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MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK 



lar alarm to protect poultry houses, 

 and would venture to inquire whether 

 such an alarm may be installed by 

 one not a professional electrician. 

 Upon what principle is it based, and 

 what are the materials needed? 

 H. M. 



Answer I put in the burglar alarm 

 you speak of myself. I am not a 

 professional electrician, but I went to 

 the electrical supply house, bought 



from them the ordinary alarm fixtures 

 which are used at the door and win- 

 dows of residences; they explained to 

 me how to set them, and I did it by 

 their directions. I did not find it dif- 

 ficult. None of the doors or windows 

 in my hennery could be opened four 

 inches without the alarm gong at the 

 head of my bed, ringing. I should 

 think you would have to understand a 

 little about it to put them in. 



MATING AND BREEDING 



Age for Mating I wish to ask if a 

 cockerel should be mated after he at- 

 tains a year in age or can he just as 

 well stay till a year and a half or two 

 years old before being mated? 



Also I wish to know if it is quite 

 as andvantageous to mate a rooster 

 with a pullet of his own clutch, sup- 

 posing the pullet and rooster are both 

 a year and a half old. I would like to 

 do that if you think it advisable. 

 M. S. H. 



Answer The earliest age at which 

 a cockerel may be mated should be 

 about ten months, not earlier if you 

 want large, vigorous chickens. I con- 

 sider the best age for getting sturdy 

 chicks is for both parents to be about 

 two years of age. You can keep a 

 male bird as long as you wish with- 

 out mating him, but he should be en- 

 tirely out of sight and out of hearing 

 of the hens, otherwise he will fret to 

 get to them. I have known several 

 to drop down dead from getting too 

 much excited at seeing other young 

 males in the pens with the hens. 



From a year and a half to three 

 years of age is undoubtedly the best 

 age at which to mate the fowls, but 

 you can have very good results with 

 older fowls. In your place I would 

 certainly mate the year and a half 

 male with the year and a half hen and 

 expect good results, for they should 

 both be in their prime. 



are all old enough, say a year and a 

 half or two years old? Mrs. G. S. H. 

 Answer It is considered best not 

 to mate brother and sister together, 

 yet this is always done in making any 

 new breed, and as yours comes from a 

 three hundred egg a year hen, I would 

 advise you to do so. 



Mating Brother and Sister Is there 

 any objection to mating a rooster 

 with hens of his own clutch if they 



Breeding I have a nice R. I. R. 

 cockerel. He is good shape and color 

 but he is not up to standard weight. 

 If I breed from him will he produce 

 chicks larger than himself if they 

 are well taken care of? Is there any 

 chance of getting perfect specimen 

 from fowls under weight? I bought 

 some very fine looking hens, but their 

 breasts are uneven. I also got eggs 

 from the same stock and the pullets 

 have crooked breasts. Kindly tell me 

 if that trouble will be handed down if 

 I breed from them. Mrs. C. R. 



Answer As a rule, the chicks take 

 their size from the mother. If your 

 R. I. R. hens have a good size, the 

 chickens will be larger than the cock- 

 erel, if you feed them for large frame. 

 If the hens are under weight and size, 

 you may have difficulty in increasing 

 the size of the offspring. Some peo- 

 ple think that crooked breastbones 

 come from chickens roosting on a 

 narrow perch when they are young; 

 however, I think it is generally con- 

 ceded that crooked breastbones are 

 often hereditary. You will know if 

 your chickens have roosted at too 

 early an age. If not, it is hereditary 

 and you had better change the strain. 



