94 TBE COMPLETE POULTRY £0 OK. 



forty ^ggs before beginning to sit They make excellent mothers, except that 

 owing to their weight they are somewhat liable to break their eggs. The chicks 

 are among the hardiest of the Asiatic breeds; easily managed, rapid growers and 

 healthy. They are a little late in fledging, but not so mhch so as the Cochins, 

 When allowed to run they are good foragers, but they bear confinement remark- 

 ably well, and there is perhaps no breed of fowls better suited to the wants of 

 yillagfts who must keep their poultiy confined on a small range. In fact, any 

 occupier of a village or city lot might keep a few of these fowls, as their docility 

 and inability to fly render -them so easily managed that they can readHy be pre- 

 vented from trespassing upon their owner's or his neighbor's garden. As table' 

 fowls the Brahmas are excellent, their flesh being white, tender and juicy, and 

 they lay on flesh very rapidly when put up to fatten. ., : 



The Brahmas are the largest known varieties of chickens : single cocks have 

 reached the weight of sixteen to seventeen pounds, although twelve to thirteen 

 pounds for cocks, and nine. to ten;ponnds for hens are considered good weights. 

 Next to its size, the most marked peculiarity of the Brahma, fowl is itis comb, 

 which should be what is called a pea-comb, that is, one having the appearance of 

 three small combs joined together, the largest being in the middle, ajnd all finely 

 serrated. The comb as a whole is rather small, and perfectly uprigh±.lj' The only 

 difl'erence between the combs of the two. sexes is that of size. Singlei bombs are 

 occasional^ found, but are considered objectioniable, and a single-combed 

 Brahma woiiJd have no chance in the show-pen if in competition with a triple- 

 combed one that was reasonably good in other respects. The comb being twisted, 

 or falling overto one side, is considered a disqualification in the show^pen. ^ 



The head should be moderate in size, as compared to the rest of the bodyi 

 The ear lobes are large and pendant ; the- wattles comparatively nsmdll and well 

 rounded. The form of the body corresponds with the size. The breast is full 

 and prominent; the back short and broad; the iieck tapering neatly ifKoni the 

 head to the body, and of good length; the neck-hackle feathers- flowing welliover 

 the shoulders. The wings should be small, and the tips weU cbveredby the sad- 

 dle feathers. The tail should be quite small,. bnt;oarried ereoty.and nearly cov- 

 ered by the taU coverts. '! • ' , 



The fluff' should be exceedingly abundant in both cock and hen, and covering 

 the thighs and hinder parts of the body in such a way as. to give theffl a very 

 broad appearance when viewed froiu behind,. ' 



The thighs aa-e large and muscular, and well covered with soft feathers,Tfhioh 

 should cover the joint, but should not form the wing-like- appendages called 

 vulure-hocks, which are considered an absolute disqualification in the shw^pen. 

 to the Light Brahma, and decidedly objectionable in the dark variety. The 



ntt^d' i°^ r f *°''' '*"''*' ^"^-^ abundantly feathered dowi to the 

 outside of the outer and middle toes. 



The above characteristics apply equally to the original or "Light" Brahma, 

 and to the more recenUyestablished variety^the Dark or Pencillel Brahma. In 

 color, however, these breeds differ materiaUy 



thSs ^f/?tT "Ir'i ^^ "^"""^ ^*'*^ ^° <=°^°' 0" *« body, breast and 

 SSddleof^Ltf *t "^"ft ''« '"^''^^d witha distinct black stripe down 

 the middle of each featber.and should not be light or. cloudy. The haclde of the 



