Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-11-25
THE POULTRY YARD
MoDlFlAelLTY or COLOR.
~ ED WEBER

So far as eternal chars cseSistics are
concerned there are two problems to
be solved in breeding fowls. There are
| shape and color. Thc so!ution OF tho
latter problem depends iE part, az
least, upon a knowledge Of how far
the color Of domestic fowls are capa-
BILE for modification. The modifiability
of color, therefore, is subject Of M
small interest to the poultry breeder.
The colors found upon domestic
fowls substantially include black blue,
red, yellow and brown, with inter-
mediate shades. The list can be re-
duced perhaps to white, black and red,
as the fundamental or primary colors
In the fowl spectrum. In physical SCI
ence white is q combination of all
primary colors. and black an absence
of color but for the purpose Of this
article we may treat these as positive
colors. These three colors with their
derivative shades are variously aps
ranged upon the bodies of fowls and
even upon separate feathers, forming
the beautiful markings which, charac-
terize so many varieties of parti- col
ored fowls. The pencillings, bars, strip
ings, spangles, and the like, and their
moditiability into each other, are not
here under direct consideration. White
Is very permanent color easily
transmitted and once acquired, Is apt
to be retained. This is particularly
true of the So called white sports, for
tho the immediater esult Of Albinism,
they almost invariably breed true to
feather. When this color is obtained
by crossing white with another coll
ored fowl, such fidelity in breeding
does not result, and there follow more
or less reversiOns, partial or complete,
to the non-white ancestor. This fact
furnishes fairly safe rule for ascer-
tanning whether given white fowl has
been produced by crossing or has ap-
peared as sport. During the white
boom, that, is at the time when Ply
mouth Rocks Wyandottes, Puritans,
Snowflakes, and other varieties almost
simultaneously appeared clad in white
robes, and for period were all in the
limelight, there was an excellent OPP
portunity to test the reliability of this
rule, and 1t is quite possible that some
So called sports" would hardly have
met this test successfully.
Occasionally, tho rarely. colored
fowls become wholly white thru the
effects Of old age. This, think occurs
oftener among solid black fowl than
those of any other color. Usually age
produces some Whitening, like the tip
Of the flights and secondaries, in the
plumage Of colored fowls. This Whit
ening is presumably due to the same
cause or causes which bleaches, human
hair after man has entered into mid
die life. 1t has little breeding signif-
canoe except this, that fowl which
holds it's color in old age is preferable
to breed color from, than one which
turns gray when young, because her
chicks will be likely to retain their
color when adults. Such whitening,
from age, however, would hardly serve
the purpose Of one who desired to pro-
duce a white variety from colored an
cestors.
How Results Are Obtaina Bile.
Such result is obtainable in one
Of three ways:
Firstly Albinism. This is meth
cd, so far as Is known. which is not
under mans control, and which he can
use only by taking advantage of it's
sporadic appearances.
Secondly crossing with white
fowl of some gother breed, selecting the
breed nearest allied to the variety
which 1t IL desired to produce.
Thirdly selecting colored speci-
mems showing some white In their
plumage not due to old age, and breed
ing them together, and from their
progeny again selecting chicks which
show an increase Of the white for fur
Their breeding. These three methods
may be summarized as Albinism,
crossing and selection.
Red Has Permanently.
Red also is a very permanent color,
not always persisting as red but as
various shades of orange. buff, yellow.
cream and straw color. If the scienti-
fic view Of the origin of the domestic
fowl as descendant of the Gallus
Bankiva is correct, we ought to expect
that red would be permanent color,
for the male of this wild species is 4
black red fowl, and the red is a promi-
nent element in its celebration. We find
proof of the persistency Of this color,
and also incidentally of the probable
truth of the theory of the domestic
fowls origin, in the fact that when a
black-red fowl and a white fowl are
crossed, the red-pyle marking is pro-
duced; that is the black gives place to
the white, while the red remains un-
changed. Altho the red is persistent
color it is easily modified. Mingled with
white it becomes lighter in shade and
passes thru orange, buff, lemon ana
straw hues, until it almost fades into
pure white. Buff and red fowls have
tendency to draw near together in
color. Red mixed with black produces