Redcap

The Recap is a Derbyshire beed, outside which county they are rarely seen. Of medium size, the ground-colour is a deep red or red-brown spangled or tipped with black, but the chief feature is the comb, a still massive affair of rose character, with straight leader and well furnished with fine spikes. Size of same not to exceed five inches by four inches wide.

The Redcap is said to be a hardy, long-lived fowl, suited to farms in the Derbyshire hills. It is a non-sitter with red lobes and slate legs. Markings should be as even and distinct as possible, but breeders must avoid getting too much black in the spangling - the latter to be half-moon shape. "comb over" is another fault, also white in lobe.

General Characteristics of Cock

Carriage: graceful and active.

Back of medium length, flat, broad and sloping toward the tail.

Breast: well-rounded and full.

Head: Medium length and broad.

Face smooth and finely textured. 

Eyes: full and bold. 

Beak: Medium.

Comb: rose, placed firmly on head, top full of small points with straight spike behind. Set well on head, clear of eyes and beak. (APS gives six of about 8.25 x 7cm).

Ear lobes and wattles of medium size. 

Neck moderately long, arched with abundant hackle falling well over the back.

Wings: medium length, held close to the body.

Tail: full and long main tail, saddle feathers long and sweeping. Well curved sickles carried at around 60 degrees.

Legs and feet: Shanks moderate length, set well apart, legs free from feathers. Thighs short and well fleshed. Toes four, evenly spread.

THE HEN

Head small and neat, beak well curved, comb smaller than in the cock, but otherwise the same. Tail long, pointed and full. 

Colour:

In both sexes:

Face: red.

Beak: horn colour.

Eyes: red.

Comb, face, earlobes and wattles: bright red.

Shanks and toes: slate colour.

In the Cock

Head: red.

Hackle: dark golden red, each feather marked down the centre with a stripe of black.

Back: red, spangled with black.

Saddle: red, each feather striped with black.

Wing-bow: rich red.

Coverts: rich red. each feather ending with a black spangle forming a black bar across the wing.

Primaries and secondaries: red, heavily tipped at the ends with black.

Breast and under parts: black.

Tail and hangers: black

In the Hen

Head and hackle: as in the cock.

Back and breast: ground colour, deep, rich reddish brown, free from smuttiness; each feather tipped with a half-moon black spangle. 

The markings on breast, back, and wings to be an uniform as possible;

Wings: primaries and secondaries as in the cock. Wing coverts evenly spangled.

Tail: black.

Weights

Cock should weigh 7 lbs., hens 5 lbs. ; cockerel 6 lbs., pullet 4 lbs.

SERIOUS DEFECTS

• Comb over

• White in lobes

• Round backs

• Squirrel or wry tails

• Feathers on legs

• Legs other colour than slate

• Other than four toes

• Lack of points on the comb

See also Disqualifications .

SOURCES

• Australian Poultry Standard Addendum 

• The Feathered World Year Book and Poultry Keepers Guide for 1937. Published by 'The Feathered World' Arundel Street, London.

• The Feathered World Year Book and Poultry Keepers' Guide. 1915

• Allen & Ginter (American, Richmond, Virginia) Derbyshire Red Cap, from the Prize and Game Chickens series (N20) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes, 1891 American, Commercial color lithograph; Sheet: 1 1/2 x 2 3/4 in. (3.8 x 7 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick (Burdick 201, N20.18) http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/409033

• Burpee's farm annual, 1887 : garden, farm, and flower seeds, by W. Atlee Burpee Company; Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection, Publication date 1889 https://archive.org/details/burpeesfarmannua1889watl/page/n2