The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-02-10

OF poultry, TIC IaTm0r bOOutO u0v0r inOIoo0s
In breeding is all right for those who under
stand Il; but II Ii matter that an average
farmer should leave alone; II he persists IN
1t. tho result will be generally unsatisfac-
tory. II one wishes to inbred and thinks
that he will be able to gain thereby, II may
be we'll to do 80; but In such cases only.
the sire ard pullets or the dam and cocker
els should be mated; never mate the prog
eny of single mating. While occasionally
the results of such matings will be salts
factory. they will prove tn be disastrous In
In the long run.
In managing the turkeys one should be
unusually careful. and avoid mating too
close relations. Close breeding has ten
dency 10 weaken the constitution and
general vgor of the fowl II there is any
place in the poultry yards where one
wishes strong. vigorous stock, it is In the
flock of turkeys. Often person will buy
setting of eggs and from those Matched and
reared, select pair or trio and breed them
together; this is mistake as the result Is
weak poults that are hard to raise, and the
prospective turkey raiser Is generally dis
cOuraged.
With domestic poultry such as the CON-
mon hen, the case is somewhat different.
AS rule farmer has large number OF
hens melted to several males The pro-
liabilities are In such case there will be
no chicks Matched from a single clutch
that will be own. brother and sister; but
this is largely matter of chance.
l believe that the greatest mistake of all
that the aver ge farmer is inclined to make
is In the selection and number of his male
birds. 1t Is commonly supposed that for
40 hens one must have at least three males
and from that to half dozen. believe
that this impression Is entirely wrong In
the first place so many males are not
needed, and second, when one buys SO
many males the quality of the lot is not
considered. 1t will pay the farmer If he
will cut his stock of male birds down to one
| to every thirty or forty hens, and instead of
paying five or six dollars for as many males
put the whole amount into a single bird,
lowed this practice for several years and
know whereof speak. Last year for the
| fourth time l used a sill gle male with about
40 hens. From this mating all eggs SET
besides this l shipped Tor Matching pur
! poses something like 400 eggs, and the
poorest hatch reported was 8 fertile eggs
and five live chicks. This year am going
Barred Plymouth Rocks, l lave put the
price of halt dozen ordinary males into 9
single cock bird that will weigh close tt
twelve pounds, and will use this single male
with flock of about 40 Plymouth ROCK
hens, unless by some accident l shOulC
lose him, which, by the way, is not at al
probable The results of this mating will
be much more satisfactory shall have
just as high percentage of fertile eggs the
coming season as would be the case II there
we're ten males In the flock; instead o.
having quantity Of young stock out of ,
miscellaneous lot of males the coming fall
and of more or less inferior quality, shall
have a large per cent of very good chicks
This could not be the case had l no
selected one good male bird. The average
farmer sometimes fails to remember tina
the male is half of the flock, that he 1
going to have a considerable influence owe
the progeny. What the farmer wants mos
is fewer and better breeding males.
The last phase of farm poultry that
shall attempt to touch on Is that of arti
fetal incubation. There will doubtless b
considerable question In the minds of
great many, just to what extent this Is
side of practical farm poultry raising.
have not the slightest doubt that there ar
many In this audience who could give SOM
interesting experience with incubatOrs ant
brooders; presume that the greater psr
centage of such opinions would be more
less of varying degrees of success. 1t will
be impractical to 60 into this subject to an.
considerable extent, neither time nor spac
will permit. But to those who are seriousl
considering the subject with view OF pull
chasing Matching and breeding appliance
for use the coming spring, l would su9
gest suggest the following: First.
, you are going to buy an incubator, 1t
time that the machine vas we'll on its way
second, don't begin to build air-castle
I until you have run at least two matches
third, don't allow yourself to become d.
luded into thinking that artificial incubt
, ton is child's recreation; four, bear cart
fully In mind that you have taken matte
, out or the hands of nature, and that yOr
, success with the hatcher and brOoder wi
r depend on how closely you are able to TO
, low the laws of nature; fifth, don't buy q
incubator unless you ara able to see or
A of the same make In practical operation,
D else have the best of reasons for KNOWN
3 that It is all that 1t Is claimed to be; sixth
4 don't make the mistake of buying chea
Q machine simply because 1t is cheap; seventh
{ don't allow yourself to get the impressio
\ that machine will run itself; eighth, bel
| A. a. uffaufion frO