28 



THE ASIATICS. 



a majority of them, crooked, as we have herein depicted 

 them, they are to be passed as unworthy. For a crooked toe 

 cut one point; if middle toes are not feathered beyond the 

 joint with shank, cut one point for each middle toe thus 

 affected; but if feathered sufficiently to fill space between 

 middle and outer toe they should not be cut, for it is not 

 expected that the demand be to tip joint. For shanks thinly 

 feathered (the foot plumage being up to the requirements of 

 the standard), cut one-half to one point. 



If the thigh be so short in males as to hide the hock 

 in the fluff plumage, cut a full point. It is the length of 

 bone in the second joint, so called, that allows the lower 

 thigh and hock joint to appear in smoothly plumed profile 

 below the lower body line. A Brahma should appear in an 

 upstanding, active poise. 



Defective Tail Feathers 



The above i re the general defects and more damaging 

 to appearance in the breed. The lesson is a long one, yet 

 we are aware more might have been said. 



Could we obtain birds such as we have described in the 

 foregoing, they would be perfect and score 100 points, but 

 defects appear and cutting them according to the standard, 

 we are able to produce only birds that score from' only 90 

 to !>6, and occasionally one is found that will score 96% 

 honest points. We have described. a perfect bird and given 

 the cuts that are the penalty for defects. But our task is 

 not completed until we give our experience in mating to 

 produce the best results. 



MATING LIGHT BRAHMAS. 

 Of all the varieties of thoroughbred fowls, there is none 

 that will give us so large a percentage of chicks that will 

 score 90 to 96 points as will a single pair of Light Brahmas 

 when mated according to the standard. But we wish to 

 gee the greatest number of chicks possible during two years 



which is the usual length of time we use our breeders and 

 exhibition birds. To do this we must mate our stock so 

 that our medium colored birds will give us show specimens 

 in their first season, because they lose color when breeding 

 and with age. When we make our selection for shape, the 

 shape takes care of itself, but to secure approximate per- 

 fection in color is hard and the artist (breeder) may be said 

 to be painting with live colors and brushes. 



Pen No. 1, First Division— When we mate a cock and 

 pullet of the color I have described, we make a real standard 

 mating. 



Pen No. 2, First Division — Select a cockerel that is as 

 dark as the standard permits and mate him to hens that in 

 their second year are standard in both shape and color. This 

 is also a standard mating in the truest sense. The hens se- 

 lected for this pen were, as chickens, dark specimens that 

 have come to standard color by 'the loss which age inflicts 

 and by the work of reproduction. For my part, I should 

 not care from which pen I set eggs for hatching. I should 

 expect the cockerel to molt enough lighter to be prime stan- 

 dard color as a cock and in the second year take his place 

 in Pen No. 1 and to mate him to his own pullets, which 

 would be of standard color. Out of such pens as No. 2 

 we expect fowls to come which each year will form pens 

 such as No. 1. 



To mate the balance of one's stock is a question for the 

 breeder to solve. All matings should be such that the 

 strongest and best exhibition color will be found among 

 the medium colored specimens of the flocks raised. 



Pen No. 3, Second Division — Use a cockerel that is ex- 

 tremely dark, one that has very dark wing flights, black tail 

 and coverts, with the rear saddle feather showing character- 

 istic tail coverts and the hackle with wide black etripss. 

 The object, as you will perceive, is to have a surplus of dark 

 color. To such a male mate pullets of pure standard color. 



Pen No. 4, Second Division— For this mating use a cock- 

 erel or cock that is as near standard color as possible, and 

 mate to him pullets that are exceedingly dark, even those 

 that would be disqualified for excess of color, but be sure 

 that it is a defect that will disappear after the molt. The 

 hackles should have very narrow White lacings, the tail 

 coverts and the primaries should be black. If possible they 

 should have a bluish-grey under-fluff. They may even have 

 black in the under-web of the back. Such pullets will ripen 

 into show hens and form a part of pen No. 2 the second 

 year. 



The progeny from these four pens will not vary a point 

 in their average merit. A third division now becomes neces- 

 sary, because the pullets that have molted into hens have 

 lost so much in color that they need an exceedingly dark 

 cockerel to mate with them, like the one described in Pen 

 No. 3. 



Pen No. 5, Third Division— Use a cockerel such as de- 

 scribed in Pen No. 3, for we must supply the loss that the 

 hens that were in Pen No. 1 have sustained during their first 

 year of breeding. 



Pen No. 6, Third Division-Select a cock that came from 

 a dark cockerel and still retains the color of a younger bird, 

 even if he has black ticks in the back and dark slate under- 

 color and leg and toe feathers well mottled with black. Then 

 to him mate pullets that have flights in which the white pre- 

 dominates, which are white in under-color and whose neck 

 hackles appear right on the surface, hut when examined, we 

 find that the black does not extend the full length of the 

 reamer. They may also have white leg and toe plumage. 



After four months in the breeding pen they will molt 

 out worthless light-colored hens, fit only for kitchen use. 

 and are used only for breeding from necessity. It would be 



