120 DREEDIXG AS'D EXHIBITION OF PRIZB POULTRY. 



pullets not less than nine months in age. Such a cock is, how- 

 ever, very often, not fertile extremely early in the season : 

 hence breeders depend upon cockerels for early chickens. It 

 must not be supposed that either rule is imperative, or that 

 good chickens are not to be expected from birds all hatched 

 about the same time. In this case, however, it is advisable 

 that all the fowls should be fully twelve months old; if 

 younger, the chickens are usually backward in fledging. Fowls 

 are often available for breeding up to the age of four years, but 

 are seldom of much value afterwards. 



To avoid any fraternal relationship is most important ; but 

 the older works have laid far too much stress upon the necessity 

 of continually introducing what they call "fresh blood." It is 

 certainly most destructive to breed continuously from members 

 of the same family, and to go on promiscuously interbreeding 

 in one yard is still worse ; but if there be a number of separate 

 runs, in which separate families can be reared, operations may 

 be carried on for many successive years without a cross from 

 any other yard. It is the more necessary to explain this, 

 because when any strain has been brought to high excellence, 

 the inti oduction of a bird from another is a very serious thing, 

 and we have personally known, in more than one instance, to 

 ruin the produce of a whole year. 



The plan to be adopted is to note down most carefully the 

 parentage of every brood, and to keep the chickens from one 

 family identified until they are required. The breeding-yards 

 for next year are then to be made up from the best specimens, 

 taking care not only that the cocks and hens are not closely 

 related inter se, but that two yards, if possible, are thus made 

 up without any direct fraternal relationship between them. Un- 

 related chickens will thus be secured for next year also ; and 

 so the system can be carried on. It is also a good plan, where 

 it can be adopted, to put a promising young cockerel out to 

 " walk " at a farm, or in some brother fancier's yard, and 



