fowl that has ever been sick should not be used for breeding 

 purposes. Sickness not only shows a weak constitution but 

 indicates one that never will be back to its normal condition. 

 So by breeding year after year from good healthy stock, 

 you will build up a strain of birds that will be able to throw 

 off disease even when in its presence. A hardy vigorous bird 

 is one of the best means of success that you could possibly 

 have. Be careful not to mate up too many hens with the 

 male bird if you wish the highest percentage of fertility. 

 Ten hens with a male bird are enough for the heavier breed 

 while twice that number may be used with the lighter 

 breeds. It is not always the feeding that causes unfertility 

 but lack of good judgment in mating. Carefully look your 

 pens over and note whether or not certain males are vigorous 

 and active and then note the number of birds in each pen. A 

 large vigorous male will be all right with a dozen or so birds 

 where one less vigorous would do with only two or three 

 hens. If you wish to obtain more pullets from your hatching 

 eggs than males, increase the number of breeding hens per 

 male and vice versa. Avoid always in breeding from pullets. 

 Nothing but a mature hen should be used in breeding pens. 

 I would not advise breeding to a hen under 18 months old, 

 using cockrels never under 10 months old; a year is better. 

 The older a male bird, the less vigorous he becomes and nat- 

 urally should be placed with the less number of hens. The 

 longer one is in the poultry business and engaged in mating 

 and breeding, the more he or she will find how much there 

 is to the work. There are depths of which you never dreamed. 

 To the outsider who thinks poultry work is a small occupa- 

 tion, has but little conception of what the work is and never 

 stops to realize how much thinking and planning the poultry- 

 man has to do in order to accomplish results. Many people 

 expect too great things from hatching eggs. If they have 

 paid a moderate price, they cannot expect to get all show 

 birds from the eggs, even if you are to get the best eggs 

 possible, laid by show birds of national reputation, you will 

 find some of the chicks hatched from the eggs to be culls. 

 They cannot throw show birds from every egg laid. On a 

 large poultry plant the trained eye of the fancier can note 

 the poor ones and they become broilers at a very early age. 

 While it is not always possible to tell the best at an early 

 age, yet glaring defects can be noticed easily. During the 

 breeding time of the year, a medium course in the feeding of 

 breeding stock insures the best possible results. A male or 



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