GOLDEN WYANDOTTES. 



Their Origin and the Breeds That Were Used to Produce the Color— Some Ancient History From Men 

 Who Were at One Time Prominent Breeders of This Popular Variety. 



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HILE the origin of the Silvers must always 

 remain in doubt, we seem to have what 

 might be termed official records of the 

 crosses that made up the first Goldens, 

 or, at least, the Goldens that were first 

 recognized as exhibition specimens and 

 the ones whose blood lines can be traced 

 to many of our prize-winning, strains ol 

 today. 

 But old as that variety is and carefully 

 as they have been bred by our leading fanciers, they are 

 with few exceptions further from Standard type, so far as 

 shape is concerned, than any Wyandotte that is recognized 

 by the American Standard. In fact, the writer has found 

 but few birds of this variety that filled the shape require- 

 ments, while many of our winning specimens would come 

 nearer the Plymouth Rock description in back, tail and 

 body, and quite a few of them even reaching the Java type, 

 especially in females. 



We believe the breeders of Golden Wyandottes appre- 

 ciate our efforts to harmonize the shape of their variety, 

 as outlined in our color illustrations, and it is up to the 

 men who have given years of thought to producing correct 

 color to shorten up the backs, necks, tails and bodies of 

 their Goldens and make them conform to Standard descrip- 

 tion, or go to the Revision Committee of the American Poul- 

 try Association and demand a Standard description for 

 shape that will fit the winning specimens. If, in your opin- 

 ion, backed by years of experience, you cannot shorten 

 dp this variety of the Wyandotte family to where the Stand- 

 ard demands, it should then be insisted that a Standard 

 be made for your variety that you can breed to without in- 

 juring your birds. 



In .looking up the early records of the Goldens, giving 

 full consideration to the opinions of breeders who were 

 themselves financially interested in the booming of this 

 variety, we took the following from Pierce's Wyandotte 

 Culture, believing this comes nearer telling the truth about 

 the origin of this breed than anything that has yet ap- 

 peared in print. Knowing all the parties quoted from, we 

 have no hesitancy in giving it full credence, believing that 

 these men, like ourselves, are striving to give to the public 

 correct information as to how the variety was first pro- 

 duced. 



As to color, we will refer our readers to the colored 

 illustrations and the individual feathers that appear in each 

 picture, as we believe our artist has portrayed a correct 

 ideal of what ideal plumage should be, and please bear in 

 mind that these pictures are not run to represent the birds 

 of any breeder, but the artist's idea of what the correct 

 Wyandotte should be, as described by the American Stand- 

 ard of Perfection. 



Following is the quotation referred to, and we believe 

 our readers, and especially those interested in Golden Wy- 

 andottes, will find much that will interest them. The letter 

 from Mr. Commings was written in 1884, when this variety 

 of the Wyandotte family was first introduced to our Amer- 

 ican fanciers as a show bird. 



B. N. Pierce Notes. 



This is truly a new breed, and desiring to know more 

 about it, we requested Mr. E. S. Commings, of Rockford, 111., 

 who is breeding them, to furnish us a history of their origin, 

 which he has kindly complied with, as will appear in his 

 own words: 



"Many years ago Mr. Joseph McKeen, of Omro, Wis., 

 by the crossing of several varieties of fowls, produced a 



brilliant black-red varie,ty, with low rose combs and bril- 

 liant yellow legs, that we called 'Winnebagoes.' They were 

 excellent fowls, combining beauty with utility, and might 

 have been properly termed fancy fowls. Mr. McKeen has 

 never attempted to get them recognized by the A, P. A. or 

 admitted to our Standard, but was wholly content to breed 

 them in line for the sole pleasure they gave him as an evi- 

 dence of how these lower forms of animated nature can be 

 molded by the creative fancy of man. 



"These fowls in many respects resembled our Wyan- 

 dottes. In '79 Mr. McKeen procured several settings of 

 American Sebright eggs of that Veteran breeder, L. W. 

 Whittaker, of North Adams, Mich. He was more than 

 pleased with the appearance of the beautiful fowls that ma- 

 tured from the eggs that hatched. Being thoroughly posted 

 in the Standard varieties and knowing that each Silver 

 variety had its counterpart In a Golden variety, the idea 

 naturally occurred to him' that if he could only color the 

 snowy white to a beautiful gold that he would have a Golden 

 Sebright, or, as time has determined, a Golden Wyandotte, 

 Selecting some of the very best of his American Sebright 

 pullets, he bred them to a fine cockerel of his Winnebago 

 variety. From the first the result was, although not wholly 

 ■satisfactory, enough so to pers,uade him to continue the work 

 ■of building up this Golden variety. By proper selection the 

 work went on, sometimes discouraging in the extreme, but 

 with the determination of a true fancier, the good results 

 that have continued to grow, until now he has them almost 

 thoroughbred. I became interested in them almost three 

 years ago and am doing my mite to help the good work 

 along. But it seems that Mr. McKeen was not the only 

 one that conceived the idea of producing a Golden Wyan- 

 dotte. The same spring he was commencing this work G. . 

 L. Buskirk, of Odell, 111., by crossing with Black Red Stand- 

 ard varieties, produced some very good results in cockerels, 

 but not as good pullets. Procuring some foreign blood of 

 Mr. McKeen, this year will determine the value of the cross. 



"But fully a thousand miles from either of these gen- 

 tlemen, in Waynesboro, Pa., nearer by far the home of our 

 Standard variety, curious as it may seem, the same idea was 

 born in the mind of Jacob Ryder. He, too, has shown 

 himself to be a skillful breeder in producing another 

 family of the Golden Wyandottes, related in no way 

 to either of the other, families. Strange as it may seem, 

 the type is very nearly the same in these three matings; 

 in each we find the same golden color in pullets, the same 

 rich golden bay color in cockerels, the lacing Is of a bril- 

 liant blue-black, such as we find in the wing coverts of the 

 peacock. Speakln? as a fancier, setting aside all pecuniary 

 interest, I honestly believe here is a breed that will create 

 a greater boom among our fraternity than any fowl that has 

 ever appeared. They have not only their beauty to recom- 

 mend them, but they have good sterling qualities, are bet- 

 ter layers than their Silver' cousins and are larger fowls." 



Mr. W. E. Shedd, of Waltham, Mass., a breeder of an- 

 other strain of Golden Wyandottes, writes us that his stock 

 originated with a farmer, who asserts that they came by 

 crossing two strains of Silver Wyandottes. Mr. Shedd fur- 

 ther says they are ver/ handsome and breed true to feather. 



GOLDEN WYANDOTTES — SOME ANCIENT HISTORY. 



(From "The New England Farmer," August 2 1890. By 

 A. F. Hunter.) 



We gave a short account of this comparatively new 

 breed in our general article on the Wyandottes In the De- 

 cember number, in which we stated that they were enjoy- 



