First then know that the Cock which you intend to breed of, must be a Bird well descended, rightly Shaped, and sure Heel’d, he must also be Healthful, Fresh, and full of Feathers, nor let so much as his Tail be cut, for that greatly helps a Cock in his treading whereas the want of it many times causes Eggs to be defective, and prove adle, and come to nothing.
To Cross the Strain in breeding is best.
When to breed great Cocks, and at what Age to Fight your Cocks.
And now in the next place we come to the Hen which you purpose to breed of, for above all you must be exceeding careful herein, and therefore she must either be the Mother, or Sister of some admirable Cocks, who have been known to signalize their Valour in the Field of Honour, and not only they, but also their Progenitors to have been Champions renown’d for their Heroic deeds, your Hen also must be rightly Shaped, Healthful, Fresh, and full of Feathers, and for her Age it ought to be very different from that of the Cock, for if the Hen be old, then must the Cock be young, but if the Cock be old, your Hen must be young; and by no means let them be too near of Kin, for out of Brother and Sister, or Father and Daughter seldom or never good Cocks are bred, for they either prove thin, weak and ill Shaped, or else dull and false Heeled, and for the most part prove soft, and are apt to skut, if ever they come to be hewed, especially if they are great Cocks, for you must be much more cautious in breeding of them than you need be about the little match-Cock. And here note that February, March, and April, are the only Months for breeding, if you are for great Cocks: but if for small Cocks, June, July, August, or any time indeed serves for them, provided you allow them to be full a Year old before they Fight; but for the Shake-bag, he must be two Years old at least, before he comes into the Pit.
Of the Place proper to Feed at.
But whether you breed big or little Birds, when once you have pitched upon your Cock and Hen for that purpose, see that you place them at a private Walk, where they go undisturbed and free from the molestations of other Poultry: for if a neighbouring Cock do but happen to come within the confines of your Walk, he may do you a double diskindness; first by putting upon you a spurious breed, a hatch of ill-natur’d Bastards of his own getting; secondly, by Bathering of your Cock, so as to render him unfit for breed, and make his Chickens nothing worth. For when once a Cock is surfeited, he either fails to tread, or if he does tread, he is sure to get distempered feeble Chickens; and a Cock is this way the most apt of any to take a deadly surfeit, for being both foggy and full of Feathers, he is soon heated and overstrained, and for want of Stiving, his Blood grows stagnant, congeals, and becomes glutinous, not being able to circulate as Nature requires, for the carrying off of such humours as are by this means raised to so contagious a degree, that the whole Fabric of his Body becomes deeply infected with a Pluretic, or some such like Malady, which seldom is discovered in time, and so for the most part proves incurable: so that you may see by what has been said, that another Cock is not to be endured within Crow of your breeding Walk, nor indeed other Hens, though there be no Cock with them, for they also in a great measure will be injurious to your Breed: For a Cock is a most solacious Creature, naturally Hot, and extreamly lustful, and when prompted thereto by variety of Mates, he is apt to over-tread himself amongst his fresh Mistresses, whilst those you intend him for, have least of his Strength bestowed upon them, and assure your self this, that these Chickens which are thus got but in part, will prove but to the halves; and therefore when you have a Cock, and Hens to your mind, see that your Walk be secure from all other Poultry before you turn them down to breed, and in no case put above two Hens to your Cock at a time, if you would have your Chickens lusty and strong; your Walk also ought to be well watered and to yield a competency of Meat, both for your Cock and Hens during the time of treading, for as they should not be kept low and poor, so neither may they be fed Fat, for that will render them unfit for Procreation, making the Cock to tread seldom, and to yield but little Seed, and the Hens no less guilty of false conceptions bringing forth abortive Eggs without Shells, filled with nothing but Wind and slimy Matter, which never comes to good, and therefore your Hand must here be gauged.
Of the Place proper for the Hens to lay in,
and the manner of ordering the Eggs.
Near unto the Roost, which ought carefully to be secured from all sorts of Vermin, if you have the conveniency of putting up a little Tablet, or Garret, where some artificial Nests may be made to entice your Hens to lay there, I would advise you to, for the better security of your Breed: And when your Hen first begins to Lay, if you are desirous to have her sit quickly, let all her Eggs remain together in the Nest, only do you carefully see to the turning of them once a Day, until she sits, and afterwards also, if the Hen do not save you that trouble, which you may know by marking an Egg, if you do but take notice when she is off her Nest, but if you would have good store of Eggs, and are in no hast of your Cock, then only let the last Egg remain in the Nest, to entice her to come there again to lay, and take the rest and put them carefully up into some Wheat-barn, in a Baskit, Pan, or little Tub fit for the purpose, and there keep them with turning, and that very gently too, until you find your Hen inclineable to sit.