AMERICAN POULTRY CULTURE 



like " a little farm well tilled," is a greater source 

 of satisfaction and profit than larger operations 

 run on the " hit or miss " plan, without constant 

 culling and careful attention to details. 



The Best Age for Breeders. It is usual to 

 mate cockerels to hens, and cocks to pullets. 

 Pullets and cockerels should not be mated together, 

 unless very early-hatched and well matured, but 

 young stock of the one sex should be balanced by 

 seasoned maturity in the opposite sex. This in- 

 sures stronger fertility in the eggs. Of course 

 there is no objection to mating fowls of the same 

 age together, providing both sexes are well ma- 

 tured, that is, at least one year old. 



A perfectly sound male at the head of the 

 breeding pen is very essential; if possible, have 

 the male of a even little better quality than the 

 females. The statement is often made that " the 

 male bird is half the flock," and in a breeding 

 sense it is absolutely true, for the male bird influ- 

 ences every chick hatched from his pens and in 

 that respect his power equals, approximately, that 

 of all the females to whom he is mated. 



Number of Females to One Male. The best 

 results are usually secured when one male is mated 

 with not more than eight to twelve females of the 

 Asiatic and American classes, and twelve to eigh- 

 teen of the Mediterranean class. Sometimes good 

 results are secured where one male looks after a 



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