BREEDING BLACK MINORCAS. 



401 



are certain to be large, especially if of a good 

 laying strain. 



" Many firmly believe some cross has been 

 of late imported into the Minorca ; I have 

 done my best to find out, and do not 

 believe it. I know La Fleche was tried, but 

 it was a rank failure. Black Cochin was used 

 by Mr. Roscorla forty years ago. I had 

 some of his hens, and among them tinted eggs 

 often cropped up. Black Game were bred here 

 sixty years ago and the Minorca used, and the 

 gipsy face and red iris in eye is still in some 

 of our present day Minorcas. This shows that 

 if Langshans had been used, as some think, we 

 should see signs of this vigorous blood in the 

 Minorca. No breed shows less of crossing ; 

 they are too plentiful to require any cross. The 

 broodiness that is prevalent is caused, in my 

 opinion, by over-showing the parents ; we get 

 a less vigorous progeny, and Nature steps in 

 with a rest. This is Nature's way of recup- 

 eration. 



" The aim of most fanciers is to make their 

 birds pay. If you go in simply for eggs, all you 

 have to do is to select a pen of birds, and yearly 

 note and keep the best layers ; hatch your 

 chickens from March to May ; then if your place 



is suitable for the Minorca, you can 

 Breeding depend upon having eggs all the 



Mmorcas. year round. It is a real fact that a 



selected Minorca hen, with good 

 food, warm shelter, care and cleanliness, is prac- 

 tically an egg-making machine. If your ambition 

 is the Club's challenge cups, it will tax all 

 your skill, means, and pluck to breed for them. 

 Here the best layer has often to stand out. I 

 prefer a cockerel of the previous season, mated 

 to five two or three year old hens. You can 

 depend upon this pen for fertile eggs, and the 

 chickens grow away at the start stronger than 

 from pullets. There is no doubt the progeny 

 from an old cock will last longer the strain 

 of exhibiting, so those who have room should 

 mate up both cocks and cockerels, and you 

 should at least have age on one side of the 

 sexes. 



" The male bird influences the style, shape, 

 colour, structure of the comb, and the fancy 

 points ; the hen the size, colour of leg, and 

 especially the serration of the comb. The lobe 

 of the hen should be clear, and quite distinctly 

 away fiom the face, or you will get creased 

 or folded lobes in the cockerels. I do not hold 

 with separate pens for breeding cockerels and 

 pullets; it is all right so long as the breeder knows 

 his birds, but let another have them, and his 

 strain may be spoilt as regards the combs on the 

 cockerels. On the male side, after face, the most 



El 



important item is comb, especially its build and 

 formation. I do not mind an uneven serration 

 so long as the comb is firm on the head, simply 

 growing out of the skull, not fleshy or flabby. 

 Comb guards I detest, and they are not required 

 if the comb is as it should be. I like five good 

 wedge-shaped spikes, which should be the same 

 length as depth of blade. The head should be 

 fairly long, with a strong beak ; the face perfectly 

 red, back under the lobe to where the lobe 

 adheres ; the lobe fixed on quite distinct and 

 clear from the face, coming partly over the face, 

 fitting closely both sides. The legs, beak, and 

 toe-nails very dark horn colour ; our old breeders 

 demanded a dark horn toe-nail as showing the 

 real Minorca. The plumage a dense black, 

 showing in the sunlight a white gloss as on a 

 rich silk dress. Of late, the green-lustred plum- 

 age is much too prevalent. The hackle feather 

 is very fine and thick, the quill feather to the 

 stem is black as ebony, and very tough, very 

 different from the coarser, crisper feather of the 

 Spanish. 



" The hen to breed cockerels should be 

 higher on leg ; a good, long, intelligent head, with 

 a neat, evenly serrated comb, which should 

 adhere closely right up on the point of the beak. 

 Many hens' combs do not adhere to the point of 

 the beak by an inch, and you get coarse, twisted- 

 combed cockerels from them ; also the comb 

 does not grow direct from the skull, but hangs 

 by a thin substance and falls dead over. I pre- 

 fer the comb to rise firmly from the skull at its 

 base, fall a little over one side, then fold over 

 gracefully the other side. The lobes on both 

 sexes must be good in texture, and the correct 

 'almond ' shape. For pullet-breeding you may 

 have hens coarser in head points, and it is not so 

 particular as to the comb adhering to the beak at 

 front, but what defect you have on one side must 

 be counteracted on the other. The birds to 

 avoid in the breeding pen are those showing the 

 least sign of white in face or eyelid, white in 

 flights, high or fan-tailed. A red feather in 

 hackle denotes strong, healthy vigour, and 

 generally rich plumage. 



" The best time to hatch is February for 

 cockerels, but pullets hatched then generally 

 come on to lay a few eggs, then moult like hens. 

 March and April are the months, the chickens 

 then seem to grow right away. I much prefer 

 the foster mother, but no coddling ; take care 

 they do not crowd, but lay about by themselves ; 

 more chickens are killed by being kept too 

 warm than too cold. A sure sign you have 

 healthy chickens is when you cannot hear them 

 peep. Give them plenty of amusement ; those 

 who have a manure heap can make the chickens 



