FERTILE EGGS 61 



in the fall would be the fathers of hens that would lay in the early 

 winter, and I wanted fall and early winter eggs on account of the 

 market price. I also found that my fall hatched pullets were earlier 

 layers than the spring hatched; most of my record hens were 

 hatched in November. 



Another point in securing fertile eggs is to decide upon the 

 number of hens that may be safely mated to a vigorous male. It 

 has been found that the American breeds do best if one male is 

 mated to from eight to ten females; with the Asiatic the number 

 is one male to from six to eight females; while the Leghorns or 

 Mediterraneans from twelve to twenty females, can be mated to a 

 vigorous bird. These will strongly fertilize the eggs. 



In my own yards I found that close observation was necessary ; 

 sometimes a male will apparently pay no attention to one or two 

 females in his yard, and if after mating for three or four weeks I 

 find the eggs from one of the females is not fertile, I remove her 

 to another yard. I do not approve of changing the males in a yard, 

 as some have advocated. The theory may be plausible, but in prac- 

 tice I have found it detrimental. It gives a feeling of unrest in the 

 yards and retards egg production, as anything disturbing will, and 

 causes a loss of fertility. I find it best to mate up for the season 

 and then leave them alone without change of any kind, unless for 

 some special cause. 



A "line-bred" male is more prepotent than a male of no breed- 

 ing, and will strongly impress his female offspring with the char- 

 acteristics of the females in his line. Be very sure that your male 

 is vigorous. 



Feeding for fertility is another necessity in getting hatchable 

 eggs. Here we may consult Nature. The spring is the time that 

 Nature gives the fertile eggs; let us feed as much as possible as 

 she does. Let us be sure to give plenty of tender, green, succulent 

 food, as well as animal food to supply the place of the grubs and 

 worms, which Nature gives, but in making any radical change in 

 the food, make the change gradually. There is a difference between 

 change and variety. A great variety will give fertility, while a 

 radical change of any kind will cause a loss of eggs as well as loss 

 of fertility. Among the green foods that give fertility, the fore- 

 most is alfalfa. Give the fowls all the alfalfa or clover that you 

 can induce them to eat. Give all the grain in the scratching pen, 

 so they will have to work and exercise for every grain. Nothing 

 helps the fertility so much as the exercise of scratching and nothing 

 costs much less. One prominent poultry breeder told me that it 

 costs him exactly one cent a month per hen to keep fresh wheat 

 straw in his pen; the hens scratch in that and also eat a consid- 

 erable amount of the straw. 



The grain most conducive to fertility is oats. I always use 

 oatmeal in the dry mash during the breeding season, also sprouted 

 oats. These are given besides the mixed grain in the scratching 

 pen. 



