64 THK TRAP NEST TEXT BOOK 



will, in the great majority of cases, also supply conditions that were not 

 predetermined and that we fail to note, or attach much importance to if 

 noted. Results, good or bad, that accompany conditions for which we 

 intentionally arranged are naturally attributed to those conditions; yet 

 they often may be, at least in part if not wholly, due to the conditions 

 that we have not noted. 



A great many poultry breeders do, at (hues, succeed in obtaining al- 

 most perfect results in fertility, f have obtained as good results with 

 one male running with fifty-five females as most of us can get with a 

 small pen. I have. heard of good results with still larger flocks contain- 

 ing but one male aud 1 have no reason to doubt them. 



In my own cases, and I suspect the same with the others, the eggs 

 used for hatching were from females just beginning to lay and the male 

 had been long in their company. This year [ had, at one test, 100 per 

 cent, fertility from a pen of 1!) females (hens, two, three and four years 

 old) that had been retained from year to year for their persistent laying 

 qualities. Two of the older birds in this pen laid 177 eggs each last 

 year. One of these two gavj me an egg this spring not fit to use; she 

 was very fat. This was my best pen and was headed by one male. I 

 got the largest hatches and the best chicks from this pen, which was one 

 of three that were mated. The hens did not lay during the winter. It 

 is believed by some that the safer way is to discourage egg production 

 during the winter preceding I he breeding season. There is sometimes 

 danger, when doing this, of getting the birds overfaf and thus defeating 

 the very end sought — fertile eggs and strong germs. The concensus 

 of opinion among experienced breeders is, that but few females should 

 be mated to one male. There will, of course, be less females that will 

 give infertile eggs in a small flock than in a large one, as a general 

 proposition. The law of elective affinity not only influences fertility, 

 but it also influences the resemblance of the offspring to the parents. 

 This is another advantage of the small breeding pen. As far as the in- 

 herent ability of the male to fertilize the eggs is concerned the size of 

 the flock has no bearing. I'.y keeping a record of the eggs that are used 

 for hatching, the females that do not give well-fertilized eggs can be 

 discovered and their eggs avoided. In practice it is best to keep close 

 to the established usages of expert brtrders until good reason appears 

 for independent judfriJicut. 



We should respect Authority, but it is neither necessary or wise to 

 venerate it. 



The use of several males with one flock works exceedingly well on 

 many of our farms. ICach male will have his own affinities. A case 

 that illustrates this point attracted some local interest here this spring. 

 An acquaintances of mine has a rough-and-ready fanner's Hock contain- 

 ing several males. 



