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The Book of the Hamburgs
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
In point of markings, the Golden are fully as beautiful as the Silver-Penciled Hamburgs, while the golden ground-color, which is their distinguishing feature, while not so popular with the majority of breeders as the silver, may yet be preferred by some. In point of productiveness they equal the Silvers, laying a small, white and finely-flavored egg. The young chicks of both varieties of Penciled Hamburgs are rather delicate; they should not be hatched before April. Another reason in favor of late hatching is that if hatched too early they moult out like old hens at the time they should be laying, and so lose that sharp and rich penciling that is so desirable in pullets.
Plumage.– One of the most important points in the plumage of this variety is the evenness of the ground-color, which should be a rich golden-color throughout. Some birds, otherwise good, are very faulty in this respect, the ends of the feathers being a lighter gold than the other parts. These birds, as the season advances, are apt to get still more faded and washed-out in appearance; and, indeed, most birds fade in color from the effects of the sun.
Some hens of a good rich color retain this much better than others, which is a great point in their favor.
In cocks the same fault is common, appearing in the shape of a lighter shade on the ends or tips of the feathers, on the breast and underneath the body; avoid this as far as possible – the more uniform the color, the better.
The penciling should be exactly the same as in the preceding variety, as distinct, and yet as fine as possible, and the more bars across the feather the better – always providing they are straight across, and clearly defined. The neck-hackle, as in the Silvers, should be clear. The cock is of a darker tint, being almost chestnut in color; he must not, however, be too red or too pale, but very rich in color. The proper tail-feathers are black, the sickles and tail-coverts, or “hangers,” a rich black, edged with brown or bronze, very narrow, and clearly defined. The American Standard of Excellence gives the required width of this edging as about one-sixteenth of an inch.
Clear black sickles are a great fault, and so is a tail bronzed all over, or with scarcely any black in it, being bronzed all over the sickles. This last kind of a tail is very showy, and used to be a favorite with judges who did not understand Hamburgs, but birds possessing this defect have been proved to produce very poorly penciled pullets.
Other Points.– The comb, ear-lobe, legs and symmetry in the Golden-Penciled Hamburgs should be exactly the same as those described in the Silver-Penciled. In symmetry, especially, they are fully their equal.
The points in breeding are exactly similar to those explained in connection with the preceding variety, and need not be repeated, the best rule being to breed from the very best birds you can find on both sides, care being taken to obtain a rich, even ground-color in all cases.
WHITE HAMBURGS
While we undoubtedly owe the White Hamburg to skillful English breeding, it is a variety bred much more generally in America than it is across the water, where it is regarded as a mere sub-variety of Hamburgs. The variety was originally bred in England as an experiment, and was obtained by selecting the lightest Silver-Spangled Hamburgs, both male and female, and mating them together, each year selecting the lightest progeny, until the pure white bird was procured. Thus it will be seen that in spite of all arguments to the contrary, the White Hamburg is really a pure Hamburg in every particular. While they were a very pretty variety, they were looked upon with considerable disfavor by the English, who discouraged their breeding, and regarded them as an innovation in the Hamburg family.
It is many years now since they began to be bred in America, and they are much thought of for their many good characteristics, while they figure quite prominently at our principal exhibitions. What has served principally to discourage White Hamburg breeders, is the fact that so many imitations have been made and thrust upon the public under that name, that were really mere mongrels. The only true White Hamburgs are those which come from Silver-Spangled or Silver-Penciled Hamburgs, in the manner we have described. Those with White Leghorn or White Dorking crosses are impositions, and should be avoided by the fancier, who will readily know them by their clumsy symmetry, large size and coarse combs.
Characteristics of the Variety.– The White Hamburgs should be pure white in plumage throughout, with no signs of that undesirable yellowish tinge so often seen on otherwise good birds. They should be true Hamburg in symmetry, avoiding the Leghorn or Dorking build, and they should be (and are) no larger than the other varieties. Size is not a point to be regarded in Hamburgs; it is their laying qualities we look to, and this variety, while not quite up to the others in this respect, is very productive. The comb in White Hamburgs should resemble that described under the heading of Black Hamburgs. They should have a small, round, white ear-lobe, by no means pendent, and bright red face; carriage upright, sprightly and graceful.
The Leg Controversy.– We have so far said nothing concerning the color of legs in White Hamburgs, for the reason that there has been a spirited controversy for many years among breeders as to whether they should be blue or white. It has been a great nuisance to the American Poultry Association, who have found themselves persuaded, because of specious arguments on both sides, to change their Standard at least four times on legs of White Hamburgs. It was originally decided by the Standard committee that a white leg was proper. It was afterward changed from white to blue, from blue back to white, then again to blue, and in 1879 to white.
Hon. Lewis F. Allen, who is perhaps our largest and most prominent breeder of the White Hamburg, and who has done as much as any other man to push the breed, says in a clever letter, which, however, betrays his chagrin at the vacillating decrees of the Standard committee:
“I have been so disgusted with the doings of the Standard committee on the points of fowls that I have determined never again to take any part in its discussions, or show a bird in its exhibitions, although I still keep and breed the White Hamburg with white legs and beak, which marks truly belong to them, as they did when I first knew them, in 1870.
“I obtained my original birds from a gentleman who bought them in New York – descendants from imported stock, I was informed. They were then, and still are, true Hamburgs in style and form, non-sitters, and nearly constant layers; hardy in temperament, and, in short, very satisfactory birds. They were successfully shown in several of our poultry shows in Buffalo, and won prizes, the white legs and beaks being entirely satisfactory to judges and the society.
“But when the American Poultry Association undertook to make a Standard of points for the various varieties of fowls, some of the pretended ‘professionals’ introduced various innovations, and among them accorded the blue leg and beak to the White Hamburg, which was adopted. Consequently, at the next show at Buffalo, my birds were ruled out under the new blue-leg regulation. The Standard committee had a full meeting during the show, and I went before them and showed the absurdity of the new rule, and the committee decided to reverse the late action and return the points of white legs to the White Hamburgs. It has since, however, been changed several times.”
Mr. Allen seems to have no doubt but that the white leg is entirely proper, and he shows himself to feel injured by the constant changes made in the Standard; and indeed it has greatly injured the variety, simply because breeders never could tell how to breed their birds so that they would not be disqualified at the next season’s shows. That the point between the two colors is a fine one is proved by the indecision of the Standard committee.
Through all the changes the Rev. C. W. Bolton has stood as firmly by the blue legs as Mr. Allen has by the white ones, and his faith in their propriety has never wavered. Mr. Bolton is one of our most prominent Hamburg men, and has proved his skill as a breeder in showing some excellent stock of the several varieties. He writes us:
“I know perfectly well that my White Hamburgs are pure Hamburgs in every respect. I have bred them myself from the Silver-Penciled Hamburgs, with blue legs, and all the characteristics of their predecessors. For ten years I have never had a chick with legs of any other color than blue, which shows that the blue leg is a firmly fixed characteristic, and properly belongs there.”
Why should other varieties of Hamburgs have a blue leg and the White Hamburg a white leg? The blue leg is a distinct Hamburg characteristic.
We believe that when our final and unalterable Standard is made, the White Hamburgs will be credited with blue legs.
Points in Breeding.– The rule in mating White Hamburgs should be simply to procure the birds which possess the finest combs, ear-lobes and face, pure white plumage and blue legs. Guard against heavy, blocky forms and coarse combs, and pay less attention to size than to proper symmetry.
