Japanese Bantam

Head - Skull rather large and broad. Beak strong, well curved. Eyes large. Comb single, large, erect, straight, and evenly serrated. Face smooth. Earlobes of medium size, smooth. Wattles of medium size, pendent.

Neck rather short, curving prominently backwards, hackle flowing well over the shoulders.

Body short, deep, and compact; very full, round breast carried prominently forward; very short back, the cock's furnished with abundant saddle-hackle ; large and long wings, the points almost under the stern and touching the ground; very large tail, somewhat expanded, carried up right so as to come almost in contact with the back of the comb, the cock's "sickles" (the longest feathers are really not sickle-shaped) very long and only slightly curved.

Legs very short, the shanks smooth and free from feathers. Toes (four) straight and well spread.

Carriage very upright, the breast forward and the head and tail almost touching each other.

Weight: Cock: 26 oz (737g). Hen: 22 oz (624g).

COLOUR

THE BLACK

Beak, Legs and Feet yellow, or yellow shaded with black. Eyes dark red. Comb, Face, Wattles and Earlobes bright red. Plumage lustrous black.

THE BLACK-TAILED WHITE

Beak, Legs and Feet yellow. Eyes, Comb, Face, Wattles and Earlobes bright red.

Plumage of the Cock white with the following markings : primaries and secondaries dark slate or black edged with white, the wing when closed showing white only ; black tail, the sickles and coverts edged with white.

Plumage of the Hen white, except wings (as in the cock) and tail (black with white coverts).

THE WHITE

Head points - Legs and Feet as in the Blacktailed White. Plumage pure white.

OTHER VARIETIES

Among other varieties occasionally exhibited are the following: the Buff, of similar colour to buff fowls; the Cuckoo, colour and markings similar to the Scots Grey ; the Grey, black, the cock's hackles, back, and wing-bows silver, the hen's hackle heavily marked and her plumage laced throughout with silver; and the Speckled, evenly marked with black and white.

SERIOUS DEFECTS

• Comb other than single;

• Long legs;

• Low tail carriage;

• Shanks other than yellow (or in Blacks yellow shaded with black);

• Pure white in any part of the Black;

• Other than white plumage in White.

SOURCES

• The American standard of perfection, illustrated. A complete description of all recognized varieties of fowls as revised by the American Poultry Association, inc., at its seventy-sixth convention in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, 1949; seventy-eight convention in Roanoke, Virginia, 1951; seventy-ninth convention in Fort Worth, Texas, 1952. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009169010

• The Poultry club standards, containing a complete description of all the recognised varieties of fowls, ducks, geese and turkeys, ed. by William W. Broomhead. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009202629