228 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



large farms specializing in egg production would gladly pay an extra 

 price to secure foundation stock that could be used profitably for several 

 years. On many of these farms chicken raising is a great trouble and 

 expense; the cockerels are considered a by-product to be disposed of 

 as soon as possible. Hens bred especially to lay which do well for one 

 year only should be fattened. 



MATING. 



Having selected the hens that are suitable to produce eggs for hatch- 

 ing, see that they have good, clean, comfortable quarters, with plenty 

 of fresh air, and all the sunshine possible. Mate them with a good, 

 strong male which comes from productive ancestry. The male is half 

 the flock and if his dam and granddams were producers of two hundred 

 eggs per year he should be worth much more as a sire than one whose 

 dam produced but half that number. The question is often asked, how 

 many hens should be mated with one male? This varies with the in- 

 dividual and the breed. The best results are usually obtained by keej)- 

 ing about fifteen of the American class (Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, 

 etc.) with one male, while with Mediterraneans (Leghorns, Minorcas, 

 etc.) one may keep as high as twenty-five, while in special instances 

 as high as fifty have been known to give strong fertile eggs from one 

 male. The Asiatics (Brahmas, Cochins and Langshans) are not as 

 active and usually from seven to ten is about the proper number. Hav- 

 ing allowed the male to run with the flock for a couple of weeks, it is 

 safe to begin saving eggs for hatching. 



EGGS FOR HATCHING. 



One should be as careful in selecting eggs for hatching as in selecting 

 parent stock. Choose medium to large eggs, as nearly perfect in shape 

 and color as possible. Uniformly colored eggs look much better than 

 a mixed lot and Avill usually sell better. Some select the short, round 

 eggs, believing these will produce a large percentage of pullets; but the 

 shape of the eggs has nothing to do with the sex of the chick. Con- 

 tinuous selection of the roundest eggs will gradually produce a strain 

 of hens that will lay round eggs of imperfect shape. Some hens habitu- 

 all}' lay eggs flattened on one side, others lay long, pointed ones, while 

 still others lay those Avith porous, crumbly shells; such hens should be re 

 moved from the breeding pens as soon as discovered. 



SHIPPING EGGS FOR HATCHING. 



In shipping eggs for hatching, great care must be taken to prevent 

 injury in transit. There are several methods of packing eggs; one is 

 to place them in an ordinary shipping crate and fill all the spaces 

 between the eggs and cardboard with sawdust. Another good method 

 is to wind a small bunch of excelsior around each egg and pack so 

 snugly in a basket or box that they cannot move about. Upon arrival, 

 the eggs should be put in a room kept at an even moderate temperature 

 and allowed to remain undisturbed for at least twenty-four hours, when 

 the [)ackage may be opened and the eggs placed under the hens or in the 

 incubator. Because of the rough handling to which eggs are subjected 



