THE LEGHORNS 



the true Leghorn type. For myself, I think the ideal car- 

 riage is a trifle less than forty-five degrees. That is what 

 I am trying to produce in my males. 



We cannot be too particular in mating, for on this 

 •depends the success or failure of a breeding season. It 

 is much better to have three breeders, all having the re- 

 quired points, than ten in your yard with ofif-colored feath- 

 ers, bad combs and general defects. There are two con- 

 siderations to have constantly in mind — type and color. 

 Select your male which is to head your pen and have him 

 as near the Standard as possible. A good five-point comb 

 is best; not having this, select a four-point comb, but do 

 not go below four. Have the comb set firmly on the head 

 so it will not tend to lop and avoid thumb marks. Do not 

 have the comb follow the neck, but stand well out from 

 the head. You want a good, full-rounded breast and a 

 nice curve from base of comb to top of saddle feathers 

 and then following with easy curve over with sickle feath- 

 ers. Have him well up on his legs; avoid short shanks, 

 for many a good bird otherwise has been turned down 

 by the judge on this account. Never pass a male with de- 

 cided .white showing in tail or wing feathers; a little 

 smoke in tail is not a bad defect in the breeder, but of 



iUFF LEGHORN COCKEREI 



A Buff Leghorn male of 



lear tail is the thing. Have as deep a bay eye 

 as possible. An even shade of buflf is desirable with no 

 decided red on wing-bow or back. Be sure to keep away 

 from the red shade, as so many breeders' birds of true 

 Leghorn type have the Rhode Island Red color. Now se- 

 lect your females to fit in with your males and have them 

 strong where your male is weak. Be sure of this as it will 

 help to counteract his faults in the offspring. Do not use 

 females having shafting or those much lighter or darker 

 than the male, otherwise mealiness and ofif-colored 

 youngsters will be the result. Have their combs neat, 

 folding over to one side, and their tails full and carried 

 with a nice sweep from the back. A good, full-tailed fe- 

 male is a great asset in the breeding pen. 



With these facts clearly in mind, I do not think one 

 can go far wrong. 



Raising Winners 

 The care of the young stock is of great importance. ! 

 believe the conditioning of a show bird should start when 

 it leaves the shell, not two or three weeks before the 

 show. 



Buff youngsters demand shade and plenty of it. If 

 they are exposed to the summer sun day 

 in and out, when matured they will have 

 a faded look, not having the same lustre 

 as chicks that have had shade and green 

 runs in which to grow. Do not allow 

 your young stock to be chilled or over- 

 heated, for should this once happen they 

 will not mature the way they should and 

 you will have runts and sickly birds on 

 your hands. Keep them scratching all 

 the time: better have them a bit hungry 

 than fully satisfied. When early fall 

 comes select your choice specimens and 

 put them by themselves, so that they 

 will not run any chance of breaking 

 feathers or getting into fights, the result 

 being torn wattles, marred earlobes, etc. 

 Very choice birds — those which look like 

 the "real thing" — I put by themselves in 

 nice grassy runs with plenty of shade. 

 Only by these careful methods can one 

 hope to win the coveted blue at Madison 

 Square or other leading shows. Condi- 

 tion is half the battle. 



Care of Old Stock 



The care of your old stock is just 

 about as important. As soon as the 

 breeding season is over, I take the males 

 away and put them in a house which I 

 have built especially for them. Each has 

 a nice grassy run which is entirely cov- 

 ered by burlap so the sun cannot reach 

 him. There is a small roosting room 

 .^x4 feet with a burlap window. A three- 

 foot board fence separates the runs so 

 they cannot fight over it and injure each 

 other. A foot wire is on these boards 

 and all the top is covered. Their legs 

 are looked after each week, so as to 

 keep the scales soft and in good condi- 

 tion, in order that they may shed them 

 easily. With this careful attention your 

 old stock will be as fresh and will have 



