CHAPTER XII 

 BLUE PLYMOUTH ROCKS 



Origin and mating of this variety 



Blue Plymouth Rocks are a recent production. They were pro- 

 duced by F. G, Hasselman, of VVaveland, Indiana. They were first 

 exhibited at Indianapolis. Indiana, in 1914, and the following year at 

 the Panama-Pacific Exposition, San Francisco, the Coliseum, Chicago, 

 and Madison Square Garden, New York. The variety has excellent 

 Plymouth Rock type. 



The originator was a florist and his experience in hybridizing 

 plants gave him a liberal understanding of the principles underlying- 

 breeding. His eye had also been trained to see and appreciate all 

 the fine gradations of color and form. His new variety, Blue Plym- 

 outh Rocks, were the result of crossing Blue Andalusians on Barred 

 Plymouth Rocks. The variety inherits strong egg-laying proclivities. 

 It was recognized as a standard breed by the American Poultry 

 .Association in convention assembled, Kansas City, Mo., August, 1920. 



The color of the male should be: neck, wing bows, back and tail 

 sickles, lustrous blue black; breast, body and main tail feathers, a 

 clear, even, medium shade of slaty blue with a well defined lacing 

 of darker blue around each feather. 



The color of the female should be an even, clear shade of slaty 

 blue, each feather laced with a distinct edging of darker blue. 



Mating. A medium colored male, well laced in breast and laced 

 somewhat in hackle and saddle, when mated to fine exhibition colored 

 females, produces excellent pullets. For fine cockerels, select females 

 that are dark in hackle, with as good lacing on breast and throat as 

 possible, but it is not necessarj' that their backs should be of a medium, 

 clear color. Mate these females to a sound colored male. 



Standard colored birds may also be bred together with satisfac- 

 tion. If birds too dark in both sexes are bred together, however, 

 some red may show in the offspring. If birds that are too light are 

 bred together, the offspring will be deficient in lacing. 



It is natural for all blue varieties of chickens to produce some 

 black and some splashed-white chickens. When these are bred together 

 they in turn produce blues: however, a cockerel so produced should 

 not be used the following year with the expectation of him producing 

 pullets that are a clear, even shade of blue, distinctly laced. 



(See illustration on page 170) 



171 



