General Characteristics

Head - Skull fine. Beak stout, the point clear of the front of the comb. Eyes prominent. Comb (a) single or (b) rose : (a) perfectly straight and erect, large but not overgrown, deeply and evenly serrated, the spikes broad at their base, extending well beyond the back of the head and following, without touching, the line of the head, free from "thumb marks" and side spike; (b) moderately large, firm (not overgrown so as to obstruct the sight), the leader extending straight out behind and not following the line of the head, the top covered with small coral-like points of even height; and free from hollows. Face smooth. Earlobes well developed and rather pendent, equally matched in size and shape, smooth, open, and free from folds. Wattles long and thin.

Neck long, profusely covered with hackle feathers.

Body wedge-shaped, wide at the shoulders and narrowing to the root of the tail; round and prominent breast; slightly rounded back sloping to the tail ; large wings tightly carried and well clipped up; moderately full tail at an angle of 40 to 45 degrees from the line of the back.

Legs moderately long. Shanks fine and round - flat shins objectionable — and free of feathers. Toes (four) long, straight, and well spread.

Carriage sprightly and alert.

THE HEN

With the exception of the comb (in the single combed varieties falling gracefully over either side of the face) and the tail (carried closely and not at such a high angle) the general characteristics are similar to those of the cock, allowing for the natural sexual differences.

COLOUR VARIETIES

Beak yellow or horn. Eyes red. Comb, Face and Wattles bright red. Earlobes pure opaque white (resembling white kid) or cream, the former preferred. Legs and Feet yellow or orange. THE BLACK Plumage rich blue-black, perfectly free from feathers of any other colour.

Plumage an even, medium shade of blue from head to tail, a dark tint allowed in the hackles of the cock, but no black, " sand," or any other colour than blue, and the more even the better. (Note. —The Blue Leghorn is a self-coloured and not a laced or a barred variety. —W. W. B.) •a

THE BROWN

Plumage of the Cock - Neck-hackle rich orange red, shading off, striped with black, crimson-red at the front below his wattles. Back, Shoulder-coverts and Wing-bow deep crimson-red or maroon.

Wing coverts steel-blue with green reflections forming a broad bar across; primaries brown; secondaries deep bay on the outer web (all that appears when the wing is closed) and black on the inner. Saddle rich orange-red with or without a few black stripes.

Breast and Under-parts glossy black, quite free from brown splashes. Tail black glossed with green; any white in tail is very objectionable.

Tail-coverts black edged with brown.

Plumage of the Hen - Hackle rich golden yellow, broadly striped with black. Breast salmon red, running into maroon, around the head and wattles, and ash-grey at the thighs.

Body colour soft brown, very closely and evenly pencilled with black, the feathers free from light shafts, and the wings free from any red tinge. Tail black, outer feathers pencilled with brown.

THE BUFF

Plumage.—Any shade of buff from lemon to dark, at the one extreme avoiding washiness and at the other a red tinge ; the colour to be perfectly uniform, allowing for greater lustre on the hackle feathers, and of the wing-bow in the case of the cock only.

THE CUCKOO

Plumage - Light blue-grey ground, each feather barred across with bands of dark grey or blue, the markings to be uniform, and the colours shading into each other so that no distinct line or separation is perceptible.

THE DUCKWING

Plumage of the Gold Cock - Neck-hackle rather light yellow or straw, a few shades deeper at the front below the wattles, the longer feathers striped with black. Back deep rich gold. Saddle and Saddle-hackle deep gold, shading in hackle to pale gold. Shoulder-coverts bright gold or orange, solid colour (an admixture of lighter feathers is very objectionable). Wing-bows the same as the shoulder-coverts ; coverts metallic blue (blue violet), forming an even bar across the wing, which should be sharp, cleanly cut, and not too broad; primaries black, with white edging on the outer web; secondaries white outer web (all that appears when the wing is closed), black inner and end of feather. Breast black with green lustre. Under-parts black. Tail black, richly glossed with green-grey fluff at the base.

Plumage of the Gold Hen - Head grey (a brown cap is very objectionable). Hackle white, each feather sharply striped with black or dark grey (a light tinge of yellow in the ground colour admitted). Breast and Under-colour bright salmonred (this point is very important), darker on throat, and shaded off to ash-grey or fawn on the under-parts. Back, Wings, Sides and Saddle dark slate-grey, finely pencilled with darker grey or black. Tail grey, slightly darker than the body colour, inside feathers dull black or dark grey.

Plumage of the Silver Cock - Neck-hackle silver-white, the long feathers striped with black. Back, Saddle and Saddle-hackle silver-white. Shoulders and Wing-bow silver-white, as solid as possible (any admixture of red or rusty feathers very objectionable). Wing-coverts metallic blue (blue-violet), forming an even bar across the wing, which should be sharp, clearly cut, and not too broad; primaries black with white edging on outer parts; secondaries white outer edge (all that appears when the wing is closed), black inner and end of feathers. Thighs and Under-parts black. Tail black richly glossed with green, grey fluff at the base.

Plumage of the Silver Hen - Head silver-white. Hackle silver-white, each feather sharply striped with black or dark grey. Breast and Under-parts light salmon or fawn, darker on throat and shaded off to ash-grey on the under-parts. Back, Wings, Sides and Saddle clear delicate silver-grey or French grey, without any shade of red or brown, finely pencilled with dark grey or black (purity of colour very important). Tail grey, slightly darker than the body colour, with the inside feathers a dull black or dark grey.

THE MOTTLED

Plumage of the Black - An even distribution of black and white mottling, neither colour predominating, a beetle-green sheen on the black, and with an entire absence of lacing.

Plumage of the Red - Brown-red instead of black, as above.

THE PILE

Plumage of the Cock - Neck-hackle bright orange. Back and Saddle rich maroon. Shoulders and Wing - bows dark red. Secondaries dark chestnut outer web (all that appears when the wing is closed) and white inner. Remainder white.

Plumage of the Hen - Neck white tinged with gold. Breast deep salmon-red shading into white thighs. Remainder white. Plumage pure white free from straw tinge.

THE EXCHEQUER

Head points, Legs and Feet as for other varieties of Leghorn.

Plumage black and white evenly distributed, with some white in undercolour, the white (of the surface colour) in the form of a large blob as distinct from V-shaped marking.

Serious Deficits : Cock's comb twisted or falling over; red earlobes; any white in face; other than yellow legs; entirely dark undercolour; any deformity.

STANDARD WEIGHTS

Cock Weight not less than 6 lb (2.72kg).

Hen Weight not less than 4 lb (1.8kg).

SERIOUS DEFECTS

• Cock's comb (single) twisted or falling over, or hen's comb erect;

• Rose comb such as to obstruct the sight;

• Earlobe red;

• Any white in face;

• Legs other than yellow or orange;

• Wry or squirrel tail;

• Any bodily deformity.

• In Blacks, dark eyes;

• In Blues, any lacing or barring on the plumage, dark eyes;

• In Browns, white feathers.

(Note. —The Standard for Exchequer Leghorns, as regards Colour and Scale of Points, is given in the Appendix, following page 138.—W. W. B.)

For general disqualifications see Disqualifications.

References

• 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

• Kramer, R. (1926). Kramers Taschenbuch der Rassegeflügelzucht. 3. Aufl. Würzburg: H. Stürtz.