A Little Journey Among Anconas Second Edition By H. Cecil Sheppard Published by H. Cecil Sheppard Berea, Ohio 1922 - c F. L. Cardell. ,Northl,eId. VI. 3-4/ SINGLE COMB ANCONA EGGS. Shep- jpard's slrain. 13 per selling oC IS. J. C. ^f2.50. 15. Floyd Fortress. Byron. Mich. 4 HATCHING EGGS from prlie winning R. C. Ancona.. 13.50 and $4.50 per 13. August M. Olson. Con.l.ble. N. Y. 1-4 S^ S- C. ANCONA EGGS Hogun tested. S trapnesled bird, that began laying at less T lhan 5 months; proven winter layers, from America', leading strain. 12.50 selling. 115 hundred. Square Deal Poultry Yards, office. as City for l yr^rs. Catalog free. Porter SINGLE COMB ANCONA EGGS Heavy laying strain, fine type and color: 11. SO. IS. II 50. SO; IS. 100. Mr*. Ernest Webster. Ch.irle. City. la. 2-4 BECKS W1NTKHLAY Single Comb An- conas. 331 egg strain, at cut price.; IS egg. now 13 per 15 or 12 per 100; 13 egg. now 12 per 15 or 110 per 100. Why pay more when this gets the best? Ernst Beck. Leba- non Mo 3-4 ROSE COMB ANCONAS Choue selected hatching eggs from Iwo fine pens, including Madison Square Garden winners: 15. 15; IS.50. 30. Supply limited; order early. G. W. Slmms. Lake. N. Y. 4 Sfttar ANCONAS are -vorl.' s best by test. Catalog ir.c o.oar G. Gu-4. Bridgeport. PAY-LAY ANCONAS Not "the best, but none better; Justify th-ir name. Chicks our specialty. Glover. Ancona Farm. MHlsboro. 12 setting, baby cluck. 122.50 for 100. from pen. headed by stale show winners. Exhi- bition mating, of real quality reasonable. No man will give you greater value for the same money. Get my catalog. O. G. M, - Laurln. Dillon. S. C. 2-4 FARM RANGE S. C. ANCONAS. Sheppard .train Egg.. 11.50. 15; 17, 100. SO percent fertility guaranteed. Baby c'fV. ks after May 1. 20c. Ward Weldman. Pratrie View Farm. Ml. Carroll. III. 4-C^ R. C. ANCCTNA EGGS. Sheppard .train *$1.25 per selling. IT per 100. Mr.. Bert. ^^eltings. 12. postpaid. Edward Lvhnupff. 11. ',0 for if.. 'Henry'Dahlmg. Elkader. Ia.3-S* per eg* and show slrain. Stock, chid j. ccgi. See ad on another page. Sweet lir.- f OWN-LAND FARMS Ancon.is. iJrVep- S slake winners, Ogdvnnbui R. Clmk^eKKs. , lth year. Folder. Hammond. N. )/ <-'.. nnze co. kerol. al Lll. hfleld. Eggs. 13 per rV.. 15 per 30. chlx, 3c. prepaid. Earl Lee^ Com'b 3 Ancona* cht.ks. lie each. 130 per 1o* Ergs.^12 perils. 112 per J0. ^ *hll>.^II -BEFORE BUYING S. C. An. -ona chl. k, S eg*., write Harry s Ancona Yards, llroj^i City. Mich. jt~* J >| H1CH CLASS S. C. ANCONAS. Sheppard /nieed SO percent fertile. William Wtllen- borg. F.mngham. 111. 3 SINGLE COMB \NCi.N.\S Dark eshil., tion IM.e; heavy lay-rs of . vtra largt wlut- eegs; li. 12; loo. II": chicks. 22c. Bert Mii'h.iei. Tilfln. 0. t-< egg strain. Circular free. Blvhlvr'ajjfatch- v. Stra.burg. III. / 4 7. Hatching eggs and breeding .to. k. Baby thick.. 25c. Ko,.hlll Poultry Farm. H. E. Sanford. Waterloo. Iowa. 3-5 ANCONAS Single Comb. She|.|jd tr.utiy ^ Flock on free range. EKK. ll/". -. T sto.k. For prices, write W. O Bourland^ / FOR SALE-F'ifty Single Cu.nl. Ancona " yearling.. White Wyandottc. Ancona _and gan i.->'i,-.l. EKKS. chicks. Circular. E. C. Si harnw.-ber. Grand M.-a.low. Minn. 3-S r World's Ilest. See .ll|.lay ad. page 4-;. da'li'on. Sh-pp'arUs Famous Ancon.is. ' It. C.. nfleen >3. hundred 12" . P--n .' Aft.-en 12. hun.lte.i li.-f.' 1 . !' n 3. S. 1.-. n 2. hundred lU'.il). Wallace Jt. Just by Way of Evidence the Sheppard Strain of An- s is recognized as pre-emi- , I am reproducing a page lassified Advertisments tak- rom the American Poultry f the 67 "ads", 17 feature act that the eggs, chicks, or c they offer for sale are from "Famous" Sheppard Strain, can be done, of course, only my permission. One other n is mentioned twice, and he other "strains" but once j hat better proof of leader- SHEPPARD STRAIN f^gle [ Comh^An co- JJ^M. E e0 Cr n 1 ne.'Dei'a1ur. < Iow r 10 ' '" "*' 4*-^ Pen 1. ifi'o; ail over two hundred eg I'.-n 2. 13. utllilv. 12. C'.areme Pi Famou. heavy laying strain; 11.50. 15; !. Too EliaWhilwood. Hudson. 111. 2-4 " ANCONAS. HOTH COMBS I have gaV'teaied'! ' Henry RSm U l)tri[! y Wil'lu that "ROSE COMB ANCONA cockerel Shep- y7 nard. own April and May stock. .> to iiu. frV'F 1 r r m 'sh! r n a iTk l e'. e Wi S ShC ' \2j_ Wcji Concord. Minn. HERGER'S SURE L.V Y AVONA HCrtt winners at Chicago Col - um. . Show. Proviso, and < ac.^o Dow f p Show. Eggs and chc^s for sal, OI V, Anconas Pen headed by grandson of Queen Hess 320 egg type: Rldenour strain. Ex- hibition hens with. 290 ecc trapn.-st record %> per U,; utility eg*s. 12 r,o per 15. I do not use hens under 200 e K g type. Hogan ,..st for breeder.: cuarantee fertility. Claude ' MURRAY S SN..WFL.KE ASH Crt f Choise rose and si-.gle co nb cockcrt S. C. ANCONA COCK^Rr.LS. 1. ^ CRAMER-S s. c. A ( Nc v n N n A ;Y~JV'io h p l er ijySji! John cramer< K ' 06 Lalte - of them; 15 eggs 12. 100 for |l. 1 Hoy ^I.Mlman. Walnut Grove Farn stoc S. C. ANCONAS Raised frtri_ Sh.-|Myird SINGLE COMB ANCONAS My e ^U- ordered from one of Ameri.-a's tile Mrs. O. C. Waller. Judsonia. Ark. T'hl? /"WIILIAMS- SINGLE COMB MOTTLED Ancon.-is Hatching egRs. 300 eR strain. 4S 50 sotting, s-lect breeders. 14: utility 12. High View Poultry Farm. New Waterford. puU b et. C ErHed"ewoI>d ."train"^ With tlnR. Edw. Eyl. 1026 Caldwell St. vine. Ky. stra " s C ANCONAS Bred to lay. Eggs for hatching 11 50 and 12.50 per setting : 18 per loo'' Post paid. Mr.. Arthur Flte. No_v- HOLMES' I.AYWEl.L ANCONAS firsts at CoV.seum. Eggs for sale 11 Holmes. River Forest III. 311 t -wTrTrouR FI ^ STS ci ; 8 l . ve ; r c Te > 5 * P ThreJ SrstJ"a*d U . I "ond'"' K'n"'^ f s u t r ol "g"i{*; ANCONAS (SHEPPARDS) Both , 'l^lt^^F^^S:^ N-..rih .'.iro'.in. conas Eggs for hatchffi* ana 4*y-o ^ f ' of quality Circular free. vRerne.rd . . vcr, Dept J. R 2. Bellefonte. Pa. Snip AMONG ANCONAS" 11 As an additional and disinterested introduction, I am reprint- ing an article taken from the Reliable Poultry Journal, which appeared in the issue of February, 192 1. Outstanding Factors in Great Poultry Success As shown and emphasized in the building up of the remark- able business of H. Cecil Sheppard, Berea, Ohio, the world's foremost breeder of Anconas, both combs has all been ac- complished in the last fifteen years the secret of secrets, however, is to be found in genuine value of the product it- self here also are disclosed certain foundation facts that have made a truly national industry of poultry culture. By EDITOR of R. P. J. W r HILE we were at Sheppard's Ancona Farm, near Berea, Ohio, last fall, a new thought struck us, to this effect: What is the one big secret, or what are the several secrets of the wonderful business this man has built up in these little black and white domestic fowl? In pondering on the subject we took into account a number of facts we previously had learned or noted about Mr. Sheppard and his methods. For example, we were aware that he is a good salesman, that he had "learned his trade" in this line as a commercial traveler, also as local agent a number of years for a popular rrfake of automobile. And as "a good sales- man" we had in mind a good letter-writer, a capable compiler of an attractive, convincing annual catalogue and the designer of strong, original, human- interest advertising ALL devoted with unusual earnestness to increasing the reputation and promoting the sale of the Sheppard "Famous Strain" of Single and Rose Comb Anconas. Furthermore, we had observed that Mr. Sheppard is business person- ified, so to state it that he is systematic and thorough-going in all he does; that he has found out that the two words "business" and "method" are prac- tically synonymous, and that for a man to be highly successful in any line of business he must be methodical in every thing he does that is of real importance. These valuable, in fact essential business traits, Mr. Sheppard possesses to an exceptional degree. Also Mr. Sheppard is a man who believes in and pratices to a remark- able extent both farsightedness and forehandedness. In this respect we hardly know of his equal in the poultry field. He believes also in being ahead of time, never behind or too late. For example, he bought last spring, six months before it was actually needed, twenty tons of blank enameled 12 "^ LITTLE JOURNEY paper for his 1921 annual catalogue bought and paid for it and had it stared in Cleveland, doing this on his own account because the season before his printers, a big concern in Cleveland, were delayed in getting the paper for his catalogue, which caused him to be late in delivering the first lot of these catalogues into the hands of old and new customers for the Sheppard Anconas. Here let us digress a bit from our main line of thought and quote Mr. Sheppard briefly. Said he to the writer: "Getting my big annual catalogue out on time, actually before January 1st of each year, is a very important matter with me. It has to serve as my salesman and all inquirers want it promptly when they write for it. That is very important, but here is another vital point: each season, starting with the early spring when we take off our first hatches and continuing through until jate fall or the beginning of the new year, I find it necessary in the regular course of my business to make a cash outlay of thirty-five thousand to forty thousand dollars in the cost of bringing to maturity about fifteen thousand head of stock, in paying for printed matter, postage, etc., also for advertising contracts, most of which are paid for in advance, thus to get the yearly cash discounts. One can appreciate, therefore, the harm it would do me in making annual sales if I were to run out of catalogues at a time of heavy inquiries, or if the next edition were to be seriously late. ALSO PROTECTS BREEDING LINES "This same critical situation and it is critical confronts every poultry- man in my position at all times with reference to his stock on hand, meaning his most valuable specimens, including those that have won prizes and the line-bred stock that produced them. For instance, imagine the plight I would be in if a fire were to sweep over these thirteen acres of my home breeding plant and destroy my best breeders, also several thousand head of sale stock produced therefrom. But I am not taking any such risks. To avoid doing so I not only am now having a large percentage of stock raised each season on our southern plant in Tennessee and also on a dozen or more nearby farms, but recently 1 have actually put out on these farms, in known-to-be-trustworthy hands, a considerable number of my best breeders, line-bred specimens, all properly leg banded that are competent to restock with high-quality birds a new home plant if this one were to be destroyed by fire or otherwise." But to get back to the "one big secret" which accounts mainly for Mr. Sheppard's unexcelled business success in the poultry field. The foregoing factors, each and everyone of them is no doubt important, but it struck us forcibly at the time we were thinking on the subject at his home plant last fall that after all else has been said about it, Mr. Sheppard could not have accomp- lished what he has if the product in which he is dealing were not of high value, as' measured by the needs and expectations of the purchasers, few or many. And then this idea came to us: the place to find out whether or not Mr. Shep- AMONG ANCONAS" 13 Members of American Poultry Association visiting Sheppard's Ancona Farm, Artist Sewell of R. P. J . fame took the party unawares with his camera while they were having refreshments under the shade of the big oak. pard's product, meaning well-bred Ancona fowls, are indeed both valuable and satisfactory in the hands of those who pay their good money for them, is right here in his office. Without delay we briefly explained to Mr. Sheppard this point of view, whereupon he said: "Good enough! That is an idea with merit, but you are in for some over- time work if you intend to go through all of my files and read letters I have received literally by the thousands from pleased customers. Just the same, we will start in and here are files containing hundreds of them, recent and older." In handling and looking through the files used by Mr. Sheppard, with free access to different parts of his office, we were further impressed by his orderly methods. There is a place for everything and everything was in its place racks for halftone cuts, for electros of advertisements, for different kinds of printed matter, for catalogue envelopes, ordinary envelopes, letterheads, etc. It is not every poultryman who buys envelopes in quantities of one hundred thousand at a time, as Mr. Sheppard does. And in reading letters of recent date from Mr. Sheppard's customers it was the easy and natural thing to arrive at this further conclusion: that here, in sample letters written to a representative poultryman, are disclosed also the foundation facts on which, in large part, is based the whole success of the standard-bred poultry industry of the United States of the world at large. DISTRIBUTION BY WAY OF EGGS-FOR-HATCHING In the short space of an article such as this we of course cannot go into the subject fully, but the following sample letters, all of recent date, from Mr. 14 "A LITTLE JOURNEY Sheppard's files, will convey our meaning. Take first the matter of long- distance shipments of eggs for hatching: a customer named Fred J. Saunders, living at Nicholton, Ontario, wrote Mr. Sheppard as follows: "It affords me great pleasure to write and tell you of the wonderful hatch I had from your eggs. I set thirty-four under three hens and got thirty- three nice strong chicks, and they are now over a month old and doing fine. Not a dwarf or runt in the whole hatch, and, best of all, out of the thirty-three there appear to be twenty-five pullets and eight cockerels. How about that for luck?" Let us ask in passing: How severe a blow would it be to the standard-bred poultry industry of the United States and Canada if it were impractical to ship eggs for hatching to far distant points? Not only are we able to ship them from different states of the Union into every other state, but also into all parts of Canada, and with success. Moreover, our enterprising poultry- men are now making shipments of hatching eggs at an increasing rate, as to number of orders and quantity of eggs, to England, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France, etc., also to the West Indies, to Cuba and to Mexico. DISTRIBUTION OF BABY CHICKS BY MAIL Then comes the recently established advantage of shipping baby chicks long distances by parcel post with truly wonderful success, both with reference to the small percentage of deaths when they are properly boxed, also as to how well they live and develop when brooded right, properly fed, etc. Here is a sample case from Mr. Sheppard's files on that foundation fact. Miss W. T. Shurley, Bayland, Miss., last season wrote Mr. Sheppard as follows: "Chicks arrived here on record time. Came about 1200 miles and every one alive and lively. All a bouquet of American beauties! All alive today, Saturday, and growing fast. Are fine individuals, subjects for the prize pens, where they will go when our October Fair opens. This makes my Ancona Miniature Farm complete for a big start. You will accept my thanks for the shipment." Next, in regard to the actual or intrinsic value of the Anconas as bred by Mr. Sheppard and others, is the question of how good they are as layers of how soon they begin to lay, meaning at what age, of the kind of eggs they lay, as to their marketable qualities and of how well they lay, meaning their annual egg production, as compared with other breeds or varieties. Last August, Mr. Joseph Kohlmeyer, 806 Devine St., Alliance, Ohio, wrote Mr. Sheppard to this effect: "On March 15th I received 25 day-old chicks from you. I raised ten pullets and ten cockerels. They sure are beauties. The whole neighborhood came to see my chicks. To my surprise one of the pullets started to lay July 23rd, age four months and eight days." AMONG ANCONAS" 15 Another example of this kind: W. A. Cavany, 304 Emerald St., Willard, Ohio, wrote Mr. Sheppard: "I bought baby chicks from you last July. The pullets began laying Feb- ruary 6th and have laid at a remarkable clip ever since. From the pullets from the July chicks I have hatched chicks in April which began laying the following August 21st. This surely proves the wonderful vitality of your Famous Anconas, as well as their ability as egg producers." EASY TO GET A GOOD START Still another "foundation fact" in the upbuilding of the standard-bred poultry industry consists of this: that prize-winning stock readily can be raised from hatching eggs, also from baby chicks. Writing to Mr. Sheppard, Oscar L. Dunlap, Junction City, Oregon (note that this is a long way from Berea, Ohio), said: "Thinking it will be of interest to you to hear a good word concerning 'Famous Anconas,' I take pleasure in telling you that a cock bird hatched from eggs purchased from you was placed first at the Oregon State Fair this year. I also showed this bird at Eugene, Oregon, Fair, where he was placed first. It pleases me further to announce that at Eugene I won first cock, first and second cockerel, first and second pullet and second and third pens. As soon as your new catalogue is out be sure to send me one. Prof. Hubert 16 1 A LITTLE JOURNEY She Loves A neon as AMONG ANCONAS" 17 E. Cosby of the Oregon Agricultural College Poultry Department was at the farm today and he spoke very highly of my Anconas." As to the size, color and other market qualities of Ancona eggs, let it be stated that they are of practically the same size and weight as Leghorn eggs and have the same pure white color of shell. On this point, writing Mr. Sheppard last fall, Joseph A. Triplett, 1326 Sassafrass St., Franklin, Pa., said: "I have the pleasure of advising you that the pen of Anconas which I pur- chased from you last spring won for me my first blue ribbon at the Farmers' and Fruit Growers' Exhibit held here on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of October, when I was awarded first prize for the best display of eggs. I am more than overjoyed at having won my first victory. The competition was very strong, therefore I am the more delighted at having won first in the white-egg class. Eggs were judged for size, shape, weight, quality of shell and general appear- ance, and were displayed in one dozen lots. My one dozen weighed 31 ounces, outweighing all others in both the white and brown egg class by four ounces." ANCONAS AMONG THE BEST LAYERS Yet another "foundation fact" in behalf of the Standard-bred poultry industry and in support of the Ancona breed, both combs, is brought out by the following interesting letter, written to Mr. Sheppard by F. E. Stoneburn, now at the head of the agricultural advertising department of the Hanff- Metzger Company, 95 Madison Ave., New York City, formerly a practical poultryman, later for several years professor of poultry husbandry at the Storrs Agricultural College, Storrs, Connecticut, and one of the first men to take an active part in the establishment of national and international egg- laying contests in the United States. Following is Mr Stoneburn's letter: "My Dear Mr. Sheppard: "If you will dig out your atlas and refer to the map of Manitoba you will find the town of Brandon over in the southwestern section of that province. Possibly you do not know it, but there is a laying competition being conduct- ed there under the auspices of the Dominion Department of Agriculture with headquarters at Ottawa. "I just picked up the report for the forty-fourth week of the contest and note that Pen 18 is leading by a wide margin and that the layers are Anco- nas. Since you may consider this as being good material for an advertise- ment, I take great pleasure in forwarding it to you. "We sometimes hear the Anconas referred to as being 'tender', but it must be admitted that they have some rather chilly weather up in Manitoba. And a little delving into the figures (the official report of what these birds have done under those conditions is attached hereto) yield some mighty interesting information. First, in 44 consecutive weeks, 298 days, this pen produced 1748 eggs, or only a little short of 60 per cent yield for this entire period. Second, that while the average production of all birds in the contest 18 "A LITTLE JOURNEY during this period, including the Ancona pen, is 111 eggs, the Anconas have averaged 174 eggs each. "Trusting that this mav be of interest to you, I am Yours very truly F. H. STONEBURN." WOMAN'S SUCCESS WITH HER ANCONAS There was another letter in particular in Mr. Sheppard's files that we should like to publish here, but a lack of space this month forbids. It was from a Mrs. Ellsworth, who told of the remarkable success she had with Anconas starting with thirty eggs for hatching bought of Mr. Sheppard, from which she obtained 25 chicks. Mr. Ellsworth at the start was not enthusiastic about his wife's chickens, fearing that the work might be too heavy for her, but later when he saw the annual profits he built her a new poultry house without being asked to do so and the next year Mrs. Ellsworth cleared more than 3600.00. Wrote Mrs. Ellsworth: "The new chicken house gave me a chance to increase my flock. That year I had 160 Anconas, which paid me as follows: Babychicks._ __3 424.35 Market eggs. _ 215.75 Stock 550.00 Total__. ..31190.10 "After deducting all my expenses I found that I had made a net profit of over 3600.00. Here was another surprise for my husband. But he always says that the profit that I have made cannot begin to compare in value with the improvement which has taken place in my health. And it is true. When I started to keep chickens I weighed only 98 pounds. Today I can tip the scales at 151 pounds and am proud of it. My friends say I am a different woman. My husband says I look ten years younger. It has made a lot of difference. I take a new interest in my house work, and taking care of chickens seems more pleasure to me than work." In this brief article we have touched only the "high spots" of Mr. Sheppard's splendid success a success now represented by annual sales of breeders, lay- ers and exhibition stock, also of hatching eggs and baby chicks that total close around one hundred thousand dollars and he does this business with apparent ease and comfort! Mr. Sheppard never seems to be in a hurry, never appears to be behind with his work, nor in a state of confusion or un- certainty. Finally, an important factor in Mr. Sheppard's business success as the world's foremost breeder and promoter of the Anconas is his Annual Catalogue, a handsomely printed, well-illustrated book. AMONG ANCONAS" 19 H. CECIL SHEPPARD Practical' Poultry Expert 20 "A LITTLE JOURNEY I didn't mean to let the good Editor of the R. P. J. take up quite so many pages but as he has said some things that wouldn't look very good coming direct from me y I guess I won't object. Origin of Anconas I AM well aware of the fact that breeders of other poultry refer to the mottled Ancona, in derision, as "the old speckled hen." I am not going to stop to defend the "old speckled hen" although there is enough senti- ment connected with her so that one could write a book on that subject. I gathered her eggs when I was a youngster and probably you did too "holding back" several dozen on Grandma along about Easter-time! But if Anconas are speckled or mottled, which is the right word to use it is because they have been this way for many, many decades back in sunny Italy, from which country they originally came. We are informed that in their own country, and in the province and city of Ancona, Italy, they are considered superior to other breeds as producers of eggs, in beauty and for the quality of meat. An examination of all avail- ble records gives no basis for the supposition that Anconas are a patched up, manufactured strain. On the other hand, there are plenty of facts in poultry history to carry out my emphatic contention that Anconas were a separately defined breed of poultry twenty years before our own Civil War started. The first record we have of this remarkable breed, of course, comes from Ancona, which is a large maritime town of Italy, on the Adriatic Sea, 134 miles northeast of Rome. It is noted for its fine harbor adapted for building and repairing ships. It is said to have the finest marble arch in the world. Last, but not least, it is noted as being the original home of this great and noble breed of fowls. About half a decade before this town became a part of the Italian kingdom, Anconas were first introduced into England, in the year 1852, where they have gained great prominence. In about 1890 they were imported into America. They have made wonderful progress against the strong competition of other breeds. It is indeed interesting to thumb through the pages of old Histories and Poultry Books. Those, for example, which were published about the time the Anconas first came into prominence are of especial interest to me. Anconas, said the "experts", would never make good. They would never become popular. It was claimed that there was no standard; that in Italy the birds were of a dozen different colors; that some were pure black, others black and white, other with every known shade of brown and tan mixed in AMONG ANCONAS" 21 Two Splendid Specimens of Modern Ancona Development 22 "A LITTLE JOURNEY with the black and white. Objections were even made to their being exhibit- ed at the Shows. But in spite of all this gloomy prophecy and actual enmity, the Anconas pushed their egg-laying way to the front. Out of the chaos of color, there evolved a standard. The great drooping comb and the enormous gills dis- appeared, giving way to combs and gills in proportion to their bodies. You would smile at the pictures of these early Anconas with their tremendous combs, and their gills which rested on the ground when they ate. But to get back to the ancient origin of the breed. To my mind, the whole matter is shrouded in the mistiest kind of mystery. Some claim one thing, some another Considerable speculation and guess-work seems to have entered into the affair. But I will say this: From what I have been able to glean from the most responsible authorities about the ancient Italian Ancona, I have no reason to feel that the modern Ancona need be other than mighty proud of its Mediterranean ancestor! Jnconas originated on the Eastern Shore of Italy AMONG ANCONAS" 23 More Ancona History 1HAVE before me what is called the "Poultry Book," compiled by a num- ber of authorities. In this there is a quotation from the United States Consul of Belgim, dated in 1893, stating that "A company has been formed for egg-production in the Province of Leige, called the'Societe Belge- Italienne,' for the purpose of importing hens from Italy which would lay throughout the winter. This company does a large business. It should be noted that the Italian fowls are chosen in preference to the English; they are shipped at Padua. In the transit, the mortality is only one per thousand." I should like to comment, at this point, on two facts in that quotation. This company was formed for the express purpose of importing a special kind of hen (Anconas) from Italy which would "lay throughout the winter. 11 This is one of the outstanding characteristics of all worthy Anconas they are supremely superior to other strains because of their exceptional industry even during the severest winter weather. They seem to thrive on hardship. This may be due to the fact that the temperature varies tremendously in their native country from below zero in some sections to 108 above only comparatively few miles distant. The second fact I wish to emphasize is the low mortality rate in spite of the fact that these shipments were made under the crude conditions which existed back in 1893. This is undoubtedly due to the same hardy, vital charac- teristics which have won for Anconas their name of being great winter layers. Another writer calls attention to the fact that it would have been a very easy matter, provided Anconas were a "manufactured" breed, to have called them "mottled leghorns" simply adding another type to the leghorn family. I will admit that had this been done it would have removed a handicap by classing them with so well known and popular a family as the leghorn. The fact that no effort has been made to change their style distinction from Anconas to mottled leghorns is pretty strong proof to me were any required that any doubts as to their origin are positively without justification. Now I should like to read just a scrap or two from another book called "Origin and History of All Breeds of Poultry," which is recognized as an authority. "The fact that Anconas are known under the head of the Spanish breeds does not indicate that they came originally from Spain. They were brought to that country from some point in the East, through the Mediterranean. The above-mentioned book, speaking of the ideal Ancona, states: "In shape and form the standard requirements are the same as those of the leghorn. 24 "A LITTLE JOURNEY They are of the Spanish group, being somewhat larger than the leghorn. The plumage is beetle-green ground (almost a jet black), the feathers tipped with white, evenly mottled throughout, with no tendency to lacing. Shanks and toes yellow or yellow shaded or mottled with black. Wattles red, ear lobes white. They are non-setters, and exceedingly good layers." When one begins to search out the history of Anconas, it takes one back, naturally enough, to the ancient Jungle Fowl of India. It was probably from thisgamey, wild-eyed bird that our modern egg-machines have descended. The Jungle Fowl laid no more than a dozen or twenty eggs a year, and even these were not in demand as articles for the ancient table. The difference between this 20-egg Jungle Fowl and the modern 300-egg breeds represents the achievement of centuries of poultry culture. In tracing the antiquity of the domesticated hen, the following facts have been mentioned: When Peter denied the Saviour the cock crowed thrice, which shows us that the fowl was domesticated at the time of the Christian Era. Mention is made of cock-fighting in the Codes of Mann, a thousand years or more before Christ. A Chinese encyclopedia, 1400 years B. C., mentions the fowl. Figures on Babylonian cylinders show that fowls were known in the seventh century. Ancient Greek authors, living about 500 B. C. refer to the fowl as if it were fairly common. Thus one can see that in many lands and many centuries ago, the Jungle Fowl had been tamed and had already begun its long and honorable career of service to mankind. Before I leave the subject of Ancona History, I wish to emphasize one point again. You probably noted that the first importation of Anconas to Europe was made with this single purpose Winter Egg Production. The company organized to this end was open and above-board about it. They came right out and said that they were going into business for the purpose of importing hens which would "lay throughout the winter"! And just to show that the modern Ancona still possesses this winter-lay- ing habit, I am going to quote from a few of my many enthusiastic letters from customers on this point: 40 Degrees Below Zero North Dakota. From the original start of eggs that I purchased from you, my utility flock of 40 pullets laid during the month of February 435 eggs and there was not a day during February that the thermometer registered above 20 below zero here and about 10 days out of the month is was 40 below zero. These same 40 pullets produced 884 eggs in March and the first part of March was cold too. They did not hit their stride until the middle of March and and after that I'll tell you they have been going some. H. W. AMONG ANCONAS" 25 408 Eggs In January Indiana. My 25 Ancona pullets laid 408 eggs in the month of January, the coldest month. J. E. D. Eggs All Winter! Ohio. I am well pleased with the Ancona. It makes me feel pretty good to get eggs all winter when my neighbors are not getting any. C. W. K. Extreme Cold Zero Weather Ohio. The fifty baby chicks arrived in splendid condition on July 17. We raised them all. They are laying fine. Began laying December 18. During the extreme cold zero weather the cold has no effect on them. One man told us we would not get any eggs before spring from these pullets. They surprised us all. Have tried several different breeds, but Anconas for us. J. H. H. It Was 20 Degrees Below Zero Indiana. Never in my life have I seen such busy chickens as the Anconas. I went out on the 4th of January and got my eggs just the same and it was 20 degrees below zero that morning, and I can hardly express myself how well pleased I am with them. S. S. M. One day's shipment of eggs 26 "A LITTLE JOURNEY The Ideal Ancona Shape THE true Ancona shape is similar to that of the Leghorn, with the except- tion that the body is somewhat longer and deeper built of a somewhat broader "wheel base", so to speak. This feature gives them the ad- vantage as egg producers. There are two varieties Rose and Single Comb with absolutely no dif- ference except in the comb itself. The Single Comb was the first to be im- ported to this country, and because this variety is somewhat more spectacular in appearance, it has gained a wider popularity. But the Rose Comb, where- ever it has been raised, has won favor. It is merely a matter of personal preference there isn't the slightest difference in their inherent good qualities, behaviour or beauty apart from the comb itself. Speaking generally, the Ancona Head is moderate in length, fairly deep, and fine in texture. The Beak is nicely curved, and the Eyes are medium in size and nearly round. The Wattles are thin, well-rounded, and smooth in texture; the Ear-Lobes are moderate in size, free from folds and wrinkles, and fit up closely to the head. The Neck of the Ancona male is long, nicely arched, and the hackle flows down well over the shoulders. The Neck of the Female is long, slender, and gracefully arched. The Wings are large and well folded. The Back is of good length, sloping downward from the shoulders and then sweeping upward to the tail. The Breast is full, broad and carried well for- ward. The Legs are slender, moderately long; the Toes are straight. The Tail of the Male is large and well spread, with the feathers carried at an angle of about 45 degrees above the horizontal. That of the female is neatly-formed and carried well out from the body at the same angle 45 degrees. I would not say that the highest type of Ancona development is character- ized by the almost perpendicular "squirrel" tail. In fact, I prefer the tail that is carried at an angle of no higher than 45 degrees slightly lower than that, if anything. Like all other variations, the too perpendicular tail can be made to yield to skillful breeding. Not that the tail should droop! This I have never advocated, but I do believe that the tail can be carried in a regal, lordly manner without having it point straight up in the air! The English fancier, I sometimes think, has gone in more for developing freak points of the Ancona which, of course, can be done with any breed of poultry. He has been breeding a comb with five to seven serrations, the blade following the lines of the neck. On this point American breeders differ more than on the other. The ideal comb in this country has five serrations with the blade leaving the neck at the head and curving upward. AMONG ANCONAS" 27 The diagrammatic comparison sketches the ideal Ancona shape with the parallelogram body as compared with the inefficient shape of the cockerel in the triangle. This parallelogram indicates the alert, vigorous body as compared with the weak, ill-supported triangular-shaped body. 28 'A LITTLE JOURNEY I consider the selection of a male bird very important, since this fowl is the basis of flock vitality and large egg production. You can distinguish the ideal Ancona bird by his full, deep breast, well rounded abdomen, power- ful legs, set quite far apart, his broad, strong back, and here are some other points to look for. Pick out a handsome fellow with a long back, slightly sloping downward to the tail, with no apparent angle just a slight upward, sweeping curve at the tail. His tail ought to be carried at an angle of 40 or 45, but it is better to be a little lower than too high. The head, and expecially the comb, should be as near perfect as possible. The comb is the first thing that is noticed in a bird and is naturally very prominent because of its flashing red against the black and white background of the body. I will quote the comments of the American Poultry Journal on one of my Madison Square Garden Prize-winning cocks at this point: "First cock had balance, good head, nice back and tail; snappy ticking in breast, fluff and wing bar. This question of balance is of primary importance in the breed. Too many males are low behind, breast high and tail shooting up. Get the legs in the center of the bird and he will have better balance. To do this, breed females whose legs come out at their middle and not out of their rear. Sheppard beat the others to it on balance in his males. He had it in his males last year, and comes back again this year." You can see that I regard the shape and balance of the male bird as of considerable importance, and that good shape is a characteristic of the Shep- pard Strain. Ancona females of good shape have long bodies, and an easy, graceful carriage. They possess what I would call a "capacious" body, with plenty of room for the formation of eggs. AMONG ANCONAS" 29 The Ideal Ancona Color ANCONA color is black mottled with white. Many other birds run to various colors, causing a confusion to raising, but it is easy to remember that Anconas are simply the one combination: the mottled black and white. To be sure, the black is a beautiful and lustrous rich black, with a clean, sharp white contrasting, and the combs are brilliant red. You can understand why this contrasty combination of colors, together with the superb carriage of Anconas, makes them the world's leaders in point of beauty and charm. They appeal both to the artistic and the practical. Note the sharp clean white tips of these Ancona feathers. Spread out on the background of a beautiful, lustrous black with a slight greenish sheen, the markings of the Ancona are truly striking. An all black or a nearly black Ancona is a freak type, the result of some faddist's dream. We will give the English credit once more for sending the 5HPPARD'5 AN COMAS, 30 "A LITTLE JOURNEY warning in time and enabling all Ancona breeders to get back on the beaten track with well mottled Anconas. When an Ancona ceases to be mottled, it will cease to be an Ancona. The ideal feather is black with a slight greenish sheen, with a white tip. The feather is dark color to the skin, whereas the white portion on the tip is sharp and distinct as illustrated. The old standard required a white tip on each and every feather. This has been very difficult to produce. It is objectionable on account of too much white, having a tendency to make the birds too light in color, which detracts from their beauty and after all, this point of color is one which concerns beauty rather than utility. The revision committee has changed the standard to read a white tip on every fifth feather. This will enhance their beauty and doubtless meet with the approval of the majority of other breeders. Avoid objectionable purple barring. You are going to be disappointed if you possess Anconas perfect in every other detail except this one of too much purple. Some judges will pass birds on this one point alone. The beak should be yellow with black or dark brown shadings. The iris of the eyes is a bright orange red with a hazel pupil. The face of the worthy Ancona is so bright as to almost be called intelligent and who will say that birds do not possess real intelligence? The face and wattles are of a bright red, with the face free from white. Ear lobes are One of the many flocks of promising youngsters found on Sheppard's Ancona Farm, where thousands of this popular breed are raised annually AMONG ANCONAS" 31 white or creamy white, although some red is found in the ear lobes of most flocks. English breeders favor yellow mottled legs. The American standard calls for yellow or yellow mottled with black. Anconas are very beautiful even from the fluffy yellow and black baby chick period. As they mature from babyhood Ancona chicks never encounter the poorly dressed, half starved, awkward stage common to most young fowls. Raisers declare that they are attractive and graceful every day of their lives. Those who have had experience with Anconas can appreciate this point. Naturally, breeding has a great deal to do with this. We are speaking of thoroughbred Anconas. The Ideal Ancona Size AS I have already emphasized, Anconas are primarily an egg breed. This is their first and greatest virtue and it is one that appeals to the average person because the biggest profit in the poultry business is in eggs. Anconas need to be just large enough so that they can retain in their bodies sufficient vitality to produce eggs prolifically and systematically and they've sufficient size, but no "surplus baggage." There is much more money in producing four legged animals for meat than to raise poultry for the profit in meat. Anconas will lay satisfactorily for two or three years longer than any of the heavy breeds of poultry and it doesn't take very many dozen eggs to make up the entire cost of what one would secure for a carcass. The Ancona is slightly larger than the leghorn, mature females weighing four to five pounds, and occasionally six. The males weigh five to six, and sometimes a pound more than that. For a time breeders favored extra size, but they found themselves getting away from the dominant merit of Anconas and in securing size were losing out on the egg production end. As a matter of fact, in my early experience I had Ancona males weighing nine and a half pounds dressed, but found that these extra large birds did not produce layers. If size did not interfere with egg yield, I would prefer a bigger bird. But it is eggs we are after, eggs that will pay, and eggs you will get from Anconas, so I endeavor to breed as large as possible without injuring the laying qualities of the strain. Another point in favor of the small bird is that five of them will eat no more than three of the large varieties and they do not tend to get broody. They occupy less floor space. It would be natural if you concluded that they laid smaller eggs, but this is not the case. Anconas lay large white eggs which get top market prices. I do not favor small, undersized birds. I believe you will agree with me that the ability to lay eggs abundantly is the noblest and greatest ambition a hen can be entrusted with. AMONG ANCONAS" 33 A Few Remarks on Poultry Breeding ONE could write a book on the subject of Poultry Breeding, and then not tell the whole story. It is a subject which is intensely inter- esting because it is difficult to pin it down to cold, unchanging facts and hold it [there. Just as you have some theory or other very comfortably es- tablished in your mind, something happens that proves you were all wrong. We usually think of the scientific breeding of poultry as a more or less modern practice. Yet it seems to be a fact that the ancients must have known some- thing of the principles of breeding and followed them else how can one ex- plain the distinct and different breeds which existed centuries ago? At the beginning of the Christian Era the Romans possessed six or seven breeds. The semi-barbarous natives of the Philippine Islands about fifty years ago had no less than nine varieties of the game fowl. Darwin says that "not only careful breeding but actual selection was practiced during ancient periods and by barely civilized races of men". All that would have been necessary he points out, was the occasional destruction of inferior specimens and the occasional preservation of the best birds. I do not believe that poultry breeding has ever been, or will ever be, a business of absolute mathematical certainty. The final result of the breed ing is dependent upon the element of chance, and will probably always be thus. Of course, the skill of the breeder also exercises a large influence, but successful poultry breeding is more of an art than a science. The breeder is bound by certain proved "laws", but always there is room and opportunity for individual initiative and exceptional skill. The transmission of qualities or characteristics from parent to offspring is controlled by the law of Heredity that like begets like. This, however, is not an absolute Truth, for no two individuals are alike. Male chickens all crow, but no two crow exactly alike. Most female chickens lay eggs, but not only will they vary in size, shape, color but some will lay 300 eggs a year, others will lay 3. We can discern here another law that of Variation. It is this variation that spells Opportunity for the breeder who is constantly on the alert to improve his strain. It gives him a chance to progress. 34 "A LITTLE JOURNEY Mating and Breeding Anconas The Kind of Male to use in Breeding Pens A few years ago I reluctantly parted with a splendid first prize pen Madison Square Garden, New York I am serious when I say "reluc- tantly" for 3500.00. Permit me to explain in this book just about as I did to the purchaser of this prize pen, how I made my stock produce the beautiful birds that com- manded "millionaire" prices and are still the most intensely practical of all breeds. The sire of this noble pen was a first prize cock at the Garden the previous year. I considered him almost an ideal specimen. He weighed about six pounds, very fine head points, a splendid comb, a good long back with ex- cellent tail carriage, well spread out and carried at the proper angle. I appreciate that some breeders advise "Don't get the tail too low." Look over their flock and you will see that there is mighty little danger of their ever getting the tails too low! Where you find one tail a little bit low, you will find ten thousand altogether too high. They should be just high enough to maintain the carrage of vigor and good balance not drooping in a slouchy way and decidedly not stuck up straight like the tail of a gray squirrel. This fellow's body was long and deep. I have mentioned body shape on a previous page. Many birds have long bodies but are hot deep enough for good Ancona type they mustn't be too slim. This fine specimen had a good pair of yellow shanks and he certainly stood up splendidly on them. His legs were well spread. The light green sheen on his dark color was entirely free from purple barring. His mottling was fine and distinct and evenly spread in nearly all sections. His tail was solid black with white tips, and almost black wings with many feathers tipped with white. While we're on the subject of the kind of male to use in breeding pens, take a look at that royal specimen across the page. Note the proud, regal carriage, the broad, full sweep of that perfect tail, the beautifully formed head, the sturdy legs. He's a regal bird is Richard and he knows it! AMONG ANCONAS" 35 Richard America's Sovereign Bird AMONG ANCONAS" 37 Females For The Breeding Pen THE situation is now this. We have a male bird who seems to answer all our specifications to a dot. Here then (on the opposite page) is the type of female we have in mind. Note, in each of these birds, the snappy, alert carriage, the deep bodies, the neat tails. Do not breed from a female with a high tail always select a bird with low, well-spread tail. In selecting females for color, if you overlook shape you overlook a strong point, because without proper shape, the great useful- ness of the Ancona would be limited. I select females as near standard requirements as possible, with good dark wings and tail and fine, even mottling. If you breed Anconas you will prob- ably wonder at the fine, even mottling I refer to, which may be absent from your flock. Don't be discouraged! It has taken us many years of mating and breeding to get the fine, even mottling I consider necessary in the ideal Ancona. In the case that you are breeding for utility only, do not condemn a bird with more white than the standard calls for because frequently these more freely mottled birds are as good layers if hatched from eggs from a good laying strain. Color has very little to do with their ability to lay. In our utility matings we count much more on shape than on color. In our exhibition matings the birds must have both shape and color. The standard of perfection states that Anconas must have 80 percent of their feathers black and only 20 per cent with a white tip, excepting on the males' back, where 90 per cent of the feathers are black. This would mean a bird practically black when looking at him from 20 feet or more away. I would scarcely consider this an ideal bird. It is results we are after, and I believe you will agree with me that the illustrations throughout this book of Anconas typify a very handsome specimen, which is slightly more white than the standard of perfection called for. I have been working for a happy medium between the present and the old Standard, with just enough white tips to give each bird a snappy appear- ance and bring out the sharp contrast between white and black so necessary in beauty. 38 "A LITTLE JOURNEY Breeding For Egg Production IN grouping together these splendid matings to produce such unusual ex- hibition birds, it would be well to keep in mind that a female is never con- sidered as a candidate for any of my breeding pens unless she has behind her a remarkable egg record an actual trap nest record. I shall probably never get away from the idea of breeding first for egg production and then building other points of quality afterwards. Certain principles of breeding for egg-production have won general accept- ance among breeders. I shall take time, at this point, to mention a few of the principles I regard as established. In the first place, I believe that high egg production is the accumulated result of the selection of high production breeding stock carried on for many generations. This is what I mean when I say that Anconas are bred to lay. In all my experience as a breeder of Ancona stock. I have kept this one idea, most prominent More Eggs Not that the quality of the eggs should be sacrificed to quantity, but that the two should go hand in hand. I know that it is not at all necessary for AMONG ANCONAS" 39 one to accept eggs of inferior size from high-yield stock, for some of my best laying birds have laid eggs that were considerably above the average in size. It is a fact too, that hens seem to respond to favorable environment, al- though one of the highest Ancona records 331 eggs in a year was achieved by a bird in a small, cold coop. This only serves to emphasize the fact that there are numerous exceptions to every poultry rule. We do know one thing though with certainty and that is that all of modern skill has never been able to coax all the eggs that the hen "houses" in her body out of.it! For the ovary of the hen, even before she lays an egg, contains the "germs" of all the eggs she will ever lay and then some! Why doesn't she lay them? There is a real question! Is it the lack of an inherited ability to lay all the eggs she has within her body, or is it because of improper feeding and care? At any rate, it is a problem worth thinking about. If the hen contains the possibilities of thousands of eggs, there may come a day when our boasted 300egg strains may look mighty small and amateurish! Coming in with "Golden" White Harvest 40 "A LITTLE JOURNEY Another important thing to be considered in the matter of breeding for eggs is whether or not the laying-life of the fowl can be materially increased. As conditions are today, the average unimproved flock does not pay for its board and room after the second year. If proper breeding could lengthen this period to four years, what a revolution in chickendom! We may be able to prolong this productive period, and I am keeping this possibility in the background of my mind as another thing worth thinking about! The shape of the fowl's body is another consideration. I believe that the Ancona is quite ideally "built" for the purpose of heavy and consistent egg production, and I always try to maintain in my flocks the type of body that seems peculiarly associated with egg yield. The full, round breast, the rather long back, round at the shoulder and broad across the loin, is a formation that is conductive to egg laying. Then too, there is a well-formed keel and an abdomen that gives plenty of room for a full equipment of egg- forming organs. "Temperament" is another thing to keep in mind when breeding for eggs. This, I feel, is a more important point than most breeders realize. As a general thing, I have found that the good layer has an active, somewhat "nervous" temperament. She moves around quickly, is usually "on the go", and will be found out scratching for food when the poor layer is leaning up against the chicken-wire or sitting down in the shade. And when it comes to temperament, no breed has anything on the little black and white beauties known as Anconas. They are the prima donnas of Chickendom! Another factor. Which "side of the house" transmits the egg laying characteristic male or female? My experience seems to indicate, and I have followed this thing quite closely, that the male is the more important. But I would certainly be the last to say that this ability never descended from mother to daughter. I know better than that! AMONG ANCONAS" 41 On Marketing Eggs To Advantage NOT that the marketing of eggs should come under the general head of "Breeding for Egg Production", but because I feel that it may prove of value to many readers I will say a few words about selling eggs pro- fitably at this time. In days past, an egg was just an egg with one as good as another. Today though, the fact that there is a difference, and that one dozen of eggs may be worth five, ten or fifteen cents more than another dozen, has become quite generally recognized. This distinction has been an inducement for many poultry owners to raise and maintain the quality of the eggs they offer for sale, and has had a good effect upon the entire industry. The poultry raiser whose flock produces more eggs than he can consume at his own table is indeed fortunate if they are high-grade eggs and he can find a profitable market for them. In general there are two distinct methods of marketing. He can either sell to the interests who make it their business to deal in eggs, or he can go direct to the consumer. The nearest approach to this latter method, without selling directly to the person who consumes the eggs, is through the channels of the retail stores. The producer can ship in larger quantities than he can to private customers, and he can obtain a better express rate. Many retail stores will pay a liberal premium for fancy eggs, and are usually desirous of establishing a permanent connection with some poultry man who can guarantee regular shipments of high-grade eggs. The producer should always have his eye on new and more profitable markets. The Hotel and Restaurant trade frequently has possibilities which are overlooked. The Parcel Post shipments have opened a new field. A good many poultry raisers have built up a very fine trade by means of this new service. The most important considerations are these: Grade your eggs carefully. Ship nothing but perfectly fresh eggs. Use neat clean packages and con- tainers. Treat every customer fairly. The different grades of eggs, as recognized by expert candlers, are as follows: Fresh Egg An egg to be accepted as a "first" or fresh egg, must be newly laid, clean, of normal size, showing a very small air cell, and must have a strong, smooth shell of even color and free from cracks. Checks This term applies to eggs which are cracked but not leaking. Leakers This applies to eggs which have lost a part of their contents. 42 "A LITTLE JOURNEY Seconds The term "seconds" applies to eggs which can be no longer accepted as "firsts". There are several classes of such eggs: (a) Heated Eggs One in which the embryo has preceded to a point corresponding to about 18 to 24 hours of normal incubation. When held before the candle, the yolk of such an egg will appear heavy and quite dark in color. (b) Small Egg Even though it be newly-laid, and unusually small egg will be classed as a "second". (c) Dirty Egg Eggs that have been soiled with earth, droppings, or stained with wet straw, are also classed as "seconds". (d) Presence of Foreign Matter in Eggs Often eggs are laid which show small clots of blood about the size of a pea. (e) Misshaped Eggs Eggs that are long or flat, or otherwise deformed, must also go as "seconds". (f) Blood Rings Eggs in which the embryo has developed to a suffi- cient extent to be recognizable when held before the candle. (g) Rots Eggs which are absolutely unfit for human food. One more thing. Most markets in the United States prefer the white egg, and will pay a higher price for first-class eggs of this color. It is an entirely desirable thing to own a flock that lays plenty of nice large white eggs from the standpoint of marketing them profitably, if for no other reason. Wte AMONG ANCONAS" 43 Line Breeding TO return to the subject of breeding. At various times, considerable speculative nonsense has been dis- pensed under the name of Scientific Breeding; but occasionally an art- icle does appear which is based on facts and contains valuable information. Such an article is the one I am publishing below from the American Poultry Advocate, together with a chart by Mr. I. K. Felch, on line breeding. It will show how line breeding is accomplished, and how new strains are produced. It is a process that requires considerable patience in the keeping of complete records of matings. So much so that even many skilled and successful breeders find it easier to purchase male birds of a different blood line. As a matter of fact, all large poultry breeders, who make a business of furnish- ing breeding stock, can always furnish breeders with a different blood line so that you can introduce vigor and vitality into your blood from time to time. "Mr. I. K. Felch, the veteran judge and breeder of America, many years ago published in a little book of his, called Poultry Culture, a kind of a chart showing at a glance the main principle on which this should be done. We have evidence that this chart has actually been of practical benefit to several well-known breeders in England, even as then published; but in some sub- sequent correspondence Mr. Felch has kindly sent us an improved form of it, which we here reproduce, making a little further modification to make its meaning more clear. We suppose the strain to originate from two individuals only, though in the case of fowls, of course, several hens or pullets might be used as_one of the units. In that case, however, all should be of the same breeding. (It need hardly be pointed out that in this case the scheme may be carried out with less in-breeding at the first stages, as a cockerel might be bred back to an aunt instead of to the mother. But unless the hens or pullets are full sisters, the result will not be the same or have the same certainty, (Hence the utility of the recording nest-boxes mentioned further on.) The two original units must, of course, be perfectly vigorous and healthy, and either unrelated or only distantly related in blood. They should always be from different yards, for it is found that even change of ground has some effect in producing the different blood which has so much to do with avoiding constitutional disease. Taking our two original units, then Mr. Felch's chart shows how they may be bred so as to maintain health and vigor. "In reading this chart, every dotted line means a female i. e., a hen or pullet, and every unbroken line a male. Wherever two such lines meet at a point the circle at that point denotes the produce of the mating, bearing a number distinguishing it as a group or product; while the fraction outside the circle denotes the mixture or proportion in that product of the blood of the 44 'A LITTLE JOURNEY two original units from which is bred the strain. The first year, for instance, the original pair produce group 2, whose blood is half-and-half of each. The second year the original female, or one of them, is bred to a cockerel from group 2, and the original male to a pullet from group 2. Thus are produced groups 3 and 4, each of which possesses three-fourths of the blood of the unit on its own side of the diagram. Here begins the real work of the breeder, since these mates now taken from group 2 must be most carefully selected to type, according to that 'course of selection' which we have already discussed. From the very first all depends on this, and, of course, the two original units have been chosen with equal care, so far as money and opportunity allowed. The third year a cockerel from group 3 is mated with the original hen to pro- duce group 5, and pullets from group 4 to the original male to produce group 7, all of which possesses seven-eighths of the blood of their own side, and are to be rigorously selected true to type as before. AMONG ANCONAS" 45 "But the most noteworthy mating this year, to which we would call special attention, is that of a pullet or pullets from group 3, with a cockerel from group 4, producing group 6. It will be seen that all the members of group 6 possess equal or half-and-half blood from the original parents as much so as group 2. We also mate a pullet from group 5 and a cockerel from group 7, each of these owning seven-eighths of the blood of one ancestor, and we again produce in group 10 a progeny whose blood is half-and-half. Now suppose we had mated brothers and sisters from group 2 to produce half- and-half blood and age of group 6, and brothers and sisters of these to produce similar equality of blood at the age of group 10 the result of such incestuous in-breeding would have been swift degeneracy. As it is, we have made out matings from lines characterized mainly by the original male and female, and yet preserved the same mathematically exact equality of blood in our group 10. A generation farther on we can produce group 15 as shown, from groups 9 and 11; or we might have mated groups 8 and 12; or the produce of the former may be mated with that of the latter. We have thus seen how it is possible to keep up the half-and-half blood of a cross, intact and exact, without any loss of size, fertility, or vigor. "We also see plainly from this chart that by the time we have reached the stage even of group 10, we have got in our hands practically three strains; for while group 10 possesses equal blood of both sides, group 8 has thirteen- sixteenths of the blood of the hen, or practically represents the female line, while group 12, in like proportion, possesses the blood of the male line. Yet all are related sufficiently to prevent evil; and all have gone through the same 'course of selection' towards our own fixed type. "From this point we have ample material to go on with indefinitely, and need not pursue the matter further. The next row of groups simply shows some of the results in the next generation. But one point more may be illus- trated. Suppose that for some reason as for special cockerel or pullet breed- ing mating we want to establish also a line of sires in which predominates the blood of the original female. The chart shows a cockerel from group 5 mated with a pullet from group 3, and a cockerel from the produce in group 8 mated with a pullet from group 10. The result in group 13 gives us the same pro- portions of blood, but derived through a cockerel line of breeding. "Whenever a cross is necessary in a strain, such a chart also shows the procedure that should be followed. The cross is treated as a new unit, and its produce remated back to the home strain in the same way, carefully selecting for the desired type as before. This is what breeders and fanciers term 'breeding back' to a strain, and the philosophy of it can be clearly under- stood from such a diagram as that before us. Every cross thus involves more or less breeding back to the 'line' afterwards; but this need not be carried to the extent of incestuous matings, or interfere with vigor in any degree. The out-cross is not used as immediate material, but to provide either pullets or cockerels for really breeding into the strain the following year." 46 'A LITTLE JOURNEY Mr. Sheppard and his Superintendent selecting some choice "Famous" stock The key to successfully carrying on this work of breeding in line is in the words: "Here begins the real work of the breeder, since these mates now taken from group 2 must be most carefully selected to type," and again "are to be rigorously selected true to type as before." Not only must they IK- selected true to type, but they must be selected with a special view to full streng- th and vigor, and every specimen rejected that shows the least bit of weakness, or lack of vigor. If the breeder will but lift himself to that high level of "selection" he need have no fear of incurring the painful penalties of inbreed- ing. Mr. Wright himself is strenuous for the most painstaking care in select- ing the breeders. When considering the introduction of new blood into the strain, by an out-cross, he says: "In all cases birds from the cross should be selected for further breeding with unusual care, with even most rigorus severity, because the newly introduced tendencies have to be guarded against. That selecting with "even most rigorous severity" is where the many will fall down, especially in selecting with a view to the utmost of strength and vigor; if poultrymen would only surely do this last there would be compara- AMONG ANCONAS" 47 tively few complaints of lack of stamina in the stock, of poor hatches, chicks dying in the shell, of the countless ills and ailments with which so many flocks are afflicted. And what an immense uplifting there would be in the profits! Let's "select" with "most rigorous severity"! Courtesy of American Poultry Advocate. Note the ventilators on this house. The shutter openings are made of 8 inch boards about 2 inches apart. One inch poultry netting is tacked on the inside of ventilator to keep the sparrows out. A slide is provided at top of ceiling to reg- ulate the opening in cold weather. First Rose Comb Pen, Madison Square Garden, New York City AMONG ANCONAS" 49 How and What to Feed Anconas BECAUSE of their naturally hardy constitutions, Anconas don't need to be pampered, milk-fed, and babied. They thrive under severe conditi- ons, where other birds would keel up their toes and die. They lay eggs in cold, drafty, ramshackle houses, when heavier birds would merely exist. But my experience has shown me that under certain sets of conditions, Anconas will produce the maximum. And I am very glad to pass along to you folks who are taking this little journey, some of my thoughts relative to the feed- ing of Anconas. These ideas, of course, will apply with almost equal force to every other breed of poultry particularly when you are after egg pro- duction. Here are the two feed formulas I adopted some time ago: DRY MASH DRY GRAINS Coarse bran ___2001bs. Cracked corn. . 50 Ibs. Cornmeal ___1001bs. Wheat . 70 Ibs. Gluten feed ...100 Ibs. Heavy white oats. _ . 40 Ibs. Ground oats ._ 100 Ibs. Barley . 20 Ibs. Standard middlings 100 Ibs. Kaffircorn 10 Ibs. Beef scrap .. 100 Ibs. Buckwheat _ 10 Ibs. Low grade flour 25 Ibs. Coarse beef scraps 10 Ibs. I favor wheat because the grain is small, easily digested, and because it is rich in protein and mineral matter. Corn, when fed alone, has not enough protein and too much fattening and mineral matter. Barley and buck- wheat are also rich in fat. Dry mash, bran, beef scrap, oyster shell, grit and charcoal should be kept before your fowls constantly in hoppers. During the winter months, when the hens are confined, they should be fed green cut bone, about three pounds to 100 hens per day. Skimmed milk, curdled thick, makes a good substitute for green bone. I get excellent results without feeding wet mashes, but wet mashes are good if not too wet. A mash moistened with milk makes dainty feed for your hens. I get good results with dry mash. To insure the proper amount of exercise during the winter, it is best to throw the grain in litter, and compel the hens to scratch for it. Green food must not be overlooked. When it is not convenient to feed lawn clippings, sprouted oats, alfalfa meal, cabbage or mangels are splendid. 50 "A LITTLE JOURNEY Housing and Equipment I HAVE designed and completed several styles of houses which are in use on my farm, and I have also tried out designs developed by several well-known poultry men so as to find out just what housing conditions would prove the best suited to the disposition of Anconas. The two styles illustrated are my favorites. Style A is very economical for anyone who wishes to limit his investment in buildings. This house is 15x20 feet. It has a flat roof five feet in front and eight feet in the rear. It can be used as an excellent brooder house by installing a Colony brooder stove. When the birds are ready to leave the brooder, take out the stove. The feathered flock can be wintered in the same building to save removing them to other quarters. We have a number of these houses on my Berea farm. By placing the lower side toward the south, the high side may be used for one row of conditioning coops the full length of the building, without using AMONG ANCONAS" 51 Style ".-/" Poultry House any floor space. This arrangement makes an excellent combination brooder and conditioning house. In case conditioning coops are not desired, the high side is placed toward the south to admit more sunlight whether used for brooder or laying houses. As a good, sensible, all-the-year round house, Style B a building 24x30 feet is very, very pleasing to me. It is cool in summer and plenty warm in winter. There is a ventilator that keeps the house dry and the air more pure. Without the ventilator this house will be damp, so by all means, install this particular style of ventilator in this type of house. The ventilator is constructed by nailing boards across two studdings about fifteen inches apart, near the center of the building above the droppings board. Then continue the boards along the roof to the siding. You had better start these boards about six inches above the droppings board. Be sure to cut away the siding at the highest point at the end of the ventilator to allow the damp, impure air to pass outside. The ventilator terminates at the highest point of siding, directly under the roof. In these buildings on my farm, the water supply is obtained from a cistern under the cement floor of each building. These cisterns are square and built of concrete. It is easier and cheaper to build the cisterns this shape than round and I consider them just as satisfactory. Furthermore, when the buildings are scattered over considerable space, the time saved in watering soon pays for the cost of putting in the cistern. In concluding these paragraphs on poultry houses, I am going to quote from my other book popularly called the Town Lot Book from the chapter on poultry houses. 52 "A LITTLE JOURNEY Stylf "/?" Poultry House "What constitutes a successful poultry house? I should say one that keeps the birds in perfect comfort and health, and enables them to produce the largest yield of eggs. Of course you don't get eggs from poultry houses but if you take the same identical birds and put them in one house and then change them to another, there may be a decided difference in the egg yield, just because of the conditions provided by the "fowl" dwelling. "I am certain that a light and airy house will encourage egg laying and that a dark, stuffy house absolutely will not. The three big factors in egg production are: 1 food 2 light 3 air IDEAL FANCIER'S STOCK Unquestionably, "Famous" Anconas are becoming the ideal fancier's stock; they are in great favor! The contrast of black and white in their plumage, the beautiful dappled effect, results in a wonderful handsome bird. They are alert and striking in carriage, as well as very graceful. Such striking appearance do they present that they seem always to be on dress parade. Unlike some birds they do not require washing before you can show them. You will certainly appreciate this point if you have ever gone to the trouble of washing birds before sending them to the show. AMONG ANCONAS" 53 Remarks on Chicken Parks and Equipment THE chicken parks should be as generous as the ground will permit. The ideal park would have a southern exposure. It is a good plan to plant fruit trees in the parks, and these will furnish the chickens with shade as well as the table with lots of fruit. The parks should be cultivated often in the early spring. If the parks are long enough it is well to fence off the part farthest from the laying house and sow it with rape. This not only furnishes the chickens with an excellent green food, but also keeps the ground sweet and fresh. It is important to have the parks built on high ground as well as the houses. In case the high ground cannot be secured, be sure that the parks are well drained, because the chickens will not do well where they have to stay in parks that are wet for several days after every rainstorm. I realize that the moment I begin to recommend different types of equip- ment, that I am wading out into deep water, water that is likely to become "hot" but I stated at the beginning of this book that I was going to give you as much of my experience as I thought would be helpful and I intend to keep my word even if I put myself in the position of advertising some of my good friends. I don't expect you to agree with everything I say. My only excuse for laying bare my experience is because that is what you paid for when you purchased this book and my equipment must be fairly satisfactory or I would not have been able to take a profit from it. It is results that count, after all! AMONG ANCONAS" 55 Here's a Poultry Training Camp I am showing here a picture of what I call my "Poultry Training Camp". This shows one end of the building. It is heated by natural gas and lighted by electricity. Here in sturdy individual wire barracks with wooden frames, my birds receive their training for the shows. Here the prize winners you order get their setting up exercises so that they won't get bashful and ashamed when on exhibit although I have never seen a shy and retiring Ancona! When you receive a bird with which you expect to go up against fierce competition at shows, it is fairly well broken to the game not fearful and wild in a small coop and it knows how to behave itself in limited quarters so that it will make you proud of Anconas. Top of next page I am showing section of one of my Incubator cellars. I am simply showing you this so that you can see to what extent the breed- ing of Anconas may be carried. There is unlimited opportunity for scores of large operators in this one field. In the incubator cellars one of which is shown just above, I operate both small and large incubators running from 250 to 20,000 capacity. There are a great many good incubators and I believe that all standard makes do excellent work. corner in one of the incubator cellars. These machines are all heated by gas from a gas well on the farm Among the "Piano 5o.v" Colony Houses on Sheppard's Famous Ancona Farm- plenty of cooling shade AMONG ANCONAS" 57 Here is another piece of equipment, which I am glad to recommend. I have this Hopper manu- factured to my special order, and I catalog it and sell direct. Why I Use and Recommend Perfection Automatic Hoppers Because they save a great amount of labor. Because they cut down your feed bill. Keep your feed from wasting, and keep the mice and rats away. Because you get better results larger and healthier chickens and many more eggs. Because you can feed the chickens a well balanced mash and not have the trouble of mixing wet mashes. Because your hens convert dry mash into eggs, instead of wasting their energy digesting grain. Because your fowls will be more vigorous, consequently will lay more fertile eggs, and you will hatch more livable chicks. Because it is made larger at bottom than top to prevent feed from clogging. Because you can hang it outside. The feed is protected from the rain. Because the dust settles on the flange and not on the feed. Because it is made from galvanized steel, and will last a long time. Because I have tried several kinds of hoppers and find that the Perfection gives the best results. Because it will pay for itself in one year by saving feed, labor, and increase egg production. 58 "A LITTLE JOURNEY The first cost is very slight when you think of what it will save you. The Perfection Dry Mash Hopper is the modern way to feed your chickens. Order today. By Parcel Post or Express, charges prepaid to any part of United States or Canada. Chick size, 31-50. Large size (16 quarts), 33.00. Large size made with four partitions to feed grit, oyster shell, charcoal, bran, etc., for 33.75. Dis- count on quantity orders. While I am speaking about equipment, you may be interested in noting the type of packages we use for making shipments of chicks. And here also we show the one in which our Ancona chicks are packed for long journeys. Group of day-old cluck shipping cases AMONG ANCONAS" 59 This illustrates the boxes I use for shipping hatching eggs. The one on top is ready to receive the eggs. The one on the right is packed with eggs and the cover partly on. The box on the left is ready for shipment, and contains 15 eggs. A shipment of Sheppard's stock ready to start on the long trip of 12,000 miles to far-away Australia. 60 "A LITTLE JOURNEY There are many poul- try raisers who consider the book this young chap is reading as an indispen- sible part of their equip- ment. I call it my "Town Lot" Book, for it tells in instructive way, how I cleared 34,223.00 in a single year from a Town Lot. I'll be glad to send you a copy for 31.00. Speaking of things for sale, here's something no money could buy! It's my trademark the design that I use in all my ad- vertising literature, and on all shipments of Shep- pard Stock. It distin- guishes the stock as Gen- uine Sheppard Quality! AMONG ANCONAS" 61 At The Shows I HAVE always been proud of the record Sheppard's Anconas have made in the Show Rooms of America. They have won consistently and brilliantly for 13 years. At America's Premier Show Madison Square Garden they have added laurel to laurel. A 'great many people, when they first become interested in chickens, pay little attention to the prize-winning ability of their stock. But soon a love of the feathered beauties "gets under their skins" and they long to test out their merits in competition with other birds. They are anxious to see how their pets will "stack up" against those of friends and neighbors, and after they have won a few ribbons in local show-rooms, ambition knows no bounds. It's a great game! And just to get the spirit of the thing across to you, I'm going to quote some of the comments made by Judges, Poultry Experts, and Poultry Maga- zines. First though, here are my 1921 "Wins" at Madison Square Garden: ROSE COMB SINGLE COMB Cock 1, 3, 4, 5 Hen 1, 2, 4 Cockerel 1, 2, 3, 5 Pullet 2, 3, 5 Pen, Old 1, 3 Pen, Young 1, 3 Special for best Rose Comb Display Cock 1, 2, 4, 5 Hen 2, 5 Pullet 1, 4 Pen, Old 1, 2 Pen, Young 2, 3 Special for best Single Comb Dispaly GRAND SILFER CUP Won at Madison Square Garden for best display of An- condas, both single and Rose Combs competing. My birds were awarded Club Specials for best Pen, Cock, Cockerel, Hen and Pullet. By Judge Platt Mr. Sheppard's first pullet was the star of the whole class. Her hackle was nicely tipped with white, and down over the back the tipp- ing was evenly divided. While still young, this pullet was, in our opinion, the best An- cona female ever shown in the Garden. His Rose Comb cockerel had the best poise and most^class of an Rose Comb ever seen in a 62 LITTLE JOURNEY Victor First Cockerel, Madison Square Garden. He returned ne.\t year and won first cock. AMONG ANCONAS' 63 SILVER CUP coop. He had a neat head and was a beautiful bird, and you could never see him out of shape. By J. Leonard Pfeuffer, Poultry Editor I just want to say that the An- conas are certainly becoming more populareach and every season. They can thank H. C. Sheppard for this, as I believe he is doing more for the Anconas than all other breeders put together. I have no doubt that the Anconas are doing a great deal for him also. Well, they are undoubt- edly a very handsome fowl and when it comes to producing eggs and lots of them, they will take no back seat for any variety. Reliable Poultry Journal By Leo J. Brosemer For the best general display of Anconas in the International Ancona Club meetng types of combs, we have ever seen. At Forest City Exposition An- conas made an impressive display. H. Cecil Sheppard, Berea, Ohio, cooped the best exhibit of Anconas, representing both His birds show the wonderful progress he has been making, not alone in their approach to Standard shape, but also in preciseness of markings, especially in the Single Combs. Mr. Shep- pard's third prize Madison Square Garden cockerel won first as a cock here, winning over his first cockerel at the Garden. This bird has a full tail of fine color, a nicely shaped, full-breasted body and grand head points, includ- ing a firm, five-pointed comb. The first, second and third prize cockerels show many signs of Sheppard quality. First was a stylish bird, beautifully mottled with fine tips, with smart colored wings, good length of neck and legs, and he handled himself well, standing or moving. His tail had the correct natural carriage. Second was a beautiful model, reachy and long in body, with bright red eyes, pure white lobes and full sickled tail. His coloring was exquisite. The mottling was distributed over his body like flakes of snow over a glossy greenish-black mantle, and when slightly excited he exhibited a wonderfully racy style. 64 "A LITTLE JOURNEY MISS RUTH She went to New York and won first as pullet. Returned next year and again won first prize as hen AMONG ANCONAS" 65 F. L. Sewell To lead today, a fowl must pay. Mr. H. Cecil Sheppard has proved that the Anconas pay pay handsomely. It has given great satisfaction to his many friends to watch the constant improvement in his brilliant beauties, as each year they have made their decided win at Madison Square Garden, New York, where the world's best compete. This productive Mediterranean, the Ancona, has made marked progress since Mr. Sheppard first realized its earning power. C"^ ^'" ^ c T3 i M u * -o M -5 o o e , e| "5 2 - ~ E , E Q.C ^ ^2 S x 2 3 - K.y e-w 3 S E u c Q. o .-*5 T3 ) 5 " o ^ ** u - M ^ ^ C 5 2- IS c . U >^ S 4-1 ^ W c 2 c rt u 4?" g i: w -O ^ w X rt - i o S E 12 X E- O-jjj n 8.0 ^"S "^is u ^0 . **5** u. TREAT srrect conditioi of black ant daily; flaxseed o. v W -SS^ s - .32 " ""S Sou* 5 S o E 8 o 1 o one if forced fe ticed. 'ithhold fatty None if caused of oviduct. I! 1 . I S 1 u v Pk - = til! o^S BC*- 2 ^S _> W UW2 ||U ' JS G g" f 3 ^ 2 I ? u 06 C/2 * / - SO g, rattling in ion of bronchial e of mucus in nflamed and full dark in color; ver covered with ish spots. c o down. Fat in abdominal f foot, lameness. c N JS 3 C E i A t V "* V u "S U " j v S JS ^ w c JS c u JJ a or green excre- arrhea and thick tion of digestive SYMPT01 POST M -J M :^ . ni^i a.J=S 3 ** ** oody discharg of excrement. M. Intestines i of mucus. 3mb and head diarrhea. M. Enlarged li white or yellow 3 "u bdomen hangs > M. Excessive i cavity. bscess of sole o J u Q. v S j^2 M||j 'N qj u< ^* ^ T . ** M right yellowish ment; severe di mucus. . M. Inflammai organs. 0<5 OJ 5 o- Ou C/3 <- < u c/3 Ou 00 03 OH ... , i 1 U 1 l/l 5 6 a "0 "* '" 4) 11 c c Q. -I o' C 0. G O O * s I 'i & E g -c3 3 V E . 51 a 2 a w E 1 -o " c o 3 ^ ^ 5 u o i j cold or from cold, -".E li elonging t known as E o 1 . at in abd t of oviduc e || 1*2 04 - c { JS Busing com cold or dj sfactorily d itions, impi U 2 11 _Q J3J4 U * c V v g ^1u .2^ t jS O C8 T3 C 3 ^ |l si il MQ. "o S jj x u II ! 111 a!J! M Q JS w V C/3 O w ,, S J j | ! i ; 1 1 | i CO 7 ! g ] 5 i w ! a H ! 1 1 s 1 i d c 1 ; 3 j - Bronch 1 09 Blackht CO I a 1 Bumble Canker 3 u U 1 66 'A LITTLE JOURNEY s O * *0 u o }J c JsS 52 i.s i'ii Jj C C C C X O c tt 'M 2-c '^ w t) 3 o t ^ " 3 3 3 3 15 . .S E "" w ' .5 cJii'M *>'" ^ ^ - 2 "a j= > U ^"o^. a 3 M "c.,5 "3 = * _c II* f.E-c B ^u [, * w M iT * *> w u X 'e v- - e > "2'" ^ (A C J o C **- -j -i 5 f* B & 2 --'S 5= ^ &T * iff S.I .2-d jaj * 3 Jja E K-5 3 >, 3 < sll ^ *~ 5 ^ II u o S " c^ fl 11 I.i". |"'i-s- {H sls-sllf w fi cr5 5 , 2 S3 6 =1 S "O^i'5'w X w ** 5^ u W2 iii C/3 Jlfll Ills U O > > > e iliiiil u . fcc ^2 TJ "5*5 = i = 2 a a "c^ c ii 2 5 3 S ^'2 u ^ 3 a s| tt-V > V M 21 IN Ft and water; ensive. visited frequi essful attempt twisted, rupt rge egg. :ad dressings ea. nlarged and 1 accumulatiol restines. white spots es and face, or like musty ( tl - M X a c _u c e - 4, C C Jill 'S E w o 1 . w *l * til iccrement, sol color and off 4J U Mr l> S'ijS -"S"^' H M ^3 = E S o at g u ^sl Ij . w'a "U e is IS Cb W 05 B- S &.' C/3 J a. ea a: Q 'o ^ V ,; o o Q * a w JC a J2 JJ c "S k. "(5 J! 1 s ?~ "O C c M -o c ri r w V M .2. 3 J.2 ^ jg 5 V **"^ M^S 'C o S " .ti ^ M 1 u M o w X V s U N M w cn Abnormal eg rangement i Overfeeding o unsuited to Fungous disea Lack of meat sites; bad h Exposure to c Gapeworm at windpipe. o _ ll i! I ; j | 1 ; O e | 1 - ! S 8 ' t ja [ M , > rt s i 5S fi i Q SB ! 1 I I 1 S S | ll i U | s I 1 > I i M 5 f AMONG AN CON AS' 67 if!" o c c o *" !g| o C u C ' ,!!. ^ c o V E " M^ ' 11 M CO = s^s ss >, (8 . 125 w u"'' x l " j "o-S 5 O u >>**" <^ 1C Sx 5 w.E a -*Q "S.JS'O ' js*"* rt S" 3 "o ^ U *> "rt ss S-| S -H - * c s4 S 2 ~ 2 ^S | p "x V oil n 2 " 3 c 3-- n a H.9-S& 1 J Q J1:I C/3 c V H c 1 sl *S ^ |i| 2 ^ c ** c'> *> JC 0.^3 ;3l * J* .. w . ^? O ? 3 f "> S c w 5j * 2 * "5 t-f 3 U U ||.l SJ J=vJJ ^gll 8 c '_ II S| _C\3T3"S < o^S 1^3 C V s .* "*" ft'ITi u -"S -- - - a w C ^ B,'^ T3 J< - *" 3 4) ^ *T jl |4 SxX=S < 4> 4( <-C U |^JS 11 11 J= T I.S-* 'C 'C W ** Cfl **- E "^ <~ 2 S u.^' w 3 2 , c c -S? r; C S c c c " ^ e 5 2 .0 2 u 11 " EC* ^ u .S ^ xi2 i: lf| ^S-8 EJs i .. Sg .2 " >"^ - M ^ x S c o w "^ II |g ill > Q. Q. 1) v: "2 2 *'S S Site j> j"- w i jlil i JM or Diphtheria I ^ Q, ^ 8 3 1 2 1 1 68 "A LITTLE JOURNEY Here Are a Dozen Points That Practically Summarize the Desirability of Anconas IT WILL be well to bear in mind as you study these twelve points, that each one of them is a demonstratable fact and not mere theory. Thous- ands breeders all over this smiling land of ours have proven to their ut- most satisfaction, every one of these twelve distinctions. I am happy to set them down in this brief way so that before you end your little journey a- mong Anconas, you may, in these last few moments, form a mental picture of the attractiveness of Anconas from every standpoint. As I stated at the beginning of this trip, I am writing without prejudice but with unbounded enthusiasm you cannot blame me for being enthusiastic when I have secured such results, can you? And keep in mind that my experience includes many other kinds of poultry not just Anconas. I concentrated upon them after considerable expensive and trying experiments with other birds. You very seldom find a person changing from Anconas once they get the right start with these busy queens of our feathered flock. To back up the points I am going to mention with evidence from the field, I am adding to each of them a testimonial or two from satisfied customers. I have hundreds more like the few I am printing. Point 1 Heavy Layers Anconas lay large, white eggs, producing them at the least possible cost per dozen. The cost per dozen will run as low as ten to fifteen cents. There are no better egg producers anywhere. A "Famous" Ancona holds the known egg record for a single bird, in the hands of an amateur, laying 331 eggs during one year this record being produced in a small backyard poultry house, cold and drafty in winter. And my customer assures me that no particular thought was given to the hen she was simply taken care of as though she had been an inexpensive mongrel chicken. "Famous" Anconas also hold the world's record for flock average, this being produced by another amateur, his pullets laying an average of 256 eggs each for entire flock for one year. It seems difficult to associate large white eggs with a bird that is compara- tively so small as the Ancona, but, nevertheless, these eggs are of such a size, color and uniformity, as to command the very best market prices. An Ancona egg weighs about two ounces or slightly less. New York My flock of Sheppard's Anconas proved far ahead of any other chickens I ever owned. One hen laid over 100 eggs consecutively, never missing a day during that time. G.W.D. .WONG .4NCONJ&' 69 Ohio My 25 Sheppard's Anconas gave me more eggs than other farmers who have from 100 to 150 hens. M.T. Point 2 Early Layers Pullets begin laying at an early age. The average seems to be between four and five months. This is one of the factors that helps to make a flock of Anconas unusually profitable and profit is one of the big things in the poultry business. New York Exactly four months from the date of their birth, my Anconas started laying. N.Y. Ohio Pullets began laying when four months and nine days old. They are certainly egg machines. F.A.B. Point 3 Winter Layers Anconas are A-No. 1 winter layers just at the time when eggs are com- manding highest prices. They require no concentrated or expensive foods. Massachusetts The middle of February found my pullets laying 76% and we are having our coldest winter in 33 years. J.W.B. Illinois December 1st I got my first eggs, and the Anconas haven't missed a day since, even last week when it was 10 below zero. Point 4 Small Eaters Anconas eat less than any other bird. This is a big point to consider, especially when all feed must be purchased,"as is the case with the suburbanite, and when prices are high. Wisconsin Are getting splendid results, 40 to 48 eggs a day from 55 hens and on a minimum of feed! G.A.P. Ohio I want to get rid of my other chickens, for they eat about twice as much as my Anconas and lay fewer'eggs. L.M.C. Point 5 Beauty Anconas are beautiful birds. A flock of them lends a sparkle to any land- scape andfcatches the eye of all lovers of feathered beauty. The brilliant red combs stand out beautiful against the black and white background, with its lustrous greenish sheen. Louisiana The two pens of Anconas arrived in good condition. They are beautiful, alert, and happy. D.W.R. Alabama Your Anconas now mine are not only beautiful, but profit- able as well. As I am an artist, it is a great pleasure to have my eye pleased. E.P.B. 70 1 A LITTLE JOURNEY Point 6 Fine, Flavory Table Fowls Ancona meat is of fine grain and excellent flavor. They dress for quality rather than quantity. New York I have been breeding your Anconas for over 12 years, and I never had any kind of hens that I liked better for layers or table use. F.J.C. From American Poultry Advocate The Ancona, like all heavy layers of the Mediterranean class, does not produce a big carcass for roasting purposes, but what meat it does give is juicy and of good flavor. M.K.B. Point 7 Vigorous Baby Chicks Baby chicks are hardy and vigorous. The death rate is low. They are independent little rascals, quick to develop to broiler stage. Fertility of the eggs and strength of the germs insure a good hatch. Colorado Out of 14 eggs I hatched 13 nice healthy chicks, which I must say is very good. H.N.P. Wisconsin 14 baby chicks from the 15 eggs, and they are all healthy look- ing and lively. N.F.H. California Order of eggs received O. K., and I never had a more lively hunch of chicks hatched. W.E. Point 8 One Standard Color Scheme There is but one color the mottled black and white. If a person wants Anconas, he can get down to business with them without discussing such colors as brown, buff, red, white, black, silver, barred, penciled, Columbian, AMONG ANCONAS" 71 partridge, and so on. Naturally, I firmly believe that Anconas can't be improved upon in this respect. Considerable confusion and opportunity for dissatisfaction is avoided. Point 9 Quiet Birds Anconas are not wild as some people suppose. They possess more poise than most Mediterranean birds and yet haven't a lazy bone in their bodies. Pennsylvania Our Anconas are dandies so tame and nice. They eat out of my hand. L.S. British Columbia I have kept my Anconas in a yard with fence only four feet high. They are very tame. P.S. Missouri My Anconas are so tame I can pick them up at any time. B.F. Point 10 Anconas are Non-Setters You seldom hear an Ancona cluck, and a broody hen is a rare. bird. In these days of artificial incubators, this is a valuable attribute, for Anconas refuse to take time out for this old-fashioned practice of "setting". Point 11 Great Demand There is a tremendous and increasing demand for stock and eggs and all worthy Ancona breeders are scarcely able to fill orders. The average profit per hen, whether used as utility stock on a commerical egg farm, or as fancy stock to produce eggs for hatching, will vary from 32.00 to 325.00, depending upon conditions, the fame of the breeder and the economy of care and opera- tion. It is a mighty poor manager who can't make some profit from thorough- bred Anconas. Every year I have to turn down orders. Indiana I sold all the Ancona chicks I could raise right at my door. My neighbors were anxious for them. Mrs. E. Michigan From March 18 to June 10 we sold hatching eggs to the amount of 366.00. July 1 we sold a number of cockerels to market for about 31-00 apiece. S.K. Rhode Island I am the only one in this section who seems to have Anconas, and everyone is interested in them. F.B. California We have about 600 Anconas and are very proud of them. Our neighbors are becoming very much interested in Anconas. L.J.B. 72 "A LITTLE JOURNEY SHEPPflRDS 'm ANCONRS Business is Business There are times when I hate to crate up a snappy pen of Anconas and part with them. But Business is Business! and when my cusomers pay for the best, I give it to them! Point 12 Unusual Prize Opportunities There are two thoroughly organized Ancona clubs to stimulate the ex- hibition interests of Ancona breeders. This gives zest to the game and there are always plenty of opportunities to win ribbons, medals, cash and trophies at county, state and special fairs and exhibits. Sheppard's "Famous" Anconas have the champion show record by win- ning three times as many first prizes as all my competitors together at the world's greatest shows, including London, England, and Madison Square Garden, for the past thirteen years. They have the greatest egg record 256 average for a flock, and world's individual record of 331. Ontario Pullet arrived O. K. and we trimmed the party we were after in fine shape! H.L.S. Illinois Took first, second, and third prizes on hens at our local show. E.A.R. AMONG ANCONAS" 73 The Last Lap AS soon as I conlcuded writing the foregoing chapters, which consti- tutes our little iourney among Anconas, I handed the manuscript to a friend whose advice is pretty good in matters of this kind, and asked him to read it and criticize it. Of course I made a few changes which he suggested, but what he said to me was something like this: "That's a very interesting little journey and you have done quite well at telling the entire Ancona story without being scientific about it. It seems to me as though this is going to comprise the world's leading text book on Anconas for some years to come but this book doesn't seem quite complete to me. You have painted very nicely the charm and beauty of Anconas. You have emphasized conservatively but enthusiastically the absolute position of leadership these birds occupy when it comes to egg yield. You have pointed out one advantage after another and explained these merits so that almost anyone could understand and appreciate them. "But it doesn't seem to me as though you have sufficiently emphasized the general position of leadership Anconas are coming to occupy in the entire poultry kingdom, nor have you stressed sufficiently how important it is that thousands of poultry breeders throughout the country should recognize that they are losing money, losing time and losing their patience and becom- ing discouraged with chickens because of making the wrong start with the wron^ kind of birds. "It almost seems to me as though it is intensely the common sense thing to any man who owns poultry of any kind today, to sit down and write to all of the leading breeders of Anconas and study into the merit of each respec- tive strain and then, if he is thoroughly satisfied in his own mind that the facts and reasons you have put down in this book, Mr. Sheppard, are correct, let him stop losing money with poultry, let him stop losing valuable time, let him stop losing his patience and courage, and start raising Anconas. "This will mean a decided economic gain in the country. It would en- courage more suburbanites to raise chickens. Then, Mr. Sheppard, if you could make the readers of this book realize the thrill of satisfaction and pleasure it gives to receive a box from the express company marked 'Baby Chicks' in great big type, eagerly take this package, cut the twine, raise the lid and for the first time get a glimpse at beautiful, fluffy little baby Ancona chicks lively as crickets, as soft and tiny and sweet as a bed of pansies and if you could make them realize how simple it is with a little horse sense, to take these baby chicks and successfully rear them and then carry the mental picture a little bit further and make them see the low cost of breeding Anconas, 74 "A LITTLE JOURNEY and then, can't you in some way, put these students of the Ancona book into the atmosphere so that they will picture the all important 'Little Journey' the journey from home to poultry house the journey which terminates in finding of large, white eggs or in the failure to find them. "If you could make these students realize that the little journey to the Ancona poultry house is always successful even if made in the dead of bitter cold winter in the blustery New England winters of Maine or Canada and if you could carry the students of this book from one Show to another, sweeping before them glances and comments of admiration, capturing worth- while prizes if you could paint a composite picture of the superior results secured from raising Anconas, then I should call this manuscript complete!" I have set this down just about as my friend gave it to me, because it seems as though he had the true Ancona breeders' enthusiastic view-point. Accept every word of his discussion as gospel truth which it is. Ancona breeders are invited to join the International Ancona Club. Membership and annual dues 31.00 per year. H. CECIL SHEPPARD, President, Berea, Ohio. AMONG ANCONAS" 75 Here too, our "Little Journey" ends under the Giant Oak Having accompanied me on this trip, I believe you will understand why my Poultry Plant is known from coast to coast as "Ancona Headquarters" . In my Office, just a few rods from the Oak, is a big stack of "Famous" Catalogs. I'll be mighty glad to send you a copy with my compliments if you write me at Box 25, Berea, Ohio. H.C.S. VB 1 6326 4069JKS UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY