The hens as mothers are equal to any breed. An idea which can be taken from the fact that we have had as many as ten hens in one house with 230 chicks all running together and all contented and happy and not harming one another or the chicks. They, like all good mothers, become broody at times but a very good advantage, in our estimation, is that they are very easily broken. We have done this often in three or four days. We have set as many as eighteen eggs under one hen with very best of results. The hens while large are careful and not a clumsy fowl such as one is apt to find among many of the heavier breeds. A five foot fence takes care of the birds' yards and while we prefer free range as an item in the saving of feed costs, they do just as well in small runs or houses during the winter months. Cold weather has little effect on the birds if the house is free from drafts and we have always raised them with open front houses.

They, as chicks, are very fast growers; we having raised many birds and those rather late hatched soon caught up to the birds hatched one month and more earlier. Our frank experience is that they are not a breed that is at all necessary to hatch early, in fact, the great majority of the birds have been and are hatched even today by farmers who have raised them for some few years, from the middle of March to the end of April and May. The hens or pullets, given reasonable care, will mature or start to lay in six months. We have had many start in a little over five months but consider the fair average a full six months. We find it a great advantage not to mate cockerels until fully matured.

We have found them to be very vigorous at all ages having been raised for years as above mentioned on general farms and given free range the year 'round where the houses, to say the least, have been little more than sheds to protect them from rain and snow during the winter months.

Our own experiences with the Jersey Black Giants run as follows: The cockerels at four months will run five pounds, the pullets a little lighter. At six months, cockerels, nine pounds; pullets, six and one-half pounds. At nine months, cockerels, twelve pounds and pullets, eight pounds and over. Yearling hens, ten pounds each. As capons given reasonable care at nine months, fourteen pounds each, some fifteen. In a flock they will run twelve pounds, average, at nine months old. We have raised many birds that have exceeded the above weights from one to three pounds.