126 POULTRY FOR PROFIT 



and again, sons and daughters of these matings back 

 to the original parents and to each other. Fanciers 

 claim that there is no loss of vigor from line breed- 

 ing, but utility breeders claim there is. 



Whichever of these views be right, and I daresay 

 they are both right sometimes, it is much safer for 

 the beginner to purchase, at least every two years, a 

 male bird of different strain from his own, sending 

 East for him, if necessary. If he prefers to use his 

 own males, he can buy eggs from some good breeder 

 instead of a male bird and mate his best male to the 

 pullets from these eggs. In buying a male bird it is, 

 of course, necessary to make sure that he is the son 

 of a high producer, or the egg production of the 

 whole flock may be injured. 



DETERMINING SEX 



To what extent the character of the mating deter- 

 mines sex is a question that has not been settled and 

 probably never will be. One thing seems quite cer- 

 tain, namely, that the mating of an old cock to 25 or 

 30 pullets is a good way to secure a preponderance of 

 pullets in the progeny. By mating a cockerel to 

 from 5 to 10 old hens you will secure mostly cock- 

 erels. This is the finding of the Missiouri Station, 

 and it corresponds with the experience of most poul- 

 trymen. 



In general we may expect in hatching to have 

 about an equal number of pullets and cockerels. 

 Some have held that where the breeding pen is well 

 fed and the fowls are contented and happy, condi- 

 tions are right for producing females, but this seems 

 to be mostly theory, as is the other opinion that more 

 pullets are hatched in warm weather. The fact is 

 we know very little, and it is not worth while pre- 

 tending wisdom. 



