BREEDING 157 



breed large-sized birds is because the larger-sized birds 

 appear best at shows and weigh most on the market. 



The market for large birds for meat purposes is limited, 

 as the popular family weight is from nine to eighteen pounds, 

 which will be the weight of a well-grown pullet and cockerel 

 in the fall of their first year. Besides this, large toms are 

 hard on the hens and usually do not make successful breeders. 



Number of Hens Per Tom. — One tom will serve from twelve 

 to twenty hens, a good number being fifteen. It is well to 

 have more than one male in each flock, as but one mating is 

 required to fertilize a clutch of eggs, and if one hen does 

 not mate well with one tom she may with another, thus 

 avoiding infertility in her clutch.' Care should be taken 

 where more than one tom is used to see that they are docile 

 and will not fight with each other. If they are quarrelsome 

 they should be used alternately. The toes and spurs should 

 be blunted and rounded, if necessary, before the breeding 

 season, in order to prevent torn backs in the hens; especially 

 is this necessary with extra heavy toms. If any backs are 

 torn the cuts should be carefully washed out and the edges 

 sewed together with a needle and thread, the hen kept in 

 a separate pen for three or four days, and the wound bathed 

 with a creosote disinfectant or rubbed with vaseline or lard 

 and sulphur, to aid in rapid healing. Birds, affected with 

 torn backs may be detected in the flock by being lame 

 and stiff in their walk, the torn skin being hidden by the 

 surrounding feathers. 



Breeding Ducks. — The heaviest, most vigorous, and best- 

 shaped birds should be selected, at the time of marketing 

 the green ducks, as breeders the succeeding year. Watery 

 eyes are usually considered a sign of weakness in ducks. By 

 selecting the largest birds as breeders, the rapidity of growth 

 in the offspring may be increased to such an extent that the 

 average weight of ten-weeks-old ducks may be raised consid- 

 erably. Individual Pekin drakes have been known to weigh 

 nine pounds at this age and ducks, seven. With good care, 



' The claim is sometimes made that in the case of turkeys a single mating 

 fertilizes the eggs for an entire breeding season. If this claim is in accord- 

 ance 'with the facta it has not been authenticated. 



