General Characteristics
(including 2017 amendments)
Photo courtesy of Ian Wileman
Egg colour: White or Cream
Male
Carriage : Cobby but not dumpy. The back should show one sweeping curve from neck to sickles
Type: Body short & broad. back short, shoulders broad and flat. Breast carried well up and forward, with a bold curve from wing bow to wing bow. Wings carried rather low, slowing over front half of thighs. Wide flight feathers round ended and broad to the ends. Stern flat, broad and thick (not running off to nothing at setting - on tail), with abundant feather, the saddle hackle long and plentiful and extending from tail to middle of back. The tail well back, main feathers broad and overlapping neatley, the sickles being long, circled with a bold sweep, broad from base to rounded ends, main tail feathers not projecting beyond the sickles. Furnishing feathers plentiful,broad from base to end, round ended and uninformley curved with the sickles but hanging somewhat shorter, side hangers broad and long and with the hackles filling the space between stern and wing ends. All feather broad to ends.
Head: Short and broad. Beak stout and short. Comb rose, neat and long, with square well-filled front, set firmley, tapering to the setting-on of the spike or leader, top perfectly level and crowded with small round spikes. The leader stout at base, firm, long and perfectly straight, tapering to a fine point. Comb and leader rise slightly from front to rear in one line. Face of fine texture. Earlobes absolutely round, with rounded edges, of uniform thickness all over, not hollow or dished, firmly set on face and kid-like in texture, not smaller than 1.88cm (3/4 inch) or larger than 2.19cm (7/8 inch). Wattles round, neat and fine.
Neck : Rather short, well curved, with wide feathers, the hackle falling gracefully and plentifully over the shoulders and wing bows and almost reaching the tail.
Legs & Feet: Legs short. Thighs set well apart, stout at top and tapering to hocks. Shanks rather short, round, fine and free of feathers. Toes, four, straight and well spread.
Female
With the exception of the earlobes, which should not be larger than the now defunct silver three penny piece (approx. 1.56cm (5/8 inch)), and the wings, which are not carried so low but are tucked up, the general characteristics are similar to those of the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences.
Note..Standard size of ear lobes are usually considerably exceeded in show specimens.
Male
Carriage : Cobby but not dumpy. The back should show one sweeping curve from neck to sickles
Type: Body short & broad. back short, shoulders broad and flat. Breast carried well up and forward, with a bold curve from wing bow to wing bow. Wings carried rather low, slowing over front half of thighs. Wide flight feathers round ended and broad to the ends. Stern flat, broad and thick (not running off to nothing at setting - on tail), with abundant feather, the saddle hackle long and plentiful and extending from tail to middle of back. The tail well back, main feathers broad and overlapping neatley, the sickles being long, circled with a bold sweep, broad from base to rounded ends, main tail feathers not projecting beyond the sickles. Furnishing feathers plentiful,broad from base to end, round ended and uninformley curved with the sickles but hanging somewhat shorter, side hangers broad and long and with the hackles filling the space between stern and wing ends. All feather broad to ends.
Head: Short and broad. Beak stout and short. Comb rose, neat and long, with square well-filled front, set firmley, tapering to the setting-on of the spike or leader, top perfectly level and crowded with small round spikes. The leader stout at base, firm, long and perfectly straight, tapering to a fine point. Comb and leader rise slightly from front to rear in one line. Face of fine texture. Earlobes absolutely round, with rounded edges, of uniform thickness all over, not hollow or dished, firmly set on face and kid-like in texture, not smaller than 1.88cm (3/4 inch) or larger than 2.19cm (7/8 inch). Wattles round, neat and fine.
Neck : Rather short, well curved, with wide feathers, the hackle falling gracefully and plentifully over the shoulders and wing bows and almost reaching the tail.
Legs & Feet: Legs short. Thighs set well apart, stout at top and tapering to hocks. Shanks rather short, round, fine and free of feathers. Toes, four, straight and well spread.
Female
With the exception of the earlobes, which should not be larger than the now defunct silver three penny piece (approx. 1.56cm (5/8 inch)), and the wings, which are not carried so low but are tucked up, the general characteristics are similar to those of the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences.
Note..Standard size of ear lobes are usually considerably exceeded in show specimens.
Standard Colours
Black - Male Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson
Male & Female plumage
Black with brilliant green sheen from head to end of tail, the wing bar with extra bright green sheen. Tail feathers & sickles to be rich in green sheen. In both sexes : Beak black, Eyes hazel to dark (not orange), a dark eye preferred. Legs & feet black. |
Black - Female
Photo courtesy of Ian Wileman
|
Blue - Male Photo courtesy of Steve Hodge
Male & Female plumage
Blue of medium shade, free from lacing. the plumage of hackles, back and shoulders in males of a darker shade. |
Blue - Female
|
White - Male Photo courtesy of Paul Heath
Male & Female plumage
Snow-white, free from straw tinge. In both sexes: beak white, eyes red. Legs & feet white. |
White - Female
Photo courtesy of Jane Eardley
|
Black-Breasted Red - Male Photo courtesy of Steve Hodge
Male Plumage
Head lustrous golden-brown. Neck hackle, saddle, lustrous golden-brown stripped with black. Front of neck black. Breast, body, stern and lower thighs black. Back lustrous golden-red. Wings: shoulders and fronts black. Bows shining golden-red. Coverts greenish-black forming a distinct bar across wing. Primaries black, lower edge of lower web edged with brown. Tail: main tail black. Sickles, lesser sickles and coverts brilliant greenish-black. Undercolour slate. |
Black-Breasted Red - Female Photo courtesy of Jane Eardley
Female Plumage
Head golden. neck hackle golden stripped with black. front of neck salmon. back and cushion service colour dull black, entire web evenly and finely stippled with golden-brown, free from shafting. Breast salmon, shading lighter at body and blending into body colour. Body and stern ashy-grey, except where colour blends into wings and back. Wings: shoulders, fronts, bows and coverts same as back. Primaries dull black, lower edge of lower web finely stippled with golden-brown. Lower thighs slatley-brown. Main tail black, two top feathers evenly stippled with golden-brown, shafts black. Coverts same as back. Undercolour slate in all sections. In both sexes: legs white. Eyes red. |
Birchen - Male Photo courtesy of Der Bantam-Klub 1909
Male plumage
Head silvery-white. Neck hackle silvery-white with slender greenish-black stripe through the middle of each feather. Back silvery-white. Saddle white with slender greenish-black stripe through the middle of each feather. Upper breast black, each feather finely laced with white, from throat down to middle of breast. Lower breast black with some lustre. Wings: Shoulders and fronts black. Bows white. Coverts brilliant black forming a distinct bar across wing. Primaries and secondaries black. Body, stern, lower thighs and main tail black. Sickles and lower sickles black with a greenish sheen. Undercolour black. |
Birchen - Female Photo courtesy of Igor Beros
Female Plumage
Head silvery-white. Neck hackle silvery-white striped with black. Back and cushion black with some lustre. Upper breast black, each feather finely laced with white, from throat down to middle of breast. Lower breast black with some lustre. Body, stern, lower thighs and main tail black. Coverts greenish-black. Wings: shoulders, fronts and bows black. Coverts greenish- black. Primaries and secondaries black. Main tail black, coverts greenish-black. In both sexes: Legs dark. Face gypsy. Eyes dark. |
Columbian - Male Photo courtesy of Steve Hodge
Male Plumage
Head white. At least three quarters of the neck length lustrous greenish-black with a narrow lacing of silvery-white. Front of neck white. Breast, body, stern and lower thighs white. back white, feathers under the hackle, black with white edge. Saddle white with lustrous black stripe extending down the middle of each feather. Wings : Shoulders, fronts, bows and coverts white. Primaries black with white borders on lower edge of lower web. Secondaries black, upper web laced with white, exposed portion of lower web forming wing bay white. Main tail black, sickles and lesser sickles lustrous greenish-black. Undercolour slaty-blue. |
Columbian - Female Photo courtesy of Roberto Gatti
Female Plumage
Head white. Neck hackle lustrous greenish-black with a narrow lacing of white, shaft black. Front of neck white. Breast, body, stern and lower thighs white. Wings: same as male. Main tail black except two top feathers which should be finely laced with white. Coverts black with narrow lacing of white. Undercolour white. In both sexes: Legs white. Eyes orange - red. |
Weights
Male 570 - 620 g ( 20-22 oz )
Female 450-510 g ( 16-18oz )
Female 450-510 g ( 16-18oz )
Scale of Points
Head ( comb 20, Lobes 15) 35
Tail 15
Colour 12
Type 15
Condition 15
Legs,etc 8
Total 100
Tail 15
Colour 12
Type 15
Condition 15
Legs,etc 8
Total 100
Serious Defects
Serious Defects: Stiltiness. narrow chart or back. Hollow-fronted or leafy comb. Coarse bone. Tightly carried wings. Narrow feathers. Blushed lobes. Coloured feathers. White in face. In blacks, grizzled or brown flights, purple sheen or barring, light legs, white-tipping.
Source: British Poultry Standards 6th Edition, edited by Victoria Roberts
Comb Comparisons
On the left are poor examples of combs, on the right are better examples used as a comparison.
Photo courtesy of Bantam-Klub Gegrundet.
Top left: Leader rises too sharply.
Middle left: Uneven comb.
Bottom left: Too feminine a comb for a cock & leader has a decreasing angle.
Middle left: Uneven comb.
Bottom left: Too feminine a comb for a cock & leader has a decreasing angle.