BREEDING WHITE LEGHORNS 



413 



theory loses weight when we look at the perfect 

 head-points which have been shown simultane- 

 ously with increased size. I consider the im- 

 provement to be seen to-day in the White Leg- 

 horn — and it will be readily conceded that the 

 breed was never nearer perfect, the Champion 

 Trophy offered by the Poultry Club at the 

 Crystal Palace for the best male being won at 

 the 1 9 10 show by a White Leghorn — is evi- 

 dence of the breeder's art, and a result of what 

 has been done by careful selection and careful 

 breeding. 



" The time is long past, too, for one to be 

 able to w'in in anything like decent competition 

 with Leghorns of the straw-coloured variety, 

 pure colour being demanded by every judge. 

 This can only be obtained by breeding, dis- 

 carding all inferior-coloured specimens (no 

 matter what other good points they possess) 

 when selecting one's breeding stock. If any 

 degree of success is desired, this, as I said be- 

 fore, is specially important, as when a Leghorn 

 is not a pure white it is not a White Leghorn. 



" The White Leghorn has seen improvement 

 in more characteristics than size and head- 

 pcSnts. We now have the cocks much more 

 heavily clothed in feather than in former }'ears. 

 Few are exhibited to-day with scanty hackles, 

 and close whip tails with narrow sickles. A 

 White Leghorn requires to be furnished with 

 long, flowing sickles and secondaries to be a 

 thing of beauty. Scant feather looks particu- 

 larly amiss on the larger specimens, and 

 strange to say these are generally the ones 

 that are deficient. 



"To breed White Leghorns a large financial 

 outlay is not needful. What is principally 

 required is sound common-sense in the selection 

 of stock. It is a breed that is 

 Breeding hardy, and will flourish under 

 Leghorns. ordinary conditions. Apart from 

 being a show bird, it has utility 

 advantages, the Leghorn being a recognised 

 egg-manufacturer. And good birds sell well. 

 During the past few years the prices for good 

 specimens have gone up a great deal. Where 

 ;£'5 was originally considered a high price, we 

 have now £10, ;^I5, and £20 paid for single 

 specimens, whilst on one occasion I sold a well- 

 known hen for £<,0 ; and if this latter figure 

 may be a record, £20 is not considered now to 

 be a very exceptional price for a pair of ex- 

 hibition birds. 



" From the novice's point of view the White 

 Leghorn has an advantage over most other 

 breeds, and even over other varieties of this 

 breed, inasmuch as exhibition cockerels and 

 pullets can be produced from one pen. Pure 



white being desired in both sexes, no special 

 blending of colours is required, as in Browns or 

 Piles. Some breeders have two distinct strains 

 for cockerel and pullet breeding, and if a 

 breeder only uses one pen, it may generally be 

 noted that he is more successful with one sex 

 than the other. On many occasions, however, I 

 have produced several winners of both sexes 

 from one pen, but where there is convenience 

 the breeder's object may be more speedily at- 

 tained by mating up separate ones. The most 

 important features are colour, shape, head- 

 points, and size. For producing cockerels, I 

 would advise mating an e.xtra smart-headed 

 cock, with a firm, upright comb, carrying 

 plenty of feather, with correct shape, and 

 stylish, to large hens, the head-points of the 

 latter — beyond a small, neatly serrated comb 

 and a tight fitting lobe — not being nearly so 

 important as in the cock. Although I like size 

 in a cockerel-breeding male bird also, I find 

 that it is not so necessary as in the hens, but he 

 must be well furnished with feather. It should 

 be stated here, too, that in cock breeding, 

 quality must be the watchword, and young, 

 vigorous birds should only be used in the 

 breeding pen. Old stock is generally respons- 

 ible for coarse progeny. In selecting a male 

 bird for pullet breeding, I look for size in con- 

 junction with colour, a fair length of limb, 

 and plenty of head-points. When I say this I 

 do not mean an overabundance of comb in 

 particular, but one of fair size, with a good, 

 strong, thick lobe and a fair length of wattle. 

 It is immaterial whether the comb is carried 

 upright or over, so far as pullets only are con- 

 cerned, but it must be well serrated. Abun- 

 dance of feather is not so necessary as when 

 breeding for cockerels. The hens should be 

 big and shapely, with heavier head-points than 

 the cockerel-breeders, paying particular atten- 

 tion to lobe, as I think that the pullets, speak- 

 ing generally, at the present time, are wanting 

 more in this respect than any other, while the 

 cockerels are far superior in this point. I like 

 to see a good lobe on either a White Leghorn 

 or Black Minorca, together with a sound face. 

 It is, however, difficult to get as yet, though 

 improvement is perceptible every year. 



" I prefer dubbing my male birds, and 

 breeding from second season birds of both 

 sexes, as, by following this practice, I get the 

 best results. To fix a strain, I advise judicious 

 in-breeding, as oftentimes the introduction of 

 new blood has disastrous effects, and when a 

 breeder has laboured hard for many years it is 

 very disheartening to have his work undone by 

 a single season's breeding. 



