298 THE RURAL EFFICIENCY GUIDE STOCK 



of the stock. More males must be kept if the birds are on free range than if 

 they are yarded. 



Number of Females to One Male. (For confined fowls) Light, active 

 breeds, such as Leghorns and Minorcas under ordinary conditions, use one 

 male to a pen of twelve to fifteen females. Medium-sized breeds, such as 

 Plymouth Rocks and Rhode Island Reds, use one male to ten or twelve females. 

 Heavy breeds, such as Cochins and Brahmas, use one male to no more than 

 ten females. When twenty or thirty females are kept in one flock, keep two 

 males. Allow one to run with the hens one day and the other the next. 

 Keep the male not with the hens, in a coop. Mate the hens ten days before 

 eggs are needed for hatching. 



Eggs for Hatching. 



1. Gather the eggs every day. Do not let them get chilled. Keep them 

 in a room where the temperature is between fifty and seventy degrees, if 

 possible. A greater strength of germ and higher fertility is observed in eggs 

 kept at a temperature of seventy degrees than those kept at a lower tem- 

 perature. 



2. Eggs for hatching should be kept at a uniform temperature and turned 

 daily. 



3. Select eggs of uniform size. Discard eggs that are small, abnormal 

 or poorly shaped. 



4. Eggs that have thin or very porous appearing shells should not be used. 



5. Use fresh eggs as nearly as possible. Never use them over two 

 weeks old. 



6. Select uniformly large eggs for hatching as it is one of the quickest 

 ways to secure uniformity in the offspring and increase the size of the eggs. 



7. Clean the dirty eggs by rubbing them lightly with a damp cloth. Be 

 careful not to rub off any more of the natural bloom of the egg than is necessary. 



8. Do not allow broody hens to set on the nests all day. It may hurt the 

 hatching qualities. 



9. Do not mix eggs of the smaller and larger breeds as the eggs of the 

 smaller breeds often hatch earlier than those of the large breeds. 



10. All hatching should be concluded by May 15th. and the male birds con- 

 fined for the remainder of the summer. 



Number of Eggs to Hen. This depends on the season, the size of the 

 hen, and the size of the eggs. The average number for spring is thirteen. No 

 more than eleven would be given the same hen in winter. After the middle of 

 May she can handle fifteen. Give less than she can cover rather than more. If 

 too many are given they may become chilled. 



Testing Eggs. Test each setting and remove the infertile eggs. This 

 gives a better chance to those left. If several hens have been set on the same 

 day and there are many infertile eggs, some of the hens can be reset. Test 

 the eggs about the 6th or 7th day in a dark room or at night when the coop is 

 dark. Hold the egg against the hole in the side of the box. This allows the 

 light to shine through the egg and show 1 its condition. An infertile egg is clear, 



