44 Hubbard's poultry secrets. 



broody around the middle of February, set her at once. After 

 she has hatched her chicks, take them from her and put her 

 back into the breeding yard. She should begin to lay again in 

 two weeks and she will breed three grades of chicks before go- 

 ing broody again. The first five or six eggs she lays, after put- 

 ting her back in the breeding yard will run a little small in 

 size. Set them, and you will have only fair chickens from 

 them. As soon as her eggs run uniform in size save and set 

 every one of them up to the time she begins to cluck, or shows 

 broodiness again. These eggs will hatch the best chicks of 

 the season. If you set the eggs she lays from the time she 

 shows signs of becoming broody, until she takes to the nest, 

 the chickens hatched will be the poorest lot of the year. The 

 same thing applies to the hen as well as to the pullet. A hen 

 will breed her best chickens after she has been allowed to set 

 three weeks, then break her up and put her back into the 

 breeding pen. 



I only raise two hundred chickens a year, but they defeat the 

 best birds from England, Canada, Australia, and the United 

 States, at the Madison Square Garden show. The reason for 

 this is that I have found out when a hen and pullet will breed 

 her best chickens. I was a long time finding out this secret, but 

 I consider it one of the best secrets I have written in this book. 

 It is worth thousands of dollars to any breeder of Fancy Poul- 

 try who is in the business for a living, for it gives him a chance 

 to sell at a big price all the eggs that his best hens and pullets 

 will lay up to the time they become broody. The customer who 

 buys the eggs from the breeder's best hens and pullets is get- 

 ting more than value for his money as he is getting stock from 

 the breeder's best hens and pullets and so is bound to get some 

 wonderful results. The customer will have a good chance in 

 the show room, and that is the best advertisement a breeder 

 can have. 



