THE ORPINGTONS 



33' 



and to produce birds of this type, you must breed from 

 both male and female with these characteristics. Do not 

 expect to strike a happy medium by using low down fe- 

 males and a male bird up on legs. It requires patience 

 and a great amount of skill to produce a flock of birds of 

 uniform type. Another point of vital importance in 

 breeding good Black Orpingtons, is breast shape. Never 

 use a male or female in your matings with a flat breast; 

 it is not Orpington t3.pe. An ideal Black Orpington has 

 short, stout legs, broad back, deep body, full round breast, 

 short, well spread tail, black eyes, and a beautiful beetle 

 green color. Such birds are hard to get, but by close cull- 

 ing, and breeding from the best each year you are bound 

 to get a few good ones. Color seems to be the stumbling 

 block of all Black Orpington breeders, although in the 

 past year several birds were shown at New York, Boston, 

 and Chicago, that were nearly perfect in color. Having 

 bred Minorcas a great many years I was well qualified to 

 help in perfecting the color of the Black Orpington. 



In selecting the male for the breeding pen be sure 

 he has a rich, black under-color, a male with light 

 under-color is sure to produce poor color in his oSE- 

 spiing. I have often seen the statement that two 

 highly colored birds mated to gether would produce 

 birds showing purple barring. Now, how in the world 

 are we going to get birds of 

 good color, if we do not use 

 in our mating birds of the 

 best color obtainable. To 

 get rid of this plum color 

 you must use birds, both 

 male and female, as nearly 

 perfect in color as you can 

 get them. From such a mat- 

 ing you may expect a good 

 percentage of finely colored 

 biids. 



Feeding Does Not Influence 

 Color 



I do not believe feeding 

 has anything to do with the 

 color of Black Orpingtons. I 

 have experimented along this 

 line for a number of years, 

 and have found the only 

 way to get good color is to 

 breed it by proper mating. 

 Avoid using a male bird 

 with white in flight feath- 

 ers, especially in both wings. 

 I have used a bird in my 

 matings with white in one 

 wing without serious trouble. 

 The better way is to cull 

 out all birds showing white 

 in any part of the plumage, 

 because when once bred into 



your flock it is hard to eradicate. The Black Orping- 

 ton is truly a grand fowl and is becoming more popular 

 each year. In fact, it is destined to become the most 

 popular black fowl on earth. I have bred Plymouth 

 Rocks, VVhite Wyandottes, Black Minorcas, and White 

 Leghorns in the past twelve years, and I can truthfully 

 say that the Black Orpington is the best winter layer, and 

 the best table fowl of them all. 



Value as Utility Fowl 



The points of utility which make a breed of most 



Second Prize Hen, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1910. Bred and 

 owned by Blue Ribbon Poultry Farm, Columbus, Ind. 



value to farmers and small breeders are egg production, 

 good size, hardiness, good sitters and mothers, and a 

 good table fowl. In all these the Black Orpingtons have 

 been tried and not found wanting. They are a full 

 breasted, heavy quartered bird, both valuable character- 

 istics in a table fowl, and they also possess that other 

 quality, a white skin, so desirable in that it indicates ten- 

 derness of flesh, both in broilers and in full grown birds. 

 The Black Orpington can justly be termed the best all' 

 purpose fowl in existence. They are making rapid pro- 

 gress in America, and have behind them one of the best 

 specialty clubs devoted to the breed, composed of true 

 fanciers and business men, who will see that the Black 

 Orpington is placed at the head of the procession, where 

 it justly belongs. 



Merits of the Black Orpingtons 



Breed True to Type — Great Layers— Superb Table Fo-wl 

 — Hardy, Quick Maturing, Quiet Disposition 



D. N. Foster 



AFTER twenty years it can be truly said that Black 

 Orpingtons breed perfectly true to type and color, 

 and the veriest amateur canproduce as fine Black Orp- 

 ingtons for the show pen 

 as the most expert. 



This is proved over and 

 over again in England, where 

 a beginner at the shows fre- 

 quently takes the prize away 

 from the old fancier. The 

 Black Orpingtons have a 

 lovely gloss on their plum- 

 age, of a beautiful beetle- 

 green shade. 



Their faces and combs 

 are a rich red; they have 

 dark eyes, the darker the 

 better; in the best birds they 

 are almost black. 



They lay brown shelled 

 eggs and their flesh is light 

 colored. 



The cocks weigh ten to- 

 twelve pounds and the hens. 

 from eight to ten pounds^ 

 The plumage should be close 

 and not loose, the skin thin 

 and fine in texture, and flesh 

 firm. 



Quick Maturity 



No heavy all-purpose 

 fowl matures so quickly. The 

 pullets begin laying when 

 about five months of age and 

 the cockerels when well fed 

 and cared for, weigh a pound 

 for every month of their age, up to nine or ten months- 

 As early broilers they cannot be excelled. 



Hardiness 



I have no other variety so vigorous and healthy. A 

 sick Orpington is a novelty in the chicken yard. 



The "Duke of Kent," at this writing five years old, i» 

 as active as a cockerel of ten months. 



Meat 

 The Black Orpington is the greatest table fowl ever 



