Determination of Sex. 
33 
Tn Game and Game Bantams.* Long and careful breeding might, however, probably overcome 
even these differences, as has been done with Silver-spangled Hamburghs, the best exhibition cocks 
of which variety, some years since, had to be procured by cross-breeding, and often are still, but in 
the yards of one or two of the best breeders are now produced by pure and good pullet-breeding 
strains. 
It will also be found that in a decided preponderance of cases the cockerels of a brood chiefly 
resemble the father, while the pullets “ take after ” the mother. Again there will be exceptions 
but this will be the general rule; and it harmonises well with what we have been considering 
in the last paragraph, as from this point of view also, a cock presenting well the exhibition 
characteristics will be the chief thing as regards colour in making up a “cock-breeding” pen, while 
the best marked hens will be chiefly depended on for breeding pullets. At the same time, as will 
already have been gathered from our remarks on the last page, there are in some breeds points 
which careful observation can discover even in the cock, which chiefly influence the markings 
of the pullets bred from him, and points in the hens which similarly affect the character of the 
cockerels. These, so far as known to us, we shall enter more fully into in treating of the various 
breeds ; but there is doubtless more still to be discovered in this direction, and we would yet again 
urge upon each one to study for himself those finer shades which furnish the materials for the 
breeder’s art, and thus endeavour, both for his own sake and for that of others, to add to the 
existing knowledge of this interesting and important subject. 
With regard to the ages of the birds which are to be bred together, there is no universal rule. 
Cocks and hens in their second season will always breed well together, and the chickens usually 
fledge more kindly than the produce of either older or younger birds. The offspring of cockerels 
and pullets mated together are worst in this particular, and in the large breeds are also more 
subject to leg-weakness. A cockerel mated with adult hens is preferred by most amateurs, 
and usually produces very vigorous and large chickens, but if only two or three hens be put 
with him there is almost sure to be a preponderance of cockerels. An adult cock mated with 
pullets is also a good arrangement. A valuable hen may be kept, and her eggs set as long as she 
lays; but except in rare cases, a cock is of little or no use after he is three yeais old, unless for 
exhibition, for which purpose we have known birds preserved for seven yeais and even moie. In 
some cases, as we have hinted, productive power may be maintained beyond thice yeais , and so 
long as a breeding bird of proved value shows indisputable liveliness and vigour it would be a pity 
to discard him. Old cocks may be fertile in April, which utterly fail in earlier breeding. 
We have hinted in the last paragraph that the breeder has some control over the sexes of his 
produce, and we may repeat here more definitely that the following have long been verified by 
general experience as ordinary rules, though numerous exceptions occur:— i. If a vigorous cockerel 
be mated with not more than three adult hens, the cocks almost always largely predominate in at 
least the early broods ; later this becomes uncertain. 2. If an adult cock be mated with not more 
than three pullets the result is very uncertain, the one sex being as likely to occur as the other, 
but usually there is a decided predominance on one side rather than equality. 3. If an adult 
cock be mated with five or more pullets the pullets are generally in excess ; and what cockerels 
there are will be most numerous in the earlier eggs. 4- Young birds or adult birds mated together 
are very uncertain ; but the fewer hens and the more vigorous the stock, the greater is the pro- 
portion of cockerels, which are always more numerous in the earlier eggs of a season than the later. 
St is also a curious fact that chickens hatched late in the season are often perceptibly more short- 
* Sec the chapters on these breeds. 
M 
