Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-08-08
QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED.


Mrs. II. v. E., LAGRANGE, Ga.
L have been trying for five or six
years to improve my stock of chick
ems. have the White Plymouth
Rock and last November l ordered
two young roosters. Now do you
think that l could call the young
chickens that / have raised the full
blooded? have some fine chickens
that | have raised from these roos-
tiers. VIII the young ROSTERS combs
have TO be the same size and shape
TO be pure? And how many points
and must the hens comb be like the
ROSTERS to be pure2 DO pure stock
have any white on their ears? see
you tell some to mate old ROSTERS
to young hens. and young ROSTERS
to old hens? Now l live on the farm
and my chickens have free range.
VIII / have to pen my chickens ike
you said to get best results or can
they go free and do as well2 want
to do the right thing until | get pure
stoeA. The roosters that / bought
are not the same size and their combs
are not alike. One has a comb with
three points and the other one with
seven and they should each have five.
Now what do you say about them and
which of the two is the better chick
en-? The one with three points is the
largest chicken, has the longest legs
and my young ROSTERS combs will
be mixture between the two. / feed
my chickens altogether on chopped
corn. Do you think that win do for
chicken on free range? How much
would It take to feed a rooster and
a dozen hens one year in pen and
what would II take for them to eat
to do well? / was thinking about buy
ing some eggs to get me some more
roosters or do you think the ones
l have will do? What do you think
my chickens are worth? have work.
ed hard to have some nice chickens.
/ have a neighbor that wants one
rooster and six pullets, and do
not want any more than they are
worth, but l do want all they are
worth. What do you think my eggs
are worth? l pick CUT yellow or
brown eggs to set. Never set white
egg; think they are best I had a
man to show me some of his White
Plymouth Rock eggs and they were
white.
ANSWER.
If the chickens that you started with
six years ago are White Plymouth
ROCKS anu IL you AnNc hSpl THESE lew
ever since, there is no reason why
you should not have some good birds.
1t would be a good idea for you to
select some of the best puilets you
have raised this year and take the
two males that you have and breed
them back to the puilets. You should
select pullets with good shape and
good combs and you can in a year or
so, get rid OF any defect in the comb.
A comb is a secondary condition for
any breed of chickens and only valued
at eight points; the general shape Of
the chicken, color, etc., Is far more
important and the birds that will
carry the most meat and truest to
the standard requirements, are the
ones to be mated and bred from.
The comb is only an ornament and
does not Indicate impurity at all. The
cut of the first conn shown In your
letter, would be cut one and one-half
points according to the standard and
the second one would be cut practi-
eally the same thing. On the other
hand, IL the birds were good in the
breast and good in the back. That is,
a good back. well rounded breast and
a broad nice long back. you could
easily cut two to two and one-half
points for either of these defects.
The two birds that you refer to are
we'll bred specimens and should large
~ improve your flock. Corn Il not