The Process of Breeding. 83 



therefore be supplied to the feathered farm stock. The 

 egg takes from four to six hours to travel from the ovary 

 to the. uterus, where it may slay twelve to twenty-four 

 hours before being extruded as the egg of commerce. 



Mating of Poultry. The same principles of mating 

 apply to poultry as to the four-footed stock; therefore 

 for breeding purposes a cock may be allowed ten to 

 twenty hens, more than that number is unprofitable, the 

 large percentage of infertile eggs complained of by many 

 farmers is due to the overtaxing of the procreative 

 powers of the cock. Pullets and year old hens are the 

 most profitable layers, the breeding hens should be one 

 year old or upwards, it is not advisable to hatch from 

 pullet eggs. Ducks are usually paired or two ducks to 

 one drake, the female may lay as many as 40 to 50 eggs 

 in a season. The gander is usually given three geese, 

 who lay two settings of eggs in a season, geese do not lay 

 until one year old. Turkeys are slower in coming to 

 maturity than other fowl, the torn (male turkey) should 

 be from two to three years of age before mating to get 

 the best results, five turkey hens are allowed to a torn; 

 an interesting fact about the mating of turkeys is that 

 one visit suffices to fertilize all the eggs (10 to 20) laid 

 by the turkeys at one period, it is quite common for the 

 turkey hen to lay twice in a season, the second lot are 

 rarely fertile. 



