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Show I BREEDING POULTRY IN I YARDS IS ITS I DRAWBACK' . H' (Prepared by the United States De- apartment or Agriculture.) Hl The average city family will, per- i haps, do best by keeping liens for eggs alone, but a considerable degree of success can be attained in breed -ing poultry in back yards and In many instances it may be desirable. Bv breeding poultry is meant mat-ing'a mat-ing'a male and one or more females HL to reproduce the parent typo; batch-lng batch-lng the young, and so rearing them that thoy will attain the full develop- H' mont of good typical specimens of ) their race. In a small way this can bo Hr done in quite a limited space. It Is more difTicult than keeping a small ' flock of hens for eggs for the table, or ' 'growing a few chickens for the table Hj I in the same space, but with regular al-tention al-tention and good care very satMnc- Hj' tory results are obtained. Good work under adverse conditions often gives better results than poor work under 1 good conditions. Hl The smallest breeding pen for work HL on this scale and with only ono mat-ing- should have a male and two fe-males. fe-males. With two hens, the pen will HL provide eggs for hatching at the rate of a sitting every week or ton days, thus making it possible to set all eggs while the germs are strong. If a small H' flock Is kept also for eggs for the table, hens from that flock may bo rused to hatch and brood the chickeno. If the laying hens lay egss of a dif-ferent dif-ferent color from those laid by the breeding hens, all may be kept togeth- M, cr. The layers may not produce as many eggs while fed as breeders should be, but thcro is a saving in space and work, and the net result Hj may bo as good as If more eggs were secured. i Rations for breeding stock differ from laying rations in that much H! smaller proportions of commercial ani- Hl mal foods are used, and special atten- Hi Hon is given to supplying green feed regularly and abundantly. Heavy egg Hjj production Is not desired. The object is to have the birds in perfect physi-cal physi-cal condition and at the height of vi- i tality, that they may more surely transmit these! quaHtics to their off- H1 spring. The greatest difficulty in back-yard H1 breeding Is rearing the young birds to fl1 secure their best development. As growing birds are more susceptible to H idverse conditions than mature birds, ind birds in close confinement are less Hj, rugged than those at liberty, the blackyard breeder must give the most icrupulous attention to every detail of fl the care of his young chickens. Short- Hl comings which might have no bad eon-sequences eon-sequences with the adult birds, or with young chickens under more fa's -orable conditions, may have very sor-lous sor-lous ill effects upon his young stock. H1 However, by looking properly after all -their wants and taking care not to overcrowd them in any way, fine H! .peclmcns may be grown, in yards ' here the space allowance is not more T tan 20 to 30 square feet per bird. |