the editorial board of the Journal of Heredity for 25 years.

His books include Genetics of the Fowl, Animal Genetics, and Genetic Resistance to Disease in Domestic Animals.