Untitled

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1651, 21 October 1903, Page 65 (Supplement)

purpose. They will stand confinement rrell and can be kept in small rues. They are excellent fowls to keep on a farm for laying purposes. They improve the farm poultry as regards laying qualities, and it is very difficult to breed the colour out when once put m the yards. We have seen it come out after seven years; there has not been a b.ue fowl in the yard for seven years and it lias come out quite fresh, several slatecoloured chickens liaviifg appeared—they look very nice when crossed with other fowls. They are fairly hardy ; and under ordinary circumstances they may he called “hardy.” They are not table birds for market, being small in size, bub what there is of them is splendid meat of a very fine grain and good flavour.

As chickens they do not feather eo quickly as some breeds. The pullets get their feathers more easily; they grow fast, but look rather lanky as cnickens, being slender birds, but they handle better than they appear, their feathers lying clciso to their bodies.

GOOD SPECIMENS.. of this breed are very handsome and taking to the eye. They have single oombs, evenly serrated, standing erect in the male birds of a good size, serrations deeply cut; they should not be round but flat, and tapering off very finely at the top. Hie middle serrations should be higher than the otners, giving the comb an arched appearance. The back of the comb should fit well over the back of the head, so that there is not a vacancy between the bird's neck and comb. It should stand up, being level with the centre of the back; red face, long wattles, dark horn b?a_k, white ear lobes —longer than wide —of an almond - shape; the neck hackles should bo full, coming well on to the slioulueis, and of a very dark colour (.almost black) ; back and saddle the same colour. Cocks with a dirty drab or a rusty coloured hackle should be avoided. Tail dark in colour and very full, carried fairly well back, it should not fall over the bach so as to meet the back of the neck. The breast should be evenly laced all over. The ground colour is a nice slate blue, and each feather marked round the edge with a much darker shade, giving each feather the appearance of having a dark circle round it; every feather should be marked. It is somewhat difficult to obtain this fine lacing, but in all the best birds it is plainly seen; the underneath part of the birds is a lighter colour. The legs are dark with four toes on each foot. The birds should stand well up, have a broad breast and good carriage. THE TIEN differs from the male bird in having her comb, which is evenly serrated and single, falling over on the one side. They should have a iittle fold on the opposite side. If the comb is large, and falls over without this fold in the front, it hangs too close to the eye, often preventing the lien from seeing out of the one eye. The face should be red, earlobes white, of a fair size, though, of course, much smaller than that of the cock. A good hen is laced all over, but more distinctly on the breast. The hen should be rather long in the back, without any cushion, the tail, be carried well back so asi the lien appears to have a longer back than she really has; legs dark, with four toes on each foot. It requires skilful mating to produce really good specimens of this breed. A oock with well-laced breast should be chosen; if not the lacing of pullets will be very indistinct. If a cock or cockerel has a good large comb, well serrated and falling over on one side, good earlobes, and well-laced breast, lie should be reserved for pullet breeding. Many novices kill such cockerels as these off. as they would not bo looked at in the show pen, whereas they are really the best birds for breeding pullets for th© show-pen. If this breed is only kept for laying purposes the selection need nob be so keen, but the laying qualities should be sought after specially. Wo can recommend this breed to those who require good layers and to .stand confinementIf they are sheltered from the cold winds it will be found they will Jay well during the winter months.