PROPORTION OF MALES TO FEMALES 285 



during their growing period and at maturity; and if the practice be 

 continued, there is rapid deterioration. There is a case in point 

 where broiler raisers made a practice of crossing White Wj^andottes 

 and Light Brahmas, as they considered that a better broiler was 

 secured, but they found they had to make an original cross from 

 standard-bred birds every year in order to secure any degree of 

 uniformity in the resultant chicks. In consequence, they were 

 obliged to hatch each year from pullets, and it was invariably 

 necessary to get new stock, as there was a noticeable loss of vitality 

 and decrease in size of the progeny. The trouble was corrected in 

 a large measure by using pure-bred White Wyandottes for the 

 broiler end of the business, and hatching from yearling hens. 



The progeny resulting from pullet eggs are small and at matu- 

 rity do not attain the maximum size. This is due to their early 

 handicap in the small size of the egg and of the chick when hatched. 

 When continued, this tendency leads gradually to a decrease in 

 the size of that particular strain. 



The factors enumerated have in the course of succeeding gen- 

 erations of pullet breeding led to a noticeable deterioration, which 

 is often expressed as *' a running out of the stock." This trouble 

 can easily be corrected by breeding from mature birds only. 



Proportion of Males to Females. — The number of females, and 

 the relation between females and males in special mating, depend 

 upon certain conditions, such as the breed, the size of the flock, 

 and the season. 



W^here light, active egg breeds are mated, it is unnecessary to 

 maintain as great a proportion of males to females as when the 

 heavier, slower breeds are kept. For example, one Leghorn male 

 to ten females is ample to insure a high fertilit}^, whereas with 

 the heavier breeds, which are slow and of less nervous tempera- 

 ment, one male to seven or eight females is as high a ratio as is 

 conducive to the best results. 



Season also influences this question. When the breeder desires 

 eggs for hatching at other than the natural breeding season of 

 spring, he must run a greater proportion of males in a flock of 

 given size, this ratio, however, depending upon the number of 

 eggs being produced. 



The size of the flock, to quite an extent, also affects the fer- 

 tility. The smaller the flock, the larger the number of males neces- 

 sary to a given number of females, and the larger the flock the 

 smaller the proportion of males. The best practice is to mate 



