YHE BANT'AM POWt. 



13 



RED PILE GAME BANTAM HEN. 



When mating your 

 breeding yards of Piles, 

 select a male bird that 

 is Pile bred and of the 

 very highest exhibition 

 qualities. 



The writer of the de- 

 scription for mating 

 Brown-Reds writes of 

 these as follows: 



"Select a male suit- 

 able for cockerel breed- 

 ing In shape and reach, 

 as described in the 

 cockerel breeding 

 Black-Red pen. The 

 next and most particu- 

 lar point Is to see that he 

 is perfectly sound in his white, free from lacing or smokiness 

 on breast, and above all possessing a sound, deep bay on 

 wing end; for without the latter he Is of no use as a cockerel 

 breeder. I have never known a male bird that was weak In 

 color on wing ends to prciduce a single exhibition specimen; 

 and this Is quite as essential In breeding for pullets. There- 

 fore, bear in mind that a Pile cock or cockerel, weak in his 

 bays, is practically of no good whatever either as a stock 

 bird or for exhibition, however good he may be in all other 

 points. Next select three or four tall, stylish pullets, deep 

 in breast color, short in back, and possessing plenty of 

 reach, and showing the shoulder points prominently — prefer- 

 ence being given to those which are nicely rosed on the 

 wing, but not creamy on wing ends. Prom this pen I should 

 expect to get sound colored cockerels, although the pullets 

 would be too dark in color for exhibition; yet as stock birds 

 they are invaluable, and especially so if mated back to the 

 sire. In pullet breeding, the cock must be sound in wing 

 ends, clear white in his wing bars and shoulder points; In 

 top color I prefer a bird of one uniform color of the darker 

 or brickL^ih color, and if laced on breast all the better. The 

 hens or pullets to mate to this cock should be clear as possi- 

 ble on wing and back, free from rosiness or creaminess, and 

 preference being given to those possessing good salmon 

 breasts, although it is quite possible to breed the very best 

 pullets from hens which are pale in breast color, provided 

 the body color is perfectly clear. Cockerels bred from this 

 pen will be found too pale in color as exhibition birds; but 

 those which are extra good in bays and whites should be 

 retained as stock birds for another season." 



To strengthen your color lines, it is often necessary to 

 resort to a cross with the Black-Red Game Bantam. When 

 this is done, try and have a Black-Red male with high or 

 yellow colored shanks, and be most particular to have the 

 color rich and pure, with no bad markings, and shape the 

 very best to be secured. Mate this male with three or four 

 very pale colored Pile females that are as clear and clean 

 a white as you can have them, of good quality, and deep 

 orange yellow shanks. Select the very best males from this 

 cross and use them with your Pile females to improve color. 

 Those who have plenty of time and space to devote to 

 their breeding should select some of the very best females 

 from this cross that have dark or willow colored shanks 

 and mate them to a good sound Pile bred male, and in this 

 way work two lines. We advise the use of the yellow 

 shanked male as a starter, because this indicates that he is 

 the result of the first cross of the Black-Red and the Pile, 

 which gives an advantage of one year's work. But with all 

 this, we are of the opinion that the safest way for the aver- 

 age breeder is to pair together his darkest females with his 



best males for cockerels, and from these he vi ill most likely 

 have some good exhibition pullets. 



Mr. B. C. Thornton writes of Red Pile Game Bantams 

 as follows: 



"They are the most beautiful in color of all Game Ban- 

 tams when true to color. Not more than thirty to forty per 

 cent of sound colored birds are generally obtained from the 

 best matlngs. The rich color must be kept up with a cross 

 of Black Breasted Red blood, and that Is very apt to bring 

 smoky white or yellow where there should be clear white, 

 and It takes a long time to breed it out. My plan would be 

 to breed two yards of these also, as, in fact, you will have 

 to do with all varieties of Game Bantams to get a large per 

 cent of really high class exhibition cockerels and pullets. 



"In mating for cockerel breeding I should use a good, 

 sound colored male bird with good, sound colored wings, 

 rich crimson on back and wing coverts or wing-bow, and 

 good color in wing bay or what is known as the diamond; 

 white breast clear of lacing, good white on wing butts and 

 wing bar, showing the markings on wing very distinctly. 



"Females for this mating should have a nice salmon 

 breast, fine golden hackle (a trifle rosy on wing will not 

 hurt), the balance of bird a good white, not smoky. 



"In breeding for pullets the cock bird need not be so 

 rich in color, but the wing bay or flight coverts should be 

 deep bay color, and all the white should be as clear white 

 as obtainable. The females should have good salmon 

 breasts, nice lemon or straw colored hackles, and be per- 

 fectly clear white, free from yellow, smoky or stone color on 



back, wings and tail." 



THE PILE WHEATEN HEN 



Has a very bright eye and a golden hackle; breast pale fawn, 

 at times almost cream colored; thighs and upper part of 

 body light buff or lemon color; back and wings the color of 

 wheat; primaries, white; secondaries, outer web wheaten, 

 inner web white; tail white, upper feathers edged with 

 wheaten color; legs and feet are often light willow, but yel- 

 low Is preferred. 



THE DUCKWING WHEATEN HEN 



DiSers from the above as follows: Hackle and head color 

 is white, or white slightly striped with black; breast light 

 fawn; back and wings pale cinnamon; primaries black; tail 

 and legs same as a Red Wheaton. 



RED WHEATEN HENS 



Have a red face, red ear-lobes and wattles, horn colored 

 beak, golden hackle, fawn or cream colored breast, light 

 buff thighs and upper part of body; back and Wings pale 

 cinnamon or wheat color. From this they get their name. 

 Primaries black; secondaries, outer web wheaten, inner web 

 black; tail black, upper feathers produced with wheaten 

 color; legs and feet willow color. 



WHITE AND BLACK GAME BANTAMS. 



We now have some beautiful quality of White and Black 

 Game Bantams. In our first edition of "The Bantam Fowl," 

 we wrote: "Some very fine White Game Bantams with 

 dark legs, sports from Brown-Reds and Birchens, make 

 their appearance. If these were bred to the White Game 

 Bantams with yellow beaks and legs, a fine line of well sta- 

 tioned birds could be produced. The White Game should be 

 pure white in color, with yellow legs and beak. They orig- 

 inally came from the Brown-Red Bantams, as did the Black 

 Games; both have the same common ancestry. The Blacks 

 should be pure, lustrous black, with black legs and dark pur- 

 ple face, beak dark horn or black, eyes black or dark 

 brown. These two varieties could be made most attractive 

 It attentiob were paid to them." 



