PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCKS 



161 



body and of round type. The Birds got length by breeding size. Some 

 of the cockerels four months of age looked dark, but since growing 

 chickens develop three crops of plumage to meet the needs of their 

 enlarging bodies, and each crop is different in shape and color than 

 the preceding one, it is easy to understand why these dark appearing 

 cockerels should not be discounted too soon. Fact is that cockerels 

 of this strain show a much lighter ground color with their adult 

 plumage. What prove to be the best colored pullets of this line show 

 barring or straight penciling at first. 



How the matings are made. Bird Bros, have found little difficulty 

 in getting good females. They follow the old plan of W. Theo. Witt- 

 man in breeding females, i. e., they pick out the best penciled cockerel 





A Pair of Partridge Plymouth Rocks as Depicted by I. W. Burgess. 



when a chick, making sure that he is out of a good colored hen. Cock- 

 erels and pullets are feathered and colored pretty much alike when 

 they develop their first chick plumage. The best colored cockerel as 

 a chick is then bred irrespective of his adult plumage. 



Messrs. Bird state that there is a difference of opinion among Par- 

 tridge Rock breeders as to whether a breast on the male that is mot- 

 tled with red indicates good ability to produce highly penciled females. 

 They prefer to trust to the trapnest, and all of their females are 

 trapped in the spring, and in addition to selecting a cockerel from a 

 good dam, they want him to show strong tendency to good markings 

 as a chick, as indicated above. Bird Bros, attribute patchly colored 

 females, showing light and dark red patches, to the condition of the 



