Breeds
Andalusian
Origin: Spain
Classification: Light Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Blue, Black, Splash
Egg Colour: White
Type: Large and Miniature
Appearance
Andalusians should have an upright, alert body. They have a single comb; the cock’s should stand upright while the hen’s should flop to one side. Their eyes should be dark red or red-brown. Ear lobes should be white. The beak, dark slate or horn colour. The comb, face and wattles should be bright red in colour. Their legs and feet should be dark grey to black. The colour of their feathers is blue with dark lacing on each feather. The cock’s hackle and sickle feathers are black with a gloss while the hen’s hackle is black too.
Andalusians are in both large and miniature bantam sizes.
Qualities
Andalusians are good egg layers. They can also be flighty. When breeding Andalusians, you can get the odd Black or Splash in a clutch. The chickens of the Blue colour are blue and yellow, the Black colour are black and yellow and the Splash colour are yellow. The yellow changes to white as they get older, and the markings come later again. Andalusians are not known to hatch eggs.
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Ancona
Origin: Italy
Classification: Light Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Black Mottled, Blue Mottled (rare)
Egg Colour: White
Type: Large and Miniature
Appearance
Anconas should have an upright, alert body. They can have a single or rose comb – where single, the cock’s should be upright while the hen’s should flop to one side. Eyes are reddish in colour, and they should have white ear lobes with no red in them. The beak should be yellow with black shading. The comb, face and wattles should be red with no white. Yellow legs with dark mottling on the scales. Nearly all of the feathers should be tipped with white (V-shaped is best).
Anconas are in both large and miniature bantam sizes.
Qualities
They are very good egg layers. They are also active birds. When the chickens hatch, they are brown and yellow with no mottling but turn black and white as they get older. The mottling comes later on. In young, fully feathered birds, the mottling can be less but as they get older and start moulting, the speckles can become larger with age, making them look whiter.
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Appenzeller (Spitzhauben)
Orgin: Switzerland
Classification: Light Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Silver Spangled, Gold Spangled, Black
Egg Colour: White
Type: Large
Appearance
Appenzellers have a neat and very alert body. They have a horn comb. Their eyes should be dark brown in colour. The comb, face and wattles should be bright red. Their ear lobes are bluish/white. The beak is bluish in colour too. They have four toes. Their legs a should be blue/slate grey. Apenzellers are known for their forward pointing crest.
In the Silver Spangled, their feathers are white, each tipped with a black spangle. These spangles should not be circular. There are less spangles around their head and neck.
The Gold Spangled is the same as the Silver Spangled but there is a gold/red colour instead of white.
The Black has a shiny greenish colour all over.
There are no Appenzeller bantams standardised.
Qualities
Appenzellers are not known for hatching their own eggs. They can lay about 150 eggs in a year. They are nervous birds so are not the best for beginners. They prefer a large space if possible as they can be flighty.
Chickens are yellow when hatched getting their spangles and crest feathers as they get older.
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Araucana
Origin: Chilie
Classification: Light Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Black, Black-Red, Blue, Blue-Red, Brown, Crele, Cuckoo, Gold, Lavender, Pyle, Red, Silver Spangled, White
Egg Colour: Blue/Green
Type: Large and Miniature
Appearance
Araucanas have an alert and active body. They have a pea comb. They have dark orange eyes. Their comb and face are bright red in colour. Beaks are a horn colour. They have four toes. Araucanas have no wattles. In all colours, except Cockoo, their leg colour is willow to olive or slate.
Araucanas have a thick muffling around their face. Their ear lobes are hidden in theis muffling. They alos have ear tufts and a crest that is compact to their head.
There are many different coloursin Araucanas. In the Black, there is a beetle green sheen.
Black-Red has a black underside, tail, brest, thighs and wings. The crest, head and neck are orange-red striped with black. The back, shoulders and wing bow are red.
The Black-Red hen has a golden/yellow hackle striped with black. Her brest and muff is salmon and her thighs are ash/grey in colour. The rest of her body brown pencilled black and each feather is pale in the middle. Her tail is spotted black.
The Blue has darker colouing on the hackle, saddle and shoulder than on the brest and underside, which is light.
Blue-Red is the same as the Black-Red, with only blue replacing the black.
The Blue-Red hen is the same as the Black-Red, only blue replacing the black.
The Crele has a gold or black hackle. Their back and shoulder are bright gold/chestnut barred with straw yellow. The rest of the body is mostly chestnut and the saddle hackle is pale straw colour barred gold. The brest and underparts are dark grey.
The Cuckoo has barred light and dark grey feathers all over. In this colour, the beak is light horn or blue colour and their legs are white with blue spots.
In the Gold cock, he has a straw yellow hackle and saddle. The shoulders are golden and wings range from yellow/creamy straw colour. The rest of the feathers are black.
In the Gold hen, the feathers on her body are brown/gold.
The Laveners have an even shade of blue/grey all over their feathers, cock and hen.
The Pyle in cocks is marked like the Black-Red and the Blue-Red only the black is a clear cream/white colour and the rest is gold and red.
The Pyle hen has a cream/white with a salmon brest and a striped golden hackle.
Reds have an even shade of brown/red all over like Rhode Island Reds, cock and hen.
The Crele cocks and hens have a straw barred gold or black neck hackle. Their back and shoulders are golden/chestnut that is barred. The wings are pale and dark grey with barring too. Saddle hackle is barred gold and the tail is dark grey barred with light grey.
The Silver has the same markings as the Gold, only the golden colour is replaced with white and the black stays the same. The hen has light grey striped black feathers on her body and her brest is a pale salmon colour.
The Spangled cock and hen have white tips to their feathers. The base colours can be red, black or brown. They should have more spots evenly spread through the feathers.
The White in the cock and hen should be a clean white with no yellow on the feathers.
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Rumpless Araucana
Origin: Chile
Classification: Light Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Black, Black-Red, Blue, Blue-Red, Brown, Crele, Cuckoo, Gold, Lavender, Pyle, Red, Silver Spangled, White
Egg Colour: Blue/Green
Type: Large and Miniature
Appearance
The Rumpless Araucana is the same as the Araucana, only that it has no tail feathers. All the colours for the Araucana are the same for the Rumpless Araucana.
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Asil
Origin: Asia
Classification: Hard Feather
Colour Variations: Black, Dark Red, Duckwing, Grey, Light Red, Spangle, Pile, White
Egg Colour: Tinted
Type: Large and Miniature
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Australorp
Origin: Great Britain
Classification: Heavy Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Black, Blue, White
Egg Colour: Tinted
Type: Large and Miniature
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Barnevelder
Origin: Holland
Classifiation: Heavy Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Black, Double Laced, Partridge, Silver
Egg Colour: Brown
Type: Large and Miniature
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Barbu d'Anver
Origin: Belgium
Classification: True Bantam
Colour Variations: Black, Black Mottled, Blue, Blue Quail, Cuckoo, Lavender, Lavender Quail, Millefleur, Porcelaine, Quail, Silver Quail, White
Egg Colour: White to Cream
Type: True Bantam
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Barbu d'Uccle
Origin: Belgium
Classification: True Bantam
Colour Variations: Black, Black Mottled, Blue, Blue Quail, Cuckoo, Lavender, Lavdener Quail, Millefleur, Porcelaine, Quail, Silver Quail, White
Egg Colour: White to Cream
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Barbu De Watermael
Origin: Belgium
Classification: True Bantam
Colour Variations: Black, Black Mottled, Blue, Blue Quail, Cuckoo, Lavender, Lavender Quail, Millefleur, Porcelaine, Quail, Silver Quail, White
Egg Colour: White to Cream
Type: True Bantam
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Barbu d'Everberg
Origin: Belgium
Classification: True Bantam
Colour Variations: Black, Black Mottled, Blue, Blue Quail, Cuckoo, Lavender, Lavender Quail, Millfleur, Porcelaine, Quail, Silver Quail, White
Egg Colour: White to Cream
Type: True Bantam
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Barbu Du Grubbe
Origin: Belgium
Classification: True Bantam
Colour Variations: Black, Black Mottled, Blue, Blue Mottled, Cuckoo, Lavender, Lavender Quail, Millefleur, Porcelaine, Quail, Silver Quail, White
Egg Colour: White to Cream
Type: True Bantam
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Booted Bantam
Origin: Holland
Classification: True Bantam
Colour Variations: Barred, Black, Buff, Columbian, Millefleur, Partridge, Pearl Grey, Porcelaine, White
Egg Colour: White to Tinted
Type: True Bantam
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Brahma
Origin: Asia
Classification: Heavy Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Buff Columbian, Blue, Dark, Gold, Light, White
Egg Colour: Tinted
Type: Large and Miniature
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Brakel
Origin: Belgium
Classification: Light (Rare)
Colour Variations: Gold, Silver
Egg Colour: White
Type: Large and Miniature
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Breda
Origin: Holland
Classification: Light (Rare)
Colour Variations: Black, Blue, Cuckoo, Laced Blue, White
Egg Colour: White to Cream
Type: Large and Miniature
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Campine
Origin: Belgium
Classification: Light (Rare)
Colour Variations: Gold, Silver
Egg Colour: White
Type: Large and Miniature
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Cochin
Origin: Asia
Classification: Heavy Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Black, Blue, Buff, Cuckoo, Partridge, White
Egg Colour: Brown
Type: Large
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Crevecoeur
Origin: France
Clasification: Heavy (Rare)
Colour Variations: Black
Egg Colour: White
Type: Large and Miniature
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Croad Langshan
Origin: Asia
Classification: Heavy Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Black, White
Egg Colour: Brown
Type: Large and Bantam
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Dominique
Origin: America
Classification: Heavy (Rare)
Colour Variations: Cuckoo
Egg Colour: Brown
Type: Large and Miniature
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Dorking
Origin: Great Britain
Classification: Heavy Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Cuckoo, Dark, Red, Silver Grey, White
Egg Colour: Tinted
Type: Large and Miniature
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Dutch
Origin: Holland
Classification: True Bantam
Colour Variations: Black, Buff, Buff Columbian, Blue, Blue Silver Partridge, Blue Yellow Partridge, Crele, Cuckoo, Gold , Lavender, Millefleur, Pyle, Salmon, Silver Duckwing, Wheaten, White, Yellow Partridge
Egg Colour: Tinted
Type: True Bantam
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Faverolles
Origin: France
Classification: Heavy Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Black, Buff, Cuckoo, Ermine, Laced Blue, Salmon, White
Egg Colour: Light Brown
Type: Large and Miniature
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Frizzle
Origin: Asia
Classification: Heavy Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Black, Blue, Buff, White
Egg Colour: White or Tinted
Type: Large & Miniature
General Characteristics: Male
Carriage: Strutting and erect.
Type: Body broad and short. Breast full and rounded. Wings long. Tail rather large, erect, full but loose, with full sickles and plenty of side hangers. Lyre tails in males desirable but not obligtory.
Head: Fine. Beak short and strong. Eyes full and bright. Comb single, medium sized and upright. Face smooth. Ear - lobes and wattles moderate size.
Neck: Of medium lenght, abundantly frizzled.
Legs & Feet: Legs of medium lenght. Shanks free from feathers. Toes, four, rather thin and well spread.
Plumage: Moderately long, broad and crisp, each feather curled towards the bird's head, and the frizzling as close and adbundant as possible.
Female
The general characteristics are similar to those of the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences, except that the comb is much smaller and the neck is not so abundantly frizzled.
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Fayoumi
Origin: Egypt
Classification: Light (Rare)
Colour Variations: Gold Pencilled, Silver Pencilled
Egg Colour: White or Cream
Type: Large and Miniature
General Characteristics: Male
Carrage: Alert, graceful, very active, rather upright.
Type: Body wedge - shaped, of moderate length and good depth, back moderately long, rather broad at shoulders narrowing towards tail. Brest moderately full and nicely rounded. Wings of moderate length and carried well above lower thigh. Saddle full and flowing. Tail abundant, fairly large, well spread and carried high, but not squirrel.
Head: Medium size, rather broad. Beak medium lenght, strong and slightly curved. Eyes full, large and bright. Comb single, of medium size and evenly serrated. Face smooth and fine, free from wrinkles and folds. Ear - lobes elongated oval, smooth and fine. Wattles of medium lenght, well rounded.
Neck: Moderately full, gracefully arched. gracefully arched. Hackle abundant, flowing down over back and shoulders.
Legs and Feet: Thighs short and strong. Shanks medium lenght, round free from feathers. Toes four, of medium length and well spread.
Female
The female has a smaller, upright comb and, allowing for natural sexual differences, the general characteristics are similar to the male.
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Friesian
Origin: Holland
Classification: Light (Rare)
Colour Variations: Chamois Pencilled, Gold Pencilled, Silver Pencilled
Egg Colour: White
Type: Large and Miniature
General Characteristics: Male
Carriage: Upright, bold and active
Type: Body broad at the shoulders and moderately long. Back sloping down slightly and narrowing at the tail. Breast carried high, full and forward. Back appears shorter with the high tail carriage. Wings are long and substantial and carried close above the thigh, slightly sloping backwards. Tail is large and well spread and carried high. Saddle feathers well developed.
Head: Small to medium sized, somewhat oblong. Fine hairy feathers on cheeks allowed. Comb single, small to medium in size, erect and evenly serrated (five or six), following the line of the skull but standing well clear of the neck. Eyes large, beak medium length, slightly curved. Ear - lobes small, oval. Wattles medium lenght, round.
Neck: Long, slender near the head.
Legs and Feet: Medium - length legs, set well apart. Four well spread toes.
Plumage: Full but close fitting.
Female
The abdomen is very well developed. The end of the comb may drop to one side. The other characteristics are the same as for the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences.
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German Langshan
Origin: Germany
Classification: Heavy Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Black, Blue, White
Egg Colour: Brown to Brown-Yellow
Type: Large and Miniature
General Characteristics: Male
Carriage: An upstanding, elegant and beautiful bird, with a long extended body, leaning slightly forwards and with rising backline.
Type: Body strong, full and equally broadfrom front to back. Breast bone, arched and fairly deep. Belly broad, deep, full and downey. Back long, lowest bearing starting directly under the neck hackle, from there, broad but not angular shoulders, tha same width up the tail with smooth lines. Wings firmly set but carried high. Tail short, but carried in a continuing line with the back, the coverts broad, soft and abundant, curved and covering the tail.
Head: Small, fairly narrow and slightly arched. Beak moderately long, strong and slightly curved. Eyes: large and prominent. Comb small, single, erect, slighltyarched and evenly serrated. Face smooth and slightly hairy. Wattles small, oval or round, of fine texture. Ear - lobes fairly long, narrow and slender.
Neck: Long, slighlty curved with moderately long hackles.
Legs and Feet: Legs long, not too thick, shanks unfeathered. Toes four, long, thin, straight and well spread with strong claws.
Female
The female displays the form of the male in a graceful manner but wirhout marked cushion formation and with roomy hindquarters. The somewhat loosey carried tail stands out only slightly from the coverts. Otherwise the general characteristics are similar to those of the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences.
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Marans
Origin: France
Classification: Heavy Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Black, Dark Cuckoo, Golden Cuckoo, Silver Cuckoo
Egg Colour: Dark Brown
Type: Large and Miniature
Appearance
Marans are a medium sized bird with a single red coloured comb. Their face, ear lobes and wattles are also red. Their eyes are red or bright orange in colour. Their beak and legs are white. Four toes on each foot.
The Cuckoo colours are all the same markings with the different colours for each.
Silver Cuckoo has a barring of light and dark greys all over the body. In the cock it is lighter at the neck and gets darker as it goes down the body. The hen has an even shade throughout.
The Golden Cuckoo has a barring of gold and dark grey all over the body. The cock has a light nech colour, getting darker as it goes through the body. The hen has an even colour barring through out.
Dark Cuckoo is dark grey barring throughout the whole body in both the cock and the hen.
Black Marans have a black beetle/green sheen all over.
Marans are in both large and miniature bantam sizes.
Qualities
Marans are know for laying a dark brown egg. They are called Marans with an 's' as they come from Marans in France. They like to free range around the garden picking at anything. A breed that doesn't like to be handled too much but is lovely to look at.
Marans chicks are easier to tell cock and hen, as the cock is a lighter colour that the hen when hatched.
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Rhode Island Red
Origin: America
Classification: Heavy Soft Feather
Egg Colour: Brown
Type: Large and Miniature
Appearance
Rhode Island Reds or RIR for short, are what most people associate with poultry. The RIR is a rich, brown-red in colour and the darker the better when showing. They have a single or rose comb. Their eyes are red, dark beak or yellow, face, ear lobes, comb and wattles are red with no white. Yellow legs. Good birds have a dark colour all through the feathers.
They are a strong solid shape with a flat back and slightly raised tail.
Rhode Island Reds are in both large and miniature bantam sizes.
Qualities
RIR are a good birds to lay, with a brown egg being produced more than 200 times in a year. They are good birds to keep free range as they will pick and scratch about. The large birds are heavy so you can keep them in an open top run without them getting out (mind the fox of course!).
Chickens are dark yellow/brown when they are hatched and get their red colouring as they get older.
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Sussex
Origin: Great Britain
Classification: Heavy Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Brown, Buff, Light, Red, Speckled, Silver, White
Egg Colour: Light Brown
Type: Large and Miniature
Appearance
Sussex are a strong bird with broad shoulders and body. They have a single straight comb which is red. Their wattles, ear lobes and face are red also. Their beak colour is white to horn. Eyes are different colours with the different types. Brown or Red eyes in the Brown, Red eyes in the Buff, Red and Speckled, Orange eyes in the Light, Silver and White. Their legs are white and they have 4 toes on each foot.
In the Buff and Light colours they have a golden or white coloured body with black striped hackle. They also have a black tail and wing feathers. The Silver is almost the opposite of the Light, with a black body and white striped hackle. The Brown and Red are nearly alike with a red/brown colour. The Speckled has a deep brown colour all over with white tips to the feathers. The White is a clean white all over the body.
Sussex are in both large and miniature bantam sizes.
Qualities
Sussex are a quiet breed, making them ideal for beginners. They can lay about 180 eggs in a year. They can be left to roam the garden or can be kept in a large pen.
Chickens are strong when hatched and are yellow or gold with their markings coming later.
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Welsummer
Origin: Holland
Classification: Light Soft Feather
Colour Variations: Gold Duckwing, Silver Duckwing
Egg Colour: Dark Brown
Type: Large and Miniature
Appearance
Welsummers are well built, with a strong, long, broad back.
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