Standard feather markings

Plate 1

1 Hackle feather conforming to Standard as applying to brown Leghorn and other males of black-red colouring. Note the absence of shaftiness, black fringing, and tipping. The actual colour of the outer border varies in different breeds between dark orange and pale lemon. In such breeds the saddle hackle should conform closely to the neck hackle.

1A Faulty hackle in the same breeds. There is considerable shaftiness, the striping runs through, and the feather is tipped with black. Striping is also indefinite and fouled with red.

2 Hackle feather conforming to Standard from the partridge Wyandotte male. There is no shaftiness and the striping is very solid and distinct. In partridge Wyandottes lemon-coloured hackles are a desirable exhibition point.

2A Faulty neck hackle in the same breed. Note that the black striping runs through to the tip and is irregular in shape. There is also a distinct black outer fringing to the gold border.

3 Standard hackle feather from a male of the gold-laced Wyandotte and similar breeds with a rich bay ground colour. Note the intensity of the centre stripe, absence of shaftiness, and freedom from blemish in the outer border. Note also the soundness of colour in the underfluff.

3A Faulty hackle feather from similar breeds, showing indistinct striping, with foul colour, shaftiness, and black running through to the tip. Underfluff is a mixture of red and dark grey.

4 Standard hackle feather from a male of the light Sussex and similar breeds of ermine markings, such as light Brahma, Columbian Wyandotte, and ermine Faverolles. The demand is for a solid black centre with a clear white border extending to the underfluff. Green sheen is an important feature.

4A Faulty hackle from similar breeds, showing black fringing to the border, black tipping, and shaftiness in the quill. Underfluff also lacks distinction.

5 Perfect tri-coloured hackle feather from a speckled Sussex male. The black striping is solid, with green sheen, and the border is the desired rich mahogany colour, finishing with a clean white tip. Note clarity of the undercolour.

5A Faulty speckled Sussex hackle feather showing almost complete lack of black striping, varying ground colour in the border, and indistinct white tipping.

6 Neck hackle conforming to a Standard Andalusian male. The so-called Andalusian blue is a diffusion of black and white, and in male hackles a dark border or lacing surrounds the slate-blue feather. Undercolour is sound and even.

6A Faulty hackle from same breed. The colour generally is blotchy and lacing is indefinite.

7 Standard neck hackle of a Rhode Island Red male. No attempt has been made to show the ultra-dark red usually seen in show specimens, but the colour seen here conforms with Standard and should be agreeable for exhibition. Note the purity of the undercolour - a very important point in this breed.

7A Faulty hackle feather from the same breed, showing uneven ground colour, black tipping, and smutty undercolour, which is a very severe defect in a Rhode Island Red.

8 Hackle from an Ancona male, conforming closely to Standard. Note the clear V-shaped white tipping, complete absence of shaftiness, rich green sheen, and solidity of the dark underfluff, a particularly strong point in the breed.

8A Faulty hackle feather from the same breed, showing indistinct tipping of greyish-white and faulty undercolour not dark to skin.

9 Hackle feather conforming to Standard from a buff Orpington male, very similar, except for the exact shade, to feathers from other buff breeds, such as Cochins and Rocks. Note the even colour throughout, absence of shaftiness, and sound colour in the underfluff, with a quill buff to the skin.

9A Faulty hackle feather from a similar breed, showing severe shaftiness, uneven ground colour with a darker fringe, and an impure undercolour.

Plate 2

1 Standard hackle from a barred Plymouth Rock male and similar breeds. Note the points of excellence - barring practically straight across the feather, sound contrast in black and blue-white, barring and ground colour in equal widths, and barring carried down the underfluff to the skin. The tip of the feather must be black.

1A Faulty saddle or neck hackle from a similar variety. There is a lack of contrast in the barring, with a dull grey ground colour and V-shaped bars.

2 Hackle as the Standard description from a silver Campine, in which males are inclined to hen feathering. Note that the black bar is three times the width of the ground colour and the tip of the feather is silver.

2A In this faulty hackle (also from a silver Campine male) the ground colour is too wide and the barring narrow. The feather is without a silver tip.

3 Standard hackle from a Marans male. In this and some similar breeds evenness of the banding is not essential, but it is expected to show reasonable contrast. It should, however, carry through to the underfluff.

3A From the same group of breeds this feather is far too open in the banding and lacks uniformity of marking. It is also light in the undercolour.

4 Standard markings of a female body feather in Plymouth Rocks and similar barred breeds where barring and ground colour are required to be of equal width. Note that barring runs from end to end of the feather and that the tip is black.

4A Faulty feather from same group. Note the absence of barring to the underfluff and the V-shaped markings; also blurred and indistinct ground colour.

5 Sound body feather from a silver Campine female showing a Standard silver tip and barring three times as wide as the ground colour, as in the male. Gold Campine feathers are similar but different in the ground colour.

5A Faulty female feather, again from a silver Campine. Here again, as in 2A, barring is too narrow in relation to the silver ground colour and the tip of the feather is black.

6 Body feather from a Marans female, conforming to Standard requirements. Note that the markings are less definite than in Rocks and Campines, and the black is lacking in sheen, while the ground colour is smoky white.

6A Faulty Marans female feather. Lacks definition and contrast in the banding, which is indefinite in shape, the blotchy ground colour making an indistinct pattern.

7 Excellent body feather from a partridge Wyandotte female, showing correct ground colour and fine concentric markings. Note the complete absence of fringing, shaftiness, and similar faults. Fineness of pencilling is a Standard requirement.

7A From the same breed this faulty female feather shows a rusty red ground colour and indistinct pencilling, with faulty underfluff.

8 Body feather of Standard quality from an Indian or Cornish Game female. The illustration shows clearly two distinct lacings with a third inner marking. Lacing should have a green sheen on a rich bay or mahogany ground.

8A Faulty feather from the same breed. Missing are evenness of lacing and central marking. The outer lacing runs off into a spangle tip.

9 Standard feather from a laced Barnevelder female. In this breed the ground colour should be rich with two even and distinct concentric lacings. Quill of the feather should be a mahogany colour to the skin.

9A Faulty Barnevelder female feather, showing a spangle tip to outer lacing and irregular inner markings on the ground colour that is too pale.

Plate 3

1 Standard markings on a silver-laced Wyandotte female feather, showing very even lacing on a clear silver ground colour and rich colour in the underfluff. In this breed clarity of lacing is of greater importance than fineness of width.

1A Faulty female feather from the same breed. In this there is a fringing of silver outside the black lacing, which is irregular in width and runs narrow at the sides. Undercolour is also defective.

2 Excellent feather from a gold-laced Wyandotte. In this the ground colour is a clear rich golden bay and there is a complete absence of pale shaft. Undercolour is sound and lacing is just about the widest advisable.

2A This shows a very faulty feather from the same breed. It portrays a mossy ground colour with blotchy markings and an uneven width of lacing at the sides of the feather. Undercolour is not rich enough.

3 Standard markings on an Andalusian female feather showing well-defined lacing on a clear slate-blue ground and good depth of colour in the underfluff. The dark shaft is desirable and is not classed as a fault.

3A Faulty feather from a female of the same breed. In this the ground colour is blurred and indistinct, and the lacing is not crisp, while the undercolour lacks depth.

4 This shows a feather from an Ancona female, almost perfect in Standard requirements. The white tipping is clear and V-shaped and the undercolour is dark to the skin.

4A Faulty feather from a female of the same breed. Here the tip of the feather is greyish-white and lacks the necessary V-shape, while the undercolour is not rich enough.

5 An almost perfectly marked feather from a speckled Sussex female - though the white tip might be criticised by some breeders as rather too large. The black dividing bar shows a good green sheen and the ground colour is rich and even.

5A As a contrast this...