3-3-1978

Dear Bill,

Thank you for your letter received some time ago and for the Pekin Club Newsletter also.

I suppose Bush Fires and 100°F heat must be very serious but it is tempting to risk when you have to than the water pots every morning. If you do come to England would be most welcome to come here to visit us.

It seems funny you talking about restoring your heritage in a house built in 1838. Our house here was an old farm house we converted into modern style since we moved in 8 years ago, and it originally dates back to about 1700 but I am not sure when. Of course near here we have a Roman Fort a Museum, an 11th century church so 1700 is modern relatively.

I have enclosed two pictures of Pekins which won recently. Of course they are not perfectly posed but they may interest you. Breeding is in full swing and I have hatched over 300 chickens so am hoping for a reasonable selection later on. I am hoping this year is one of consolidation as I have put new blood in some of my breeds during the last few years. However time will tell.

There is a point of caution in your risk to breed as many generations as possible in a short spare of time. You may be breeding in undesirable factors for short life, bad eyes (the green often appears hallways through the pullet or cockerel year) and any other fault not apparent at point of lay.

I feel you do not want to go back to the Pekin until you have got the colour spot on in your crossbreeds. Otherwise you may lose something in your new F2 generation. I say new because I mean the F2 of the back x to the Pekin.

I have had some bad luck in my search for chickens from my hen feathered male in my F2 of Gold Pencilled Hamburg and Partridge Wyandotte. If you remember the object of the exercise was to get a Partridge Wyandotte Pullet bred male which was hen feathered so that we could see his pencilling. Well the 50 & 50 appears to be sterile as fifty + eggs have all been clear. So it back two years and start again if I don’t get something this year. I hope you are regoing well.

Yours,