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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