The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-05-10
The Indian Game Fowl.

n writer says OF this popular fowl:
The Indian Game is large fowl,
powerful, broad, active, sprightly and
vigorous, with an erect, military bear
ing, and rich plumage. Its plumage
is hard, lustrous, cleaning, in the
sun with the richest hues. a The male
is largely black fowl, yet this black
is relieved by other colors that add to
his beauty. The plumage of the head
is black. The hackle is black with
brown crimson shaft. The breast is
black--solid black in the best specimens
The back is dark red and black, the
latter color predominating, but the
saddle shows more red than appears
in the back proper. The wing is ex-
tremely handsome, it is crimson and
black like the back its bar a rich
metallic black and its bay formed by
the edging of the secondaries a rich
bay. The tail is black, the sickles and
coverts having rich green lustre.
The female is an exquisitely laced
fowl sometimes with a single but
oftener with two or more landings or
pencilings, one with the other. From
the same pen both types of birds are
bred. The pencilings are of the most
intense black with a green lustre,
| which stands out in the sunlight as if
it were raised or embossed on a golden
bay ground. The effect on the fowl
is exquisite and makes it one of the
handsomest fowls in existence.
In both sexes the eyes are yellow
or daw, and the shanks and toes are
a rich yellow or orange. The comb
is small, irregular pea comb. The
ear lobes should be small and the wat
ties very scanty, bright red in color.
! The beak yellow or horn color. Weight
for cocks eight to ten pounds, though
often exceeding this greater weight;
hens weigh from five and one half to
seven pounds. A few heavier.
CHARACTERISTICS.
While to the fancier the great beauty
of the Indian Game is an entirely suff-
Gent reason for its existence, to the
practical poultryman there must be
some further reason given. His first
thought is of utility, he does not and
can no: afford to keep fowls simply to
look at. They must be good for some
thing, must be able to add to his in
come or he will have none of them.
The Indian Game, fortunately, is
able 10 say something for itself upon
this point. Its splendid table fowl,
the chief among choice breeds for this
purpose. It has abundance of meat;
the meat is fine grained and beautiful
in color it is disposed most abundantly
upon the choicest places it is of the
finest flavor. The skin and the shanks
are yellow, and yellow is the favorite
| color in American markets. The
breast is very full and round, and the
breast more than any other part of
the dressed fowl, determines it's at
Effectiveness. The fowl grows to great
weight, grows rapidly and is plump in
build at all times despite its length of
leg. Few indeed are the fowls, if there
are any, that can dress off so hand
somely as an Indian Game, even when
very young. 1t is therefore ready for
killing at almost all stages of growth.
1t has the confidence and endorsement
abroad, and has there won many a
prize in dressed poultry exhibits. It
has the confidence and endorsement
of those who are experimentally famil-
lar with the breed in this country. 1
have myself killed pure-bred Indian
Games and Indian Games crossed on
other breeds for my own table and
know that the reputation of the fowl
is warranted by facts. The Indian
Games are layers and the best winter
layers in the game class. They are
good settlers and prove faithful brood
ers and competent defenders of their
young, the eggs hatch we'll and the
chickens thrive. An Indian Game
chick hatched means a fair chance for
an Indian Game fowl twelve months
hence. The Indian Game is coEr-
ageous but naturally quiet. peaceable
fowl agreeable to manage if it is man.
aged properly. Being a heavy fowl
and having short wing it is not diff
cult to confine this breed. A fence
which will confine a Plymouth Rock
is sufficient to keep an Indian Game
within bounds. Unlike most of the
game family, the Indian is not a high
flyer.
A yinoy sOul is to he nitied for little