Although there is no certainty that this is the oldest variety of fowls,
still, as it has a pedigree of nearly 200 years, it is presumable that
it was the oldest variety of the Hamburg family. Mr. Beldon considers
the claims of the Spangles and Blacks to be about equal as regards age,
and rather favors the former. However, a passage in an old book
published in London in 1702 by Thomas Sutlief, entitled “A trip to the
North of England,” has induced us to believe that the Blacks were the
oldest breed. It says: “One of my pleasant reminiscences of this county
(Lancaster) is the pleasure with which I regarded their pretty fowl, the
Black Pheasants, as they call them, and which furnished me many a
delicious fresh egg for my breakfast.... The stout peasants regard them
with much favor, and point with pride to their white ears and flat
combs.”
It would seem from this that not only were they the favorite fowls, but
that they then possessed in a great measure their present
characteristics. If the spangled birds were then known they surely could
not have fallen under the observation of this writer, who would have
been sure to have noted them from their striking appearance.
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[Illustration: BLACK HAMBURGS.]
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Be that as it may, Black Hamburgs are known to have been bred in
Lancashire long before the poultry-showing era, and were called by the
peasants Black Pheasants. They had the rose comb, but it was much larger
than in our present birds, and not nearly so well formed. They also had
the white ear-lobe, despite the claims of many breeders that this
desirable point came from a cross with the Spanish. There is no doubt
that many Blacks have Spanish blood in them, and some prominent English
breeders openly acknowledge its existence in their strains. But we have
birds to-day that have never known a particle of Spanish blood in their
composition, which possess superior qualities over those with the
Spanish cross, and which have the white ear-lobe in all its beauty and
perfection.
In a recent letter Mr. Beldon says: “The Black Hamburgs I remember
perfectly well when I first began the poultry fancy some twenty-seven
years ago, but they were not commonly bred at that time. They were a
large bird, with rather coarse combs. Since then the Spanish cross has
been used to produce them; in fact, I have known them to be bred from a
Black Spanish and Spangled Hamburg, and by careful selection brought to
much perfection, with better black plumage, bright red faces and pure
white ear-lobes.”
Black Pheasants did not formerly possess the exquisite symmetry which is
so marked in our present birds, being coarse and short-legged, while the
most attention was paid to that resplendent greenish sheen which forms
their chief attraction and renders them to-day the most beautiful of
black fowls.
There have been many and clever expedients devised to show that the
Black Hamburgs came from crossing. Mr. Seebay says: “I have been told by
reliable persons that Black Pheasants have been shown for prizes, such
as copper kettles, etc., more than a hundred years before my time. The
true Silver-Spangled is almost black in one stage of its chicken
plumage, and as I have known them produce chickens almost black, and as
the shape of the Spangles and Blacks is exactly the same, I had always
thought one sprung from the other.” This theory is the most plausible
one we know of, and is also endorsed by Mr. Sergeantson. The most absurd
assertion is that they are the result of a cross between the
Golden-Spangled Hamburgs and the Spanish, which is easily refuted by our
positive knowledge of their great age. There is no doubt but that some
Black Hamburgs (so-called) have been made from this cross, as Mr. Beldon
says; but the unfortunate breeder who gets any of these fowls into his
yards, will soon discover from a plentiful sprinkling of single combs in
his chicks and a general want of fixed characteristics, that he has been
imposed upon. It is not of great importance to know exactly how they did
originate, as from a practical point of view it is enough to know that
they are now a firmly established breed of great beauty and undoubted
excellence.
The Black Hamburgs lay the largest eggs of any variety of this breed,
while in numbers they fully equal the Spangled and Penciled. They are
therefore much sought after by those who wish to obtain eggs for the
market as well as for the table, and are perhaps the most popular
variety of Hamburgs.
_Plumage._—This is the most important point in the Black Hamburg, though
it has been much neglected by American breeders. It should be
exceedingly soft, the feathers having a feeling as of satin to the hand,
and a deep but distinct and beautiful gloss or tinge. Much weight should
be given to this in both sexes, although it can be cultivated to a
greater extent in the female than in the male. This green gloss should
not appear on the end of the feathers only, but throughout the entire
plumage—_the greener and richer the color the better_. To be seen to
advantage this beautiful gloss should be viewed in a strong light or
when the sun is upon the bird. You then see that sheen in which they
surpass all other black fowls. The color required is the green black;
the purple, bluish or raven black so often seen is very undesirable, and
should be avoided. These colors are so distinct that there is no
liability to mistake the true shade. Some strains are of a deep blue
green, almost a steel blue; these have green tails. Other strains are of
a lighter green; these have bronze green tails. The purer the green and
the less admixture of any other tinge the better. Never breed from birds
which seem to be penciled with bluish purple. It is often caused by a
late and protracted moult, and may appear in birds which as chicks had
the green tinge in all its perfection; but more often it is hereditary.
Lancashire fanciers called this mazarine, and it appeared principally on
backs of hens or flights of cocks. As we have mentioned, this glossy
tinge is not so uniform on the male as the female birds, and this is
seemingly in direct opposition to the usual decrees of Nature, which
seems to have ordained that the male part of creation be more brilliant
than the opposite gender. We are pleased to observe, however, a marked
improvement in the plumage of cocks of late years, and hope to see the
time when the male bird will show this characteristic as fully as the
female.
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[Illustration: BLACK HAMBURGS.]
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In Black Hamburg cocks the breast, back, shoulders and tail should be a
rich green, the wing-coverts exceedingly brilliant and the outer web of
the secondaries (_i. e._, the whole of the lower part of the closed
wing) almost as bright; the lesser tail-coverts are also very rich in
color.
Tegetmeier speaks of _spangling_ being visible in Black Hamburgs when
seen in the sunlight. The birds he examined must have been decidedly
poor ones, or perhaps it was his misfortune to see those birds
_compounded_ of Golden-Spangled Hamburgs and Spanish which we have
spoken of. Such cross-bred birds will show the iridescent green spangle
Mr. Tegetmeier has spoken of, but which we have never been able to
discern on good birds of a pure strain.
Occasionally rich red or orange colored feathers will crop out in Black
Hamburg cockerels—very seldom in pullets. These red feathers come from
what we suppose was pheasant blood at some remote period introduced into
these birds, or perhaps a part of their original make-up, and do not by
any means prove the existence of impure blood. It is the result of our
strenuous efforts to keep up and improve the greenish luster, and
invariably comes from highly colored birds. These birds are sometimes of
great use to breeders, and enable us to obtain finely colored birds by
mating them with dead-black pullets.
But while we may tolerate an occasional showing of red feathers (which
only appear in the hackle, as in the Golden Pheasant), we must be very
severe on birds showing those of another color—namely, _white_ feathers.
There seems to be a natural tendency to show the white feathers in all
black fowls, and this evil has been so stubborn to eradicate that Mr.
Felch, at a meeting of the American Poultry Association, offered a
resolution to allow white tips to appear in exhibition birds. The many
evils which would thus arise from lowering our ideal _Standard_ for this
magnificent variety were so obvious that the members of that Association
promptly rejected the resolution at a later meeting in Cleveland, Ohio.
We know not whether most to blame the futile efforts of Mr. Felch to
accommodate the variety to the wants of a few incompetent breeders, or
to applaud the wisdom of our brethren of the A. P. A. in “squelching”
such innovations. They surely have the thanks of all honest breeders of
Black Hamburgs, which can be bred _black_ as well as any other variety
of black fowls, if we only have patience and honestly strive to
eradicate this serious fault, which, if allowed, would work to the
disadvantage of all.
_Comb._—There is no style of comb so difficult to breed to perfection as
the rose comb, and the excellent combs shown on Black and Spangled
Hamburgs at our recent shows prove how much can be accomplished by
judicious breeding. To our eye it is beautiful and elegant, and forms
one of the chief attractions of the Hamburg. It should be a deep, rich
red; not so large as to overhang the eyes or beak; square in front;
fitting close and straight on the head; not inclining to one side; not
hollow in the center—on the contrary, we prefer a slight rise in the
center, although an even comb throughout is better. It should be uniform
on each side; the top covered with small points, and terminating in a
spike behind, which inclines upward very slightly. The absence of this
spike is a grave defect, which if a natural blemish disqualifies a bird
by the _American Standard of Excellence_, as does likewise a comb so
large as to obstruct the sight.
_Ear-Lobes._—The ear-lobe is one of the most striking features of the
Black Hamburg, and in connection with the bright red comb and greenish
plumage, form a _tout ensemble_ such as no one can see without admiring.
The ear-lobe on the old Black Hamburgs was smaller than it is nowadays,
although it is noticeable that those birds which have been kept pure
have a smaller and finer ear-lobe than those which were crossed with the
Spanish. As we have before observed, Mr. Beldon (in common with some
other breeders, who all ought to know better) has thought that the white
ear-lobe was only introduced by the Spanish cross, an error which we
have furnished abundant evidence to refute; so that really all that was
gained by this unnecessary cross was a large, pendent ear-lobe, which is
totally at variance with our accepted ideas as to what a Hamburg
ear-lobe should be. It has been allowed by most judges, until quite
recently, to be a little larger in the Blacks than in any other variety
of Hamburgs, but it must be pure white, well rounded, lying smoothly and
close to the face, like a piece of white kid glove, and _the smaller the
better_. A large, pendent ear-lobe, like that of the Spanish and
Leghorns, is certainly a grave blemish; nor should it be wrinkled or
puffy, or at all tinged with red about the edges.
_The Face._—One of our chief difficulties in breeding Hamburgs is the
tendency to white in the face, which should be a deep, rich crimson,
almost scarlet. A white face is a positive disqualification, and a dark
gypsy face much to be avoided. Both these latter defects owe their
origin to the Spanish cross, although white specks in the face will
often appear in pure-bred birds as they advance in age. By careful
breeding, and judiciously selecting those cocks which retain a pure red
face, this may be entirely bred out, while breeding from birds showing
the white face fixes the defect in the progeny, and causes much trouble
to the breeder before it can be eradicated. It is rare to find a two or
three-year-old cock which does not show a patch of white under the eye
or near the ear-lobe; but the graver and more common the fault, the more
pains should be taken to breed it out, and we have no doubt but the time
will soon come when such a thing as a white-specked face in the show
room will be unknown. We trust efforts will be made in this direction.
_Legs and Tail._—The legs should be a _dark_, leaden blue, approaching
black, in young birds, as the tendency is to grow light with age. Light
blue legs in a cockerel or pullet are very objectionable.
The tail in male birds should be long, well curved, and graceful,
flowing rather backward from the rump. A squirrel tail is a grave
fault—a disqualification, in fact—as is also a wry tail or one carried
constantly to one side. Wry tails have various causes, originating
sometimes from accident, but they are often hereditary, and wry-tailed
birds should never be used for breeding. Often the cramped quarters of
an exhibition coop will render a bird temporarily wry-tailed, or rather
induce it for a time to carry it to one side. This will usually
disappear when the bird is given full range, but is quite an unfortunate
circumstance, as a prize bird is often thrown out on this account.
_Symmetry._—This means a great deal in Hamburgs; and as no breed is more
symmetrical or graceful in form, particular pains should be taken to
prevent them from running into a Game or Dorking shape. We have often
seen breeders send birds to the show room which were good in all other
points, but most degenerate in symmetry. We heard a prominent judge say
lately that “symmetry could not be expressed; it was something about
which every man had his own ideas, and applied to birds according to his
judgment.” Each breed has its distinct symmetry of proportions, and it
would be no more absurd to expect a Cochin shape on a Hamburg than it is
to admit a Hamburg to be well proportioned with the slender neck, long
legs, and high station of a Game, or the heavy, square and dumpy
appearance of the Dorking. In fact they must be _real Hamburgs_ in
shape; neck medium length, and carried well over the back; back not very
long or very short; breast full, prominent and wide; wings good size,
the points carried comparatively low; tail ample and well spread out,
and carried rather erect; thighs well rounded and of medium length;
shanks slender, smooth and neat; carriage showing gracefulness and
activity. By no means must they carry the idea of being Black Dorkings,
or Rose-combed Spanish, or worse yet, untrimmed Games. Avoid also narrow
bodies and whip tails.
_Points in Breeding Black Hamburgs._—In mating any variety for breeding,
the faults to which they are most liable should be borne in mind, and
the breeder’s one idea be to breed them out, and so perfect the birds as
much as possible. This in some instances may take years of careful and
painstaking matings; years of disappointment and chagrin may follow, as
we see the defects still cropping out, and realize the failure of all
our carefully-laid plans. But how glorious is the feeling enjoyed by the
fancier when at last skill triumphs, and he beholds in a numerous and
nearly perfected progeny the result of years of toil and study. Then it
is that he hies him joyfully to the show room; then it is that he
triumphs over the breeder who has so long plucked the premiums from
under his nose; and as he returns home, after enjoying his first genuine
success, his thoughts are employed as to the best means of further
improving his birds; and to such men—studious, painstaking and
persevering—we owe that perfection in our domestic fowls which is so
astonishing, considering the short time that has been devoted to their
improvement, and which ought to convince us how pliable and plastic
fancy poultry is in the hands of an intelligent breeder. Do not be
discouraged by failure at first—_keep trying_, and the time must and
will come when your efforts shall be crowned with success.
Black Hamburgs are not a very difficult fowl to breed, when you go about
it understandingly. In selecting breeding stock, we again say, bear in
mind the defects to which they are heir—namely, badly-shaped combs,
white faces, pendent and over-sized ear-lobes, legginess, and white or
red feathers.
At shows color in cocks is not regarded so much as it is in pullets—not
nearly so much as it ought to be. “Although,” says Mr. Sergeantson,
“other things being equal, color will carry the day.” Therefore for
breeding cockerels, choose the best combed birds; good, red faces, free
from white; round, small ear-lobes; free from red or colored feathers in
any part of the plumage, and short legs, broad breast and back. Squirrel
tails result quite often from narrow-bodied birds, and this, besides
being very objectionable, is hereditary, so bear this last requisite
well in mind. We have said nothing about color in this mating, for the
reason that it is not considered of so much consequence in cockerels as
in pullets; but if, with the above requisites, you can find a _male_
bird with good color, you may breed in the progeny this very desirable
quality.
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[Illustration: SILVER-SPANGLED HAMBURGS.]
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Now for pullet breeding (if you are able to have two pens; if not,
choose the above mating), it is absolutely requisite that in addition to
the above qualifications, or as many of them as can be obtained, a
_cock_ be found which has a brilliant luster to his plumage. As we have
intimated, it is very difficult to find a cock with this brilliant
plumage without a touch of red in hackle. If you _can_ obtain him, well
and good; if not, bear in mind the red feathers, but use him, for color
in cock you _must_ have above any other consideration for breeding
pullets. The Rev. Mr. Sergeantson, whom we have before quoted, and who
had greater success than any other English breeder with this variety,
entirely agrees with us in this. He says: “I would much rather choose
for the purpose a red-hackled cock, if good in other respects, than a
dull-colored one. I have often bred beautiful, lustrous pullets from
hens with very little color, when mated with a bright cock; but never
from a dull-colored cock, however lustrous the hens with him might be.”
Moreover, in this pen, choose birds with small or moderately sized
combs, as there is a general tendency in combs of pullets to lop over,
if bred too large.
Do not be discouraged, if you cannot obtain all these points at once;
get as near to it as possible; and every succeeding year will find you
drawing nearer and nearer to that desired goal—_perfection_.