BUFF COLORATION IN POULTRY 2007 BY D.J.HONOUR BY DANNE HONOUR PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 1 BUFF COLORATION IN POULTRY 2007 BY D.J.HONOUR BUFF COLORATION IN POULTRY 2008 NOTE (Original done in four parts, part 1 1983, part 2 1984, part 3 1986, and part 4 1990) (Poultry covered here includes chickens and excludes other types of poultry) The purpose of this printing, is to furnish breeding information and direction in breeding “Buff’ colored varieties in our breeds of poultry. All four parts were combined for the first time in 2001 and this revised edition contains many more additional articles for 2008. No other booklet contains more articles on buff color breeding and history. A buff of buff. A connoisseur of beige. An admirer of manila. An enthusiast of camel. Edited and Published by Danne J. Honour Dedication; This book is dedicated to the breeders of Buff colored poultry both past and present; who fell in love with the buff color and it’s most fascinating beauty and unique breeding Danne J. Honour 1983 (TABLE OF CONTENTS INCLUDED IN THE BACK OF THE BOOK) PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 2 BUFF COLORATION IN POULTRY 2007 BY D.J.HONOUR HOW TO BREED BUFF IN COCHINS BY H.N.HANCHETT Nov.1904 R.P.J. For the color of males, I favor a medium shade, perhaps a trifle darker than the color of a new gold coin; he should be even in color and with rich buff under color. Wings and tail should be as near solid buff as possible. The females; a shade lighter color than the male and buff to the skin. A pullet with white under color in neck is almost, sure to be worthless as a breeder. The extremely light color bred so commonly a few years ago in order to get clear wings and tails, is giving way to a darker, more sensible sound, and to my mind, more beautiful shade of buff. These very light, lemon-colored birds usually “go all to pieces” in color as cocks and hens, and seldom prove satisfactory breeders. We have never favored the lemon buff yet have no difficulty in producing plenty of solid buff birds that have sufficient strength of color to make them strong breeders as well as fine exhibition birds. Black and white in the plumage are defects, which all breeders of buff fowls are seeking to eradicate. We consider white the most serious and would rather breed from a bird showing some dark in wings and tail, than from one showing white. Never breed from a bird showing white which had a sire or dam with the same defect. BUFF ORPINGTON COLOR OBSERVATIONS (From the A.P.J. yearbook 1913) In Buff varieties the term “tri-colored” applied to cockerels in which should be of one uniform shade, but the hackles and saddles and tails are much darker, and the wingbow is darker still. In Buff Orpingtons it is impossible to breed 100% cockerels sound in flight, with corresponding perfection in the pullet’s tails. How those points run together and what connecting link? Generally the yards that breed the soundest tailed pullets often throw the most cockerels faulty in flights and yards where the pullets show a tendency to darker buff in tail, will breed cockerels sound in flights. Some breeders say to mate sound tailed pullets and cockerels; this is a mistake as there must be a blending of dark and light somewhere. BUFF COLOR FEEDING (From the A.P.J. yearbook 1913) PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 3 BUFF COLORATION IN POULTRY 2007 BY D.J.HONOUR Yellow or red maize will make most white fowls more yellow than white maize. Hempseed will darken the ground color of a moulting Brahma hen. The constant use of iron, whether natural chalybeate streams or given artificially, tends to intensify color of legs and plumage. Cayenne, constantly administrated throughout the whole period the feather is growing, converts yellow into deep orange. Sunflowers (seeds) help put a gloss on the plumage. HOW A FANCIER PRODUCES BUFF COLOR BY GEORGE J. GABLE LEGHORN WORLD March 1919 The production of good Buff Leghorn color is a most fascinating problem. I have experimented with most every kind of a mating from the, old orange color which is a thing of the past; to lemon-buff, and found the latter will, when mated properly, produce a good percentage of very good colored birds. These lemon-buffs of course must be sound, free from white. A little black ticking in the tail will not hurt, but the mate must be clear and the following year another clear colored mate used on the offspring. Two birds mated together with black ticking in the tail will produce offspring almost black in tails. If your birds are strong in wing and tails, mate clear colored birds together. When using a lemon-colored male with rich under color, see he has a good strong breast and very clear ground color. If you use a dark male, use females just a little lighter. This mating will produce some good colored cockerels, and also some very mealy pullets worthless as breeders. A very small percentage of pullets will be of good color from this mating. A good mating is of a high colored male; one of good soft medium shade from head to tail, with rich under color, good breast, wings, coverts, and tail; sound color same shade as breast. Mate a female clear and sound, free from mealy or shafty feathers, with exactly the same shade as the male’s breast. If I had only one such female, make a pair mating. I have for several years made pair matings with very good results. With pair mating you will know just how your birds are bred, and it is a good way to 1earn how to mate up buff birds. THE COLOR OF BUFF COCHINS BY DR. J.J. HARE (R.P.J. 1908) Buff color is made up principally of yellow enriched and darkened by brown. The constituents of brown are yellow, red, and black. Buff color being a PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 4 BUFF COLORATION IN POULTRY 2007 BY D.J.HONOUR brownish yellow, it is composed of a large percentage of yellow, together with small and varying proportions of brown, or red and black; according to shade. Orange is not brownish yellow, but reddish yellow. The additional word ocherous to orange conveys the idea that the red of the orange should be toned down by a little ocherous or brownish yellow. Rich, clear, orange ocherous color; corresponds closely to the Standard rich golden buff color. Lemon buff is a beautiful light yellow, but to be beautiful it has to be seen under the most favorable conditions of shade or reflected light. Direct strong sunlight, however makes Lemon buff look weak and washy. This color readily fades. Rich golden buff or yellow tinged with brown is much stronger and more durable a color as seen under all conditions of light and weather. The dark buff favored in England is because it does not show weakness of color under their brightly lit show halls. The dark buff shown in the brilliantly lit up shows with glass on all sides and roof; brings out the beauty and depth of the dark rich buff. The shade of buff is affected not only by the amount of light in the exhibition building and whether the light is direct or indirect; but also by the very material used to bed the fowls. By chance I bedded some buff fowls with coarse clover hay instead of the usual white straw, and the buff color was much improved and enriched. MATING BUFF ROCKS BY C.L. PENSYL (R.P.J. 1908) My best success in Buff Rocks has come from double mating. For cockerels I use a male of a dark even shade, a shade darker than golden buff. I don’t use males with any white or gray in wings. Females with an even shade of buff as near the color of the male’s breast color as possible. A little pepper in the female’s tail will not hurt, but you can’t get them too clear or free from dark. For pullet breeding I use a light colored male with smooth surface color, good under color, and clear tail and wing color. (A little white or gray in the males’ wing flights will not hurt in pullet breeding.). The females for pullet breeding should be as near the male’s shade in buff as possible. If we were to use hens that molt their new feathers the same as when pullets, we would not have so many faded out hens. For single mating of buff color I use a good golden colored male with good under color and clean tail and wings. Females with good rich golden color and plenty of sound under color. This mating will breed a large percentage of good colored cockerels and pullets. PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 5 BUFF COLORATION IN POULTRY 2007 BY D.J.HONOUR BUFF LEGHORNS BY HERBERT H.KNAPP R.P.J. 1927) In 1910 I started with Buff Leghorns. This strain, which was developed in Denmark for production, was large, hardy and disease resistant. They had no other Standard qualities. I spent years eliminating poor type, short backs, and high tails. The color was bad; brown in the tails of both the males and females predominated. The majority of the males had very dark wingbows. Legs were short but they were deep bodied and excellent layers. I did not want to cross my line with others to improve color, as I thought it might ruin the grand egg production I had.