The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1904-02-15
Few Birds Are Perfect.
(ChaS. e. Cram

high prices received for eggs and
fancy fowls. They hear of eggs being
sold at from So to SIS per setting, and
single birds all the way from So up to
$50, and even higher They do not
realize the difficulty of breeding and
raising birds to sell at these high
prices, and think it is nearly all profit.
Those who go into it thinking it is all
profit often go out of it thinking there
is no profit. They are wrong in both
cases.
These are the men who buy a set
ting or two of eggs and possibly think
they have been cheated if they do not
get several high-class birds. Some of
them think every bird should be a
show bird, where with some varieties
he would be repaid if he got even one
bird fit for the show room from one
setting of eggs.
Sometimes the high prices are not
paid entirely for the value of the bird
but partly for the birds show record.
These, probably, are worth all they
cost, for they help in making sales,
but most of the high prices are paid
because the birds possess actual merit
and are valuable. Old breeders know
how difficult really fine birds are to
produce, and when they see a specially
fine one they do not hesitate to pay
what it is worth. None of the birds
produced are perfect, and so often
they possess at least one prominent
defect that one without such a defect
is almost priceless.
AS an illustration, few years ago
there was one cockerel among may
flock of White Wyandottes that L
thought was going to be as near ideal
as they get them up. He had almost
perfect comb, clear bay eye, and
absolutely white plumage. Being one
OF my first absolutely white birds and
apparently so good in other points, |
would look at him and admire him
from a distance nearly every time l
went to the yards. He was rather
Wild, but once l caught him and prob
ably admired his fine points to the ex-
clusion of his faults, for when |
caught him few weeks later and was
showing him to a friend, I noticed
that he was hopelessly feather legged,
not another one in the flock being his
equal in this respect.
At another time I had occasion two
or three times day to pass a yard in
which lot of ondescript fowls were
kept. | noticed among the lot as fine
shaped Silver Wyandotte pullet as
| ever saw. She was also elegantly
marked-such clear-cut open lacing.
She was surely beauty I often
stopped and looked at her and won
dered where she came from. I ar
gued to myself that these people had
a setting of eggs from some Silver
Wyandotte breeder and this was the
only one raised, so their enthusiasm
had grown cold and they had allowed
it to roam with the rest of the flock
| thought I ought to buy it and let
some Silver Wyandotte breeder have
it, for surely he would be glad to have
such bird as that. One day 1 found
it closer to the fence than usual and
had chance to examine it. It had
fine plumage, as far as could see, and
no mistake about it-nice, clear legs.
bay eye, but, mercy on us, it had a
single comb.
So it often happens white earlobe,
a crooked breast, few stubs on the
legs, or an off-colored eye. often seems
to be the only thing to keep a bird
from being a perfect specimen. Oc-
casionally one gets a bird that seems
almost perfect but is understood. One
often hncOmpc nrOUOlpd RI coo tboco