22 
cult of all to breed to feather. They have merited the confidence of poul¬ 
try lovers for a long time and their hardy constitutions have thwarted 
rough usage and promiscuous interbreeding to efface their character¬ 
istics. They are a fixed breed and their merits are noticeable from the 
newly hatched chick to the oldest specimen; they are stamped with 
the indelible marks of royalty only to be found in a thoroughbred. 
In mating Brown Leghorns opposites must be considered. Should the 
male be fine in all points except comb or leg, select females strong in 
Fig. 20.—Single-comb Brown Leghorn cock. 
this point to mate with him. The most successful breeders use a double 
mating, one pen to produce exhibition birds of each sex. Fine birds, 
both cockerels and pullets, can be bred from the same pen by using 
slightly different types of females. The same male often will breed the 
finest of both exhibition cockerels and pullets, but it is a rare case to 
have a female breed both sexes of a remarkable quality. When two 
pens are used, at the head of the pen mated to produce the cockerels 
place a fully developed cock with no serious fault, standard color, 
especially strong in comb, lobe, hackle, and saddle, a dark undercolor 
1 t> 
