Points in Breeding Silver-Penciled Hamburgs.—One good point in regard to this variety is that the same birds will breed fine birds of both sexes, if the stock is chosen with judgment. Some breeders use two sets, but we do not consider that they are required, and much prefer to breed from one yard. Of course, as we have said before, there will be, as in all varieties, some strains or families that produce better birds of one sex than the other; still, in this case there should be no great disparity in the quality of the male and female birds. However, as it is possible to breed very good show cockerels from hens with no quality of penciling at all, it is very necessary, in making up a yard for breeding, that the strain of the cock bird should be known to be a well-penciled one. The hens will speak for themselves. It is very satisfactory to remark that our most popular judges favor those cock birds that possess the points most likely to produce good pullets; and if such a bird comes of a strain known to produce good pullets, of a penciling similar in character to those of the hens he is to be put with, it is sufficient. His tail should be black throughout, the sickles black except the clear white edging; the wing-bars should be perceptible, but slight, though the wing-coverts which form it must be darkly penciled on their upper webs. If there be too little color here the pullets will lack color also; if the bar be too dark, the penciling will most likely be coarse, heavy and spotty. As such birds as we have described above are by no means common, and may not be readily procured by the average breeder, we shall also give matings for breeding from two yards, which will be necessary if this is the case; although, be it distinctly understood, the above mating is our choice, and really the only proper one.
For Cockerels.—Mate the best show cockerel you can find with hens much too light in the penciling to be fit for showing—tolerably marked, but markings not heavy enough—and if they are irregular, it is no great matter.
For Pullets.—Mate a very dark cock with the very best hens or pullets you can procure. It will make little difference if the cock’s sickles are entirely black, and his body spotted in places; if he is only dark, he will throw a fair lot of pullets if the hens be good.
The disadvantage of breeding from these two pens is obvious, as neither strain thus produced can be relied upon to breed in any other way, and many of the pullets hatched, even if they do not show the approach to black spangling already referred to, are apt to have the broad and coarse markings which we are trying to breed out as rapidly as possible.
A cock from the first mating described, if well marked, will throw very fine pullets, while he will reproduce his own likeness in the cockerels.
GOLDEN-PENCILED HAMBURGS.