For all the purposes of a really good fowl--for beauty of model, good
size, and laying qualities--the thorough-bred Shanghae is among the
best, and generally the most profitable of domestic birds. The cock,
when full-grown, stands about twenty-eight inches high, if he is a good
specimen; the female, about twenty-two or twenty-three inches. A large
comb or heavy wattles are rarely seen on the hen at any age; but the
comb of the male is high, deeply indented, and his wattles double and
large. The comb and wattles are not, however, to be regarded as the
chief characteristics of this variety, nor even its reddish-yellow
feathered leg; but the abundant, soft, and downy covering of the thighs,
hips, and region of the vent, together with the remarkably short tail,
and large mound of feathers piled over the upper part of its root,
giving rise to a considerable elevation on that part of the rump. It
should be remarked, also, that the wings are quite short and small in
proportion to the size of the fowl, and carried very high up the body,
thus exposing the whole of the thighs, and a considerable portion of the
side.
[Illustration: SHANGHAES.]
These characteristics are not found, in the same degree, in any other
fowl. The peculiar arrangement of feathers gives the Shanghae in
appearance, what it has in reality--a greater depth of quarter, in
proportion to the brisket, than any other fowl.
As to the legs, they are not very peculiar. The color is usually
reddish-white, or flesh-color, or reddish-yellow, mostly covered down
the outside, even to the end of the toes, with feathers. This last,
however, is not always the case. The plumage of the thorough-bred is
remarkably soft and silky, or rather downy; and is, in the opinion of
many, equally as good for domestic purposes as that of the goose. The
feathers are certainly quite as fine and soft, if not as abundant.
In laying qualities, the pure Shanghae equals, if it does not excel, any
other fowl. The Black Poland, or the Bolton Gray, may, perhaps, lay a
few more eggs in the course of a year, in consequence of not so
frequently inclining to sit; but their eggs are not so rich and
nutritious. A pullet of this breed laid one hundred and twenty eggs in
one hundred and twenty-five days, then stopped six days, then laid
sixteen eggs more, stopped four days, and again continued her laying.
The eggs are generally of a pale yellow, or nankeen color, not
remarkably large, compared with the size of the fowl, and generally
blunt at the ends. The comb is commonly single, though, in some
specimens, there is a slight tendency to rose.
The flesh of this fowl is tender, juicy, and unexceptionable in
every respect. Taking into consideration the goodly size of the
Shanghae--weighing, as the males do, at maturity, from ten to twelve
pounds, and the females from seven and a half to eight and a half,
and the males and females of six months, eight and six pounds
respectively--the economical uses to which its soft, downy feathers may
be applied, its productiveness, hardiness, and its quiet and docile
temper, this variety must occupy, and deservedly so, a high rank among
our domestic fowls; and the more it is known, the better will it be
appreciated.
THE WHITE SHANGHAE. This variety is entirely white, with the legs
usually feathered, and differ in no material respect from the red,
yellow, and Dominique, except in color. The legs are yellowish, or
reddish-yellow, and sometimes of flesh-color. Many prefer them to all
others. The eggs are of a nankeen, or dull yellow color, and blunt at
both ends.
[Illustration: WHITE SHANGHAES.]
It is claimed by the friends of this variety that they are larger and
more quiet than other varieties, that their flesh is much superior,
their eggs larger, and the hens more profitable. Being more quiet in
their habits, and less inclined to ramble, the hens are invaluable as
incubators and nurses; and the mildness of their disposition makes them
excellent foster-mothers, as they never injure the chickens belonging to
other hens.
These fowls will rank among the largest coming from China, and are very
thrifty in our climate. A cock of this variety attained a weight of
eight pounds, at about the age of eight months, and the pullets of the
same brood were proportionably large. They are broad on the back and
breast, with a body well rounded up; the plumage white, with a downy
softness--in the latter respect much like the feathering of the Bremen
goose; the tail-feathers short and full; the head small, surmounted by a
small, single, serrated comb; wattles long and wide, overlaying the
cheek-piece, which is also large, and extends back on the neck; and the
legs of a yellow hue, approaching a flesh-color, and feathered to the
ends of the toes.