44 



THE BANTAM FOWIv. 



it were not for the pleasure of trying to get them back, I 

 would have given them up years ago. I used to practice 

 hatching them in August and September'to keep down the 

 size, but in these days of comparison shows it does not seem 

 to make much difference whether they are large or small. 

 The lacing I do not think I ever worried much about. By 

 mating the very best laced birds that will almost take care 

 of itself. Sometimes I have been troubled with the main 

 color being a little light, but care in mating will fix that. 

 Too much black or smut in tail we often have, and then one 

 must mate a cockerel too light in color. Like all other 

 breeds, when you think only of one section of the bird, you 

 are apt to lose in the others, as in the case of the Light 

 Brahmas of to-day. We look to its hackle, wing and white 

 surface color, and shape must take care of itself. We all 

 follow fads and fashions. Is it not so? 



p. WltWAMS. 



BREEDING AND FEEDING SEBRIGHTS. 

 BY IRA tj. KELLER. 



Possibly there is no breed of Bantams that has had so 

 much attention among the fanciers as the Sebrights. It is 

 right they should, for there certainly is no breed that ap- 

 proaches them in style and beauty. The narrow lacing shows 

 to a great advantage, and so strikingly that at first sight 

 they captivate the visitors at the shows. Breeding Sebrights 



PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRODUCTION OF SILVER SEBRIGHT FEATHERS. 



in years past was very wearisome, but to-day they are so 

 well and thoroughly bred that they breed a very large per 

 cent of high-class birds. The fancy to-day demands a nar- 

 row lacing all over the bird. This is rather difficult to- 

 produce, but has been greatly Improved during the past five 

 years. In mating, to produce this narrow lacing, we select 

 the most narrow laced birds we have that are full laced 

 throughout, with other points good, and by doing this year 

 after year, the lacing can be produced very narrow. 



Shape and form need looking after. Early hatched Se- 

 brights usually grow too leggy, long-backed, etc. The best 

 time to hatch them is from the 15th of May until the 1st of 

 September. One can produce smaller size and better form 

 by hatching during these months. Most American breeders 

 feed Bantams too heavy and too rich food. The Sebright 

 likes free range best. It will find nearly all the food needed 

 for its growth. They like to rove over pasture lands, througli 

 woods and along weedy fen'ce rows. If given their liberty 

 they are extremely prolific and will lay nearly the year 

 through. 



In feeding young Sebrights, we feed during the first two 

 weeks bread crumbs and oatmeal; then we change to a chop- 

 ped food of one part corn meal, one part ground oats acd 

 one part bran scalded and mixed to a dry crumbling mass. 

 For the rest of the day we feed cracked wheat and corn, and 

 as soon as they will eat whole wheat we give it to them. 

 They grow to maturity very rapidly; usually are crowing at 

 six to eight weeks old. No more attractive bird 

 can be kepit around the house. 



Sebrights are very profitable to breed for 

 show purposes. Good specimens are always in 

 great demand at good prices. We have bred them 

 for over twenty-five years and have never had 

 any trouble in disposing of all we raise. 



IRA c. KEI<I<ER. 

 FIFTEEN YEARS WITH SEBRIGHTS, 

 BY MR. ATHERTON, 



To "decide the question of how to mate the^ 

 Sebright Bantams for the best results, one must 

 know at the very beginning what style of bird 

 he desires, whether the darker birds with heavy 

 lacing, showing strongly in contrast with white 

 or gold web of the feathers and such as are 

 recognized as distinctly tlie American style of the 

 Sebright Bantams; or the style of the English 

 fanciers, which has a much narrower line of 

 lacing, and hence imparts a lighter color to the- 

 fowl, and to our own taste makes a much pretitier 

 bird. As a rule the American Sebright, with its 

 heavier lacing, has a much darker under-color,, 

 especially on the back between the wlngB and 

 near tbe tail. But what does the dark under- 

 color amount to anyway? The standard does not 

 even mention the subject, and yet some breeders- 

 are continually Iiarping on dark or black under- 

 color, and it matters not whether the feathers are- 

 laced or not, so long as the uader-color is dark, 

 etc. Having bred Sebright Bantams scientifically 

 for fifteen years, we can say that we have seen, 

 just as evenly laced birds all around each feather, 

 with the under-color a white or lighit slate, as we 

 have seen with the under-color black or dark: 

 slate. The English style birds are all beauti- 

 fully laced and yet always have white under-color^ 



If a medium dark bird is required, 

 then it will be well to mate a light cock, 

 with dark pullets, or a dark cockerel wlthi 



