28 



FIRST LESSON B IN POULTIiY KEEPING. 



Comb and Head Appurtenances. 



There are four principal t.vpes of comb: 



(1). The Single Comb, a single, 

 upright, serrated eonil), in souie varieties 

 very soiiill, in others metlium in size, in 

 ^till others very large, Ijut the .general 

 type always the same. 



(•2) . TheBose Comb.— By persons not 

 familiar with the technical terms of poul- 

 try men, every comb that is not single is 

 oonimoiily called a double comli; the rose 

 comb is the most common type. It is a 

 thick, fleshy comb, flattened on top, some- 

 times small and " neat," as the typical 

 W;andotte comb, larger in the Leghorn 

 and Hamburg, and in the Red Cap so 

 exiiggerated as to seem almost a detorm- 

 itv. 



^-^■m-i- 



f:^mf-0. 





White Wyandottes. 



(3). The Pea Comb, a triple comb, looks like three parallel single combs growing 

 fnim the same base. Seen in its best development in the Brahma. 

 (4). The Leaf Comb, a forked or branching comb, as in the Houdans and Polish. 

 Ill one way the comb is of no practical importance. In itself it has no actual value. Yet a 

 good coinli adds much to the appearance of a fowl, and without developing fine combs at the 

 expense of other features it is possilile by simply avoiding the use for breeding of birds that 

 have poor combs, or combs out of proportion to the size most favored for a variety, to add 

 much to the appearance of the flock. 



Wattles.— These are the folds of skin pendant from the lower beak, and of the same 

 quality and color as the coml). They vary much in shape and size, and due regard 

 should l)e given to the selection of birds having wattles such as are desired for their 

 type. 



Ear Lobes. — The folds of skin just below the ears. It is always desired and gener- 

 ally required that they be uniform in color — either red, or white, or creamy white. 

 The tendency is to mix red and while. As with all superficial points, while not to be 



given undue importance, color of ear 

 lobes should not i)e neglected. If neg- 

 lected for a few years it is very diffi- 

 cult to eradicate red from a lobe that 

 should be white, or white from one 

 that should be red. 



Crests and Beards. — Compara- 

 tively few crested fowls are bred. If 

 one does breed fowls of that type he 

 ought by all means to avoid using birds 

 with poor cre>ts, however good in 

 other respects, for unless the crests of 

 your fowls are ornamental, there is no 

 object in having crested fowN. 



Beak and Legs. 



Beak. — In general the shape of the 

 beak of a fowl conforms to the struc- 

 tuieof the fowl, and if one observes 

 that the beak of a spt^oiiiien he con- 

 sidered typical in shape of body does 

 not coiitorm to the description of the 

 typical beak for that kind of fowl, he 



S. G. Rhode h?and Red Hen. 



