64 



COMMERCIAL POULTRY RAISING 



colored plumage, especially brassiness in the neck and saddle 

 feathers. Even now this is a problem. There are few flocks that 

 are entirely free from this defect, though each year satisfactory 

 progress is being made. The females breed true without diffi- 

 culty ; the trouble lies with the males, because of their hackles. 



The standard weights for Orpingtons are lo pounds for cocks, 

 8}4 pounds for cockerels, 8 pounds for hens, and 7 pounds for 



F'g- 38. — Single-Comb White Orpingtons. 



pullets. These run about a half-pound heavier than the weights 

 called for in the Plymouth Rocks. In shape the Orpington re- 

 sembles the Wyandotte or Cochin more than it does the Rock, 

 since it is a round, short-legged, short-necked, chunky sort of 

 fowl. 'The plumage, too, is more iiuffy than the Rock, thereby 

 giving the Orpington a more rotund appearance. 



All Orpingtons lay exceedingly well, and they are exceptionally 

 good winter layers. From the writer's experience, which seems 



