Mating and Caring for the Breeders. — ^Whatever variety your
fancy may choose, you can learn from the breeder of it how many
females to put to one male, for breeds differ in this respect. The
male should be longer in leg than the female, as length of leg gives
him activity; he sliould not be burdened with an abundance of fat,
yet be in fair flesh; his eye should be clear and bright and if he easily
takes to the warpath, as indicated by his stretching his neck and
hissing at objects or people, you may know he will make a good
breeder.
If there is no water, that is, running water, there must be a trough
or artificial pond of some sort — some contrivance for them to get in
to mate. Dig a hole in the ground and build in a shallow cement
basin, say 2x3 feet for a small flock. This basin or pond must have
a pipe hole in for a ^-inch pipe at least; the pipe need not be very
long, just so that it carries the dirty water away. When water is
needed in the basin a plug or cork can be inserted in the pipe hole.
If the water is only a foot deep it will answer the purpose, but two
feet would be better.
