The weight of the Malay in general, exceeds that of the
Cochin-China; the male weighing, when full-grown, from eleven
to twelve, and even thirteen pounds, and the female from eight
to ten pounds; height, from twenty-six to twenty-eight inches.
They precent no striking uniformity of plumage, being of all
shades, from black to white; the more common color of the
female is a light reddish-yellow, with sometimes a faint tinge of
dunnish-blue, especially in the tail.
The cock is frequently of a yellowish -red color, with black
intermingled in the breast, thighs and tail. H , has a small,
but thick comb, generally inclined to one . *de i :sho;.'ibe
snake-headed, and free from the sligh'; jst tr. . - f top-kn< ; the
wattles should be extremely small, even in . ^ bird; •;helegs
are not feathered, as in the case of the .'.hanghaes, but, like
them and the Cochin-Chinas, his tail is small compared with
his size. In the female there is scarcely any show of comb
or wattles. Their legs are long and stout; their flesh is very
well flavored, when they have been properly fattened; and
their eggs are so large and rich that twQ pf th?!P, AT^ ^cjual tQ
three of ilxom of our ordinary fowls.
POULTRY 259
The Malay cock, in his perfection, is a remarkable courage-
ous and strong bird. His beak is very thick, and he is a for-
midable antagonist when offended. His crow is loud, harsh
and prolonged, as in the case of the Cochin-China, but broken
off abruptly at the termination; this is quite characteristic of
the bird.
The chickens are at first very strong, with yellow legs, and
are thickly covered with light brown down; but, by the time
they are one-third grown, the increase of their bodies has so far
outstripped that of their feathers, that they are half naked about
their back and shoulders, and extremely susceptible of cold and
wet. The great secret of rearing them is to have them hatched
very early indeed, so that they may have safely passed through
this period of unclothed adolescence during the dry and sunny
part of May and June, and reached nearly their full stature
before the midsummer rains descend.
The Plymouth Rock. — This name has been given to a very
good breed of fowls, produced by crossing a China cock with a
hen, a cross between the fawn-colored Dorking, the Great
Malay, and the Wild Indian.
At a little over a year old, the cocks stand from thirty-two
to thirty-five inches high, and weigh about ten pounds; and the
pullets from six and a half to seven pounds each. The latter
commence laying when five months old, and prove themselves
very superior layers. Their eggs are of a medium size, rich,
and reddish-yellow in color. Their plumage is rich and varie-
gated; the cocks usually red and speckled, and the pullets dark-
ish brown. The have very fine flesh, and are fit for the table
at an early age. The legs are very large, and usually blue or
green, but occasionally yellow or white, generally having five
toes upon each foot. Some have their legs feathered, but this
is not usual. They have large and single combs and wattles,
large cheeks, rather short tails, and small wings in proportion
to their bodies.
They are domestic and not so destructive to gardens as
smaller fowls. There is the same uniformity in size and gene-
ral appearance, at the same age of the chickens, as in those of
the pure bloods of primary races.
Page 180
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The weight of the Malay in general, exceeds that of the Cochin-China; the male weighing, when full-grown, from eleven to twelve, and even thirteen pounds, and the female from eight to ten pounds; height, from twenty-six to twenty-eight inches. They precent no striking uniformity of plumage, being of all shades, from black to white; the more common color of the female is a light reddish-yellow, with sometimes a faint tinge of dunnish-blue, especially in the tail.
The cock is frequently of a yellowish -red color, with black intermingled in the breast, thighs and tail. He has a small, but thick comb, generally inclined to one side, should be snake-headed, and free from the slightest trace of top-knot; the wattles should be extremely small, even in the bird; the legs are not feathered, as in the case of the .'.hanghaes, but, like them and the Cochin-Chinas, his tail is small compared with his size. In the female there is scarcely any show of comb or wattles. Their legs are long and stout; their flesh is very well flavored, when they have been properly fattened; and their eggs are so large and rich that two of these are equal to three of the eggs of our ordinary fowls.
The Malay cock, in his perfection, is a remarkable courageous and strong bird. His beak is very thick, and he is a formidable antagonist when offended. His crow is loud, harsh and prolonged, as in the case of the Cochin-China, but broken off abruptly at the termination; this is quite characteristic of the bird.
The chickens are at first very strong, with yellow legs, and are thickly covered with light brown down; but, by the time they are one-third grown, the increase of their bodies has so far outstripped that of their feathers, that they are half naked about their back and shoulders, and extremely susceptible of cold and wet. The great secret of rearing them is to have them hatched very early indeed, so that they may have safely passed through this period of unclothed adolescence during the dry and sunny part of May and June, and reached nearly their full stature before the midsummer rains descend.
The Plymouth Rock. — This name has been given to a very good breed of fowls, produced by crossing a China cock with a hen, a cross between the fawn-colored Dorking, the Great Malay, and the Wild Indian.
At a little over a year old, the cocks stand from thirty-two to thirty-five inches high, and weigh about ten pounds; and the pullets from six and a half to seven pounds each. The latter commence laying when five months old, and prove themselves very superior layers. Their eggs are of a medium size, rich, and reddish-yellow in color. Their plumage is rich and variegated; the cocks usually red and speckled, and the pullets darkish brown. The have very fine flesh, and are fit for the table at an early age. The legs are very large, and usually blue or green, but occasionally yellow or white, generally having five toes upon each foot. Some have their legs feathered, but this is not usual. They have large and single combs and wattles, large cheeks, rather short tails, and small wings in proportion to their bodies.
They are domestic and not so destructive to gardens as smaller fowls. There is the same uniformity in size and general appearance, at the same age of the chickens, as in those of the pure bloods of primary races.