Norfolk Grey

Origin:  Britain

Category:  Softfeather Heavy

Egg Colour:  Brown to tinted

Sitter:  Yes

The Norfolk Grey was developed by Fred Myhill of Norfolk around 1910. It was originally called the Black Maria but the name was unpopular and it was renamed to Norfolk Grey. The colouring is black and silver, one of the most striking combinations in the world and few breeds can equal them in beauty of plumage. The Norfolk Grey's type may be regarded as a small-size and active type Sussex, with probably a mixture of Old English Game.  It exists in one colour, Birchen, but is called simply by its breed name.  The birds are hardy, lay brown eggs, and having white flesh and a rather long keel, are good for the table. 

Male Characteristics

Carriage: Upright. Alert, active and graceful. 

Type: In body shape the birds are somewhat like a cross between a Wyandotte and a Dorking, rather long and deep, with broad shoulders and full rounded front carried upwards.  Wings large and held close. Tail well feathered.

Eyes: Full, dark and bold.

Comb: Single and of medium sized, evenly serrated.

Beak: short and curved.

Face: Smooth.

Earlobes: small and neat of oval shape.

Legs and feet: Fairly short, legs free from feathers. Four toes evenly spread.

Plumage: tightly feathered.

Female characteristics

The general characteristics of the female are similar to those of the male apart from natural sexual differences.

Colour

Colouring is very similar to the Birchen Game, the cock's hackles, back, shoulders, and wing-bars being silver-white, the neck striped with black, and the remainder of his body solid black with thin-edged silver lacing at the throat, while the female is black, except that her neck and breast resemble those parts of the male bird. 

Breast, underparts and tail of the cock is beetle green. 

Back, neck and saddle hackle silver, with broad black strip to each feathers.

Shoulders silver-white.

Wing-bars silver-white.

Neck, slight silver lacing at the throat.

Eyes: Dark

Earlobes: Red

Legs: Black or slate-blue.

Hen colour

Body: black with green sheen.

Neck hackle: Silver-white with black striping.

Throat: Delicate silver lacing at throat for 5cm approx. 

Legs and feet: black or slate.

Comb: single and erect.

Eyes bold, prominent and black.

Weights

Male cock: 7lb to 8lb (2.7-3.2kg)

Young male: (2.5-2.7kg)

Female hens: 5lb to 6lb

Young Female: (2.0-2.25kg)

Scale of Points

In the Australian Poultry Standard the biggest allocation of points by far is given to 'Type and Size' at 25. For detail see the APS. 

Defects

Too narrow black striping in hackles on the males, lack of silver edging at the tips of the hackle feathers, mossy backs, Throat lacing extending too far down the breast in the female.

For serious disqualifications see relevant disqualifications page.

Sources

Australian Poultry Standards 

Broomhead, W. White. (192). Poultry for the many: A complete guide for the beginner in poultry-keeping, whether for utility or exhibition purposes, containing directions for the selection, breeding, rearing and general management of all breeds of poultry, as well as guinea fowl, peafowl, pheasants, and swans. 15th ed. London: "Poultry and Poultry Husbandry".

Ekaterina Gerasimova (KittyKat (talk) - Derived work. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Grey#/media/File:Norfolk_Grey_hen_with_full_crop.jpg

The Feathered World Year Book and Poultry Keepers' Guide 1927 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b2979305&seq=266&q1=fred+myhill

Feathersite: https://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGK/NGrey/BRKNGrey.html

Poultry, garden and home. Quincy, Ill.: Reliable Poultry Journal Publishing Co.

Rare Breeds Trust of Australia: https://rarebreedstrust.com.au/public/pages/poultry-rare-softfeather-large

Wiki breed profile: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Grey