CHAPTER XXVIII. 



LEGHORNS AND ANCONAS. 



BRITISH breeders are indebted to Ainerica 

 for their first knowledge of Leghorn fowls; 

 but that they really originated in Italy 

 there is not the slightest question. The first 

 White Leghorns were sent to Mr. Tegetmeier in 

 1870, the birds having taken first prize at the 

 previous New York show of 1868. A second 

 lot of Whites were soon afterwards sent to us by 

 Mr. W. Simpson, and the first pen of Brown 

 Leghorns seen in England were received by us 

 in June, 1872, being sent over by Mr. A. M. 

 Halsted. Other importations of Brown Leg- 

 horns were soon made by the Rev. A. Kitchin, 

 from whose stock some at least of the present 

 strains are descended. The Brown variety seems 

 to have been the longest known in America, Mr. 

 F. J. Kinney having stated that he purchased a 

 trio which had come from Italy, in Boston har- 

 bour, in 1853 ; but these birds were brown rather 

 than black - breasted. Some other American 

 writers trace them back to 1835. For many 

 years the White and Brown alone were bred to 

 any extent : of other varieties since. Blacks 

 and Cuckoos and Mottles have undoubtedly 

 been imported, but Piles and Duckwings were 

 made by English breeders. Buffs came to us 

 from Denmark ; but it is worthy of remark that 

 for many years birds of Leghorn type have been 

 known in that country and Holland and Belgium 

 under the name of Italiens, so that the Buff is 

 probably of more or less Italian origin. 



The Leghorn family constitute a group of 

 one of our very best and most profitable laying 

 fowls, though unfortunately some changes that 

 have taken place since their intro- 

 Points and duction have by no means tended 

 Leghoms. ^° increase their value in this respect. 

 They have the large single comb of 

 the Mediterranean group, straight and upright 

 in the cocks and falling over in the hens, almond- 

 shaped white ear-lobes, with red faces, and the 

 general type of the class. Their chief charac- 

 teristic differences are their bright yellow legs, 

 rather smaller size, sprightliness and activity, 

 and greater liardiness. When first imported, 

 the tails were carried very upright, or even 

 squirrel-tailed, which had been the fashion in 

 America ; but as we predicted and advocated 

 from the first, that fashion has never been 



approved in this country, and is now abandoned 

 in America also. Another change is more re- 

 grettable. The original Leghorn comb, though 

 of the family type, was moderate in size, and 

 thin and fine in quality : there has been too 

 much tendency towards a large and beefy comb, 

 which has been deplored by every practical 

 writer upon the breed without exception, and 

 has necessitated wholesale dubbing of breeding 

 stock. American breeders have fortunately 

 never adopted this fashion, which has gravely 

 affected the egg-average of some strains : and it 

 is to be hoped that some little reaction lately 

 observable may continue, and the more moderate 

 American and Italian comb again prevail. 

 Breeding for size has also, in some cases, been 

 carried too far, the largest birds by no means 

 laying the largest eggs, and being inferior in 

 activity and hardiness to those of more typical 

 size. 



Leghorn chickens are very hardy, and feather 

 easily. Some of the cockerels weigh 6 lbs., and 

 few are under 5 lbs., and the flesh is by no means 

 bad eating, being more juicy than that of the 

 Minorca. The great usefulness of this group is 

 however as exceedingly hardy, non-sitting, lay- 

 ing fowls, whose eggs are large for the size of 

 the bird, even small Leghorns rarely laying eggs 

 less than 2 ozs. in weight, and many decidedly 

 heavier, though (as just observed) the largest by 

 no means lay the best ones. Both Mr. Teget- 

 meier and ourselves reported upon the first 

 specimens received as amongst the very best 

 layers we had met with ; and except in some 

 strains which have been injured by crossing for 

 show points, this character has been preserved, 

 and is always easily bred up to. The White 

 Leghorn is renowned in the United States and 

 Australia as a breed which, bred for laying and 

 adequately fed, is easily got up to an average 

 of close upon 200 eggs per annum, while these 

 eggs are of a good marketable size ; it has the 

 current name there of being " the business hen," 

 and divides with the Wyandotte and Plymouth 

 Rock nine-tenths of American poultry-farming. 

 It has the further valuable property of maturing 

 early, and at a very uniform age, so that if 

 adequately fed pullets may be depended upon 

 to lay before six months old. They can be 



