999 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 9 



QUESTION What causes brassy color in white fowls ? 



ANSWER It is inherited from ancestors the same as any other 

 color or characteristic, but it is often intensified and first brought out 

 by exposure to the hot summer sun. 



QUESTION When can a breeder claim to have strain? 



ANSWER A strain is a family of any variety of fowls bred in 

 line by descent, by one fancier or a successor, during- a number of 

 years, that has acquired individual characteristics which distinguish 

 it more or less from other strains or specimens of the same variety. 



QUESTION Does continued confinement in the show room for 

 three or four weeks injure birds as breeders? 



ANSWER Yes, in most cases. The best of feed and care and 

 favorable conditions generally are necessary to offset the effects of 

 the confinement. 



QUESTION What causes crooked breast bones-? 

 ANSWER Roosting too early or roosting on perches that are 

 too narrow. 



QUESTION Does the feeding of yellow corn have a tendency 

 to increase or maintain the brassy and cream color in white fowls ? 



ANSWER There is a more or less common belief that it does, 

 but no one has ever yet satisfactorily proven it. 



QUESTION What causes wry tail, and is it hereditary? 



ANSWER It may be a constitutional defect, in which case it 

 would to some extent be transmitted to the offspring. It may also 

 result from an injury or forced carriage of the tail, in which case 

 it is not hereditary, and may be overcome in the specimen affected. 



QUESTION Is it possible for adult fowls to naturally develop 

 off color in one or more feathers? 



ANSWER Yes. In exceptional cases serious debilitating ill- 

 ness may cause it or an injury to plumage, such as a broken feather 

 while it is growing. Such feathers should be pulled, and they will 

 generally grow in again true to color. 



QUESTION Will bantams and the large breeds interbreed if 

 allowed to run together? 



ANSWER A certain amount of crossing will take place an<} 

 some of the eggs from these matings will prove fertile. 



