24 WYANDOTTES 



proper shape with the bird that has a deformed comb. It is the 

 same with hackles, breast, back, wings, tail, legs, etc.; whatever is 

 deficient in one should be a little in excess in the other, so that the 

 mating of such birds may give the offspring the feature in a modi- 

 fied form. 



Color and comb are the most difficult points to get good. The 

 novice may not have visited a leading show, to form in his mind 

 what the male and female Silver Wyandotte should look like in 

 these two particular features. The Silver Wyandotte cock has 

 much, if not all, the color and penciling of the Dark Brahma, differ- 

 ing in breast and wings. The hen is, in plumage, much like a well- 

 laced Polish hen, but differing in tail. In fact, the Polish hen would 

 be a very good ideal, as far as lacing is concerned. The comb should 

 be a neat rose, fine, evenly corrugated, with a spike much shorter 

 than that of the Hamburg, closely following the curve of the crown 

 and bend of neck. 



Speaking of mating, Mr. J. Penfold Field, author of a small work 

 on Wyandottes, published in England, says: "This breed, more, 

 perhaps, than any other, has the tendency to breed light, and for this 

 reason alone we should never breed from light males. We must 

 always remember that males influence color more than females. 



" A standard male, with breast lacing not very wide, is the light- 

 est we should ever use for breeding purposes, if we wish to place 

 any reliance on our future stock. 



" Of course, the best mating of all is the happy medium, when 

 we put full standard males to full standard females; but it is not 

 many of us who are fortunate enough to have such birds to mate 

 together, and we must therefore do the best with what we have. 



"Many of the females fail in breast, having moon-shaped span- 

 gles instead of lacing. They will also be light in fluff and white in 

 tail. To such birds we should mate a male that has been bred from 

 standard hens, and that is up to standard in every point except 

 breast, and this may be as dark as possible; even if pure black, it will 

 be better, for such light-colored females, if mated to a standard bird, 

 would scarcely breed a good chicken. Another style of females 

 that many of us have are those which have perfect, heavily-laced 

 breasts, but are too dark on back, cushion and wings. To such we 

 must mate the lightest shade male that can be allowed by the stand- 

 ard. In all matings we must get the males with as clear hackles as 

 possible, free from white in tail, and in the Silvers the wings and 

 back ^should be free from brassy or brown feathers. 



