COLUMBIAN. WYANDOTTES. 



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SOME FACTS ABOUT COLUMBIAN WYANDOTTES. 



(By E. O. Thiem, Denison, Iowa.) 



Every one has, or should have, a hobby. I certainly 

 have mine. For the past fifty years nothing has given me 

 more pleasure than to raise a nice pen of some full-blooded 

 fowls. I will not mention here about the Buff Laced off- 

 spring, as I saved three of each cross of the Buff and White 



Fig. 75. 



Wyandotte, but when spring came the Buff cross had so 

 much cream undercolor that I gave them away and mated 

 the third White Wyandotte cross to a full-blooded Light 

 Brahma male to strengthen the beautiful black in neck, 

 wing and tail. The result was very satisfactory as for 



had one-halt Wyandotte blood and one-half Brahma, some 

 with rose combs, others with clean legs. Here it was 

 when I read about the great winnings of Columbian Wyan- 

 dottes at New York, and to get quicker results I purchased 

 chickens. I usually make a specialty of one variety, but 

 I have a great desire to learn and get acquainted with 

 other breeds that come before the public and are boomed 

 up to have their way into the new Standard. Never sat- 

 isfied with what I read, I just try them myself and find 

 out if the real merits of the new breed come up to the 

 claims of the booming fancier. 



So in 1898 I took up the experiment with the Silver 

 Penciled Wyandottes. I found them very good layers, but 

 too hard to breed by single mating system ,so disposed of 

 them, retaining only one — a male of a v^ry light color, 

 white in back but remarkably strong in hackle. The idea 

 struck me how a fowl like the Silver Penciled Wyandotte 

 hen would look when converted into buff instead of steel 

 blue. 



Fig. 76. 



color, but the females had rather long backs, while the 

 males were not as good in color but better in shape. 



No males were" saved either year. The females now 



Fig. 78. 



In 1900 I mated the cockerel to a Buff Laced Wyan- 

 dotte hen, which I received from Ira C. Keller, and also 

 a Buff Wyandotte hen from Mr. Crabtree. The male proved 

 to be too strong for just these two hens, so I put with him 

 a White Wyandotte hen. Strict account was kept of the 

 offspring of each individual. My idea was to break the 

 steel color of the Silver Penciled Wyandotte with the mat- 

 ings of these three hens, then remate the offspring in order 

 to get the buff penciling established. 



