New Breeds and Colours

NNNEEEWWW BBBRRREEEEEEDDDSSS AAANNNDDD CCCOOOLLLOOOUUURRRSSS Entered for recognition at the National Show of the Dutch Poultry Breeders Association KLN, housed at the Noordshow in Zuidlaren.

Text and photos: Jogchum IJpma. Seramas: Text and photos: Berta van der Meer & Klaas Dillema.

Above: Judges Voskamp, Van der Hoek and Boks evaluating a Serama pullet. Photo: Berta van der Meer & Klaas Dillema.

Each year the Dutch Poultry breeders get the opportunity to enter new breeds or varieties at the National Show / Noordshow in Zuidlaren. They are judged by three members of the Standard Commission. There are many fanciers who make significant efforts to create new colour varieties in existing breeds—and there is nothing wrong with that—but it appears that there is often too much haste to get these varieties recognised. Essential breed characteristics are often lacking and this results in disappointment at the recognition test. This article discusses the new colour varieties entered for recognition this year.

Wyandotte in buff blue columbian. The first thing that we noticed was the bad, flat comb of the cock, nothing like the rose comb of a Wyandotte. In the hens, there was no evenness in the buff tone, especially in the older hen. Also the hens’ tails were messy with too soft feathers. Accordingly, we feel this variety is not yet an asset to the breed.

Right: Wyandotte cock, buff blue columbian, note the bad comb. Photo: J. IJpma.

Left: Buff blue columbian Wyandotte hen. Bad tail. Owner: H.J. Berenpas. Photo: J. IJpma.

Right: Wyandotte cockerel, millefleur, not a breed typical bird, with a Cochin- like tail. Photo: J. IJpma.

Right: Wyandotte hen millefleur; very good colour and marking. Owner: J.G. Hetterscheid. Photo: J. IJpma.

Wyandotte in millefleur In this variety, the colour and markings of the hens was fine, but the ‘type’ still needs work, especially in the cocks. The type of the cockerel was poor, with a too short back and his tail carried too high. Millefleur is a welcome variety in the large Wyandotte, however they still must look like a Wyandotte! The tail of the hens is too Cochin-like. In short, they need much improvement and we fear it could be a long time before they are worthy of recognition.

Brahma in cuckoo The cuckoo colour was satisfactory, however the hens could have a bit more volume and a higher stance. A remark from the Standard Committee said the primaries were a bit narrow—we think comments like this are out of place when the birds are judged for a new colour variety. On the other hand, one would expect the exhibited birds to be of sufficient quality and vitality. It is a fact that the males have a lot of white in the tail feathers, so providing it is not extreme, it should be tolerated. In this colour, the underfeather should not be barred but greyish. Left: Brahma cuckoo cockerel with excellent tail colour and marking. Owner: J. Breden. Photo: J. IJpma.

Hamburgh bantam, hen feathered These were entered as lemon-blue pencilled, being one of the most difficult colours to breed. The males were hen feathered, although some feathers give away that they are males. Hen feathering is recognised in the large Hamburghs so it would be logical if the bantams were also recognised. We don’t know if the difficult colour shown will play a part in getting them recognised— entering an easier colour would probably have been a better choice. Right: Hen feathered Hamburgh bantam cockerel. Owner: S. de Haan. Photo: Klaas v.d. Hoek.

Appenzeller bearded bantam in black Black Appenzeller bantams are recognised abroad and are of very good quality. These four birds were really of sparkling quality and are a real asset to the fancy.

Below: Appenzeller bearded bantam male and female. Owner: D. Oonk. Photo’s: J. IJpma.

Wyandotte bantam in yellow partridge We were not pleased with the tails of the males, and the wing bay was too white—it should have been brownish/cream. One of the females had a yellow neck hackle but the body was almost the same colour as ‘normal’ partridge. The tails of the hens were not the proper Wyandotte shape.

Right: Yellow partridge Wyandotte bantam cockerel. Photo: Klaas van der Hoek.

Left: Wyandotte bantam pullet, yellow partridge. Photo: Klaas v.d. Hoek.

Chabo in lavender mottled This colour variety looked quite good, although some variation in colour depth could be noticed in the various birds. One cockerel showed beautiful tail sickles; in other cocks they were long and curved. Some chickens were a bit too large. The impression is justified that this colour variety will make it in the future.

Below, left: Lavender mottled Chabo male(Japanese bantam). Photo: J. IJpma. Below, right: Lavender mottled female. Photo: K. v.d. Hoek. Owners: B. te Hennepe and R. Prinsen.

Ohiki bantam in Black-breasted Silver

Previously Ohiki bantams have been recognised in gold / black breasted red variety, but the number of breeders appears to be very small. The fear that this will also be the fate of the new silver colour variety, hopefully, will not come true. The old hen shown did not excel in colour and peppering. If both young and old chickens do not match, it is difficult to get them recognised. More breeders should work on this variety together and enter the best birds. It is a nice breed, but has only reason to exist when more breeders are interested.

Left: Silver Ohiki female. Owner: H.J.M. Tinnevelt. Photo: J. IJpma.

Left: Silver Ohiki male. Owner: H.J.M. Tinnevelt. Photo: Klaas van der Hoek.

Below: Silver Ohiki male. Owner: H.J.M. Tinnevelt. Photo: J. IJpma.

Wood duck in Blue fawn These were entered in the waterfowl class. One of the two birds had a foreign leg band, and the thumb feathers were missing. The ducks were rather small, so more size is required. The regulations for standardising waterfowl are different to those of chickens and it is a good thing to consult these regulations.

Left: Blue fawn Wood duck, female. Owner: A. Meester. Photo: J. IJpma.

Time will tell to what extent breeders are interested in this colour variety, so this mutation should be presented for recognition in another two years.

Right: Blue fawn Wood duck, male. Owner: A. Meester. Photo: J. IJpma.

That concludes the birds presented for recognition. The following colour varieties had been entered for ‘approval’ from the Standard Committee to enter them next year for recognition.

Barnevelder in silver double laced A few years ago this colour variety was recognised in bantams and there is much interest in this colour. Inevitably, this colour should also be created in the large Barnevelders. The birds shown satisfied on all fronts, although the black outer lace should not be as broad in order to show sufficient silver ground colour. Also the proper marking of the inner lace needs some attention.

Above and right: Barnevelder male and female, silver double laced. Owner: G. Simmelink. Photos: J. IJpma.

Sabelpoot bantam in red white millefleur Through a misunderstanding, two red white millefleur Sabelpoots had been entered in the regular show class. The only hen penned here had pretty colour—but the white pearls need better definition and spread more regularly over the plumage. Breeder: G. Buitelaar (Note from the editor: Red white millefleur birds look like red mottled, but the white spangle is larger, because the black bar at the feather tip is also white. No photo available.)

Cochin bantam in bobtail At first sight one might wonder what colour variety this is. In short we could put it like this: head and neck are white, the remaining plumage is lavender. In one of the cockerels the colour difference was hardly noticeable. There was little fault to find in the type, although they were a little on the large size.

Left: Bobtail Cochin bantam pullet. Owners: H.A.J. Warnshuis and M.H. Bos- Broeils. Photo: J. IJpma.

Right: Bobtail Cochin bantam cockerel. Owners: H.A.J. Warnshuis and M.H. Bos- Broeils. Photo: J. IJpma.

Hamburg bantam in silver blue pencilled One has to be a real idealist to breed this variety. Blue dilutes black to blue, but it is incomplete dominant. One dose of blue makes all black blue. Two doses of blue in the one bird make it splash coloured. If you want to keep the blue, you should always breed back to black. Hopefully this variety will not be limited to the creator only. Breeder: S. de Haan. No photo available.

Shamo bantam in white This is an entirely new bantam breed and will be a nice addition within the group of game bantams. Concerning type, we noticed several characteristics of the varieties that have contributed to this creation, so some work still needs to be done. We feel they will surely succeed in the future. At that point, it is recommended to breed a few more generations. The colour was perfect.

Below: Shamo bantams. Owner: A.W.v.Wulfften Palthe. Photos: Klaas v.d. Hoek

In conclusion My impression is that a number of the colours entered for recognition had been presented too soon. The colour variety—but no less the type—requires much knowledge of the breeder. Those engaged with creating a new variety should consult the specialty club of that breed more often. Obtaining advice from appropriate expert judges is also highly recommended. Apart from that, more breeders should take part in the creation, to increase the gene pool. More breeding lines and exchange between them would provide more vitality and that is a prerequisite in new creations. When creating a new colour within an existing breed, it should be taken in mind that it will take at least seven generations of breeding—often substantially more—to achieve some success. Breeds entered for recognition that have already proven their right to exist abroad, will smoothly pass the approval. However, one should be aware that some breeds abroad differ rather strongly from ours. It is important to study this before steps are taken.

In June we hope to inform you which colour varieties have been recognised.

The following report is on the recognition of the Serama. SERAMA GOING FOR RECOGNITION Author: Berta van der Meer. Photos: Berta van der Meer en Klaas Dillema. Websites www.deseramaclub.nl and www.seramaverenigingnederland.nl

The Serama has been on the rise over the last few years. Many people have been infected with the ‘virus’ called Serama; a small, perky and affectionate bantam— native of Malaysia—that quickly captures the heart. During the past two years, the two Dutch Serama Breeders’ Clubs organised various promotional exhibitions at both small and large poultry shows. Due to this high visibility, the Serama has a strong future. They stand on the table, so relaxed even when touched by everyone—and no, they are not glued to the table, as many have asked. Everywhere you hear about the aging population of chicken breeders, but it is the Serama that attracts many new breeders of all ages. Partly because of the size; they can very well be kept in small coops and are regularly kept in urban areas. The breed is certainly not easily bred but is so worth the effort. During the past year the two Serama Breeders’ Clubs, together with several judges, have been working on the Dutch standard description and the standard drawing. Both clubs entered a number of Seramas for recognition at the Noordshow; 18 birds were shown in the cages. The Serama is judged differently to other chicken breeds. It is a special chicken that also needs to be judged in a special way. Type and character are the two most important things at the judging—the colour is totally subservient—hence, all colours will be allowed. The judging takes place on a pedestal, where they must present themselves, with only minor hand movements needed to make them show their best. This was something the gentlemen of the standard commission had to get used to. All varieties were present at the Noordshow, entered by the members of both clubs: Seramaclub Nederland and Seramavereniging Nederland.

Normal feathereds have been improved a lot over the last years, concerning weight, type, back length and comb.

Left and below: Silky feathered Serama.

Also Silky feathered have improved, in particular the last two years. Not just in

type and back length, but also in feather structure. Above: Two frizzle Serama pullets.

Frizzle The frizzle is fine, but the back is still too long, same as in the silkie variety some years ago. Also the wings are a bit too long. The parents of these frizzle birds are normally feathered. The breeder will find out by means of experimental matings whether the frizzling is a recessive gene, inherited from the ‘Kapas Walik’ frizzle chicken—that played a role in the Serama's ancestry—or that a modifier gene is involved, suppressing the frizzle, so that the frizzle gene is present but not showing. The judge reports by the Standard Committee were fairly positive. Now we have to wait until June, hoping the Serama will be standardised in the Netherlands .

Left: Standard drawing by Berta van der Meer.

Editor's note: Klaas v.d. Hoek, Judge / Standard Commit- tee, informed us that discussions with representatives from the two Serama breeders’ clubs revealed that they are very particular about their own identity of Serama. They should be judged differently, including such things as the character of the bird, weight classes and ignoring the ‘known’ colour variations. The current judging system of bantams does not allow for these issues to be properly assessed. Therefore, at the next annual meeting the Poultry Union a proposal to consider the Serama as a separate group of birds will be debated, and thus separate rules could be applied to the breed. The future of the Serama will be known after the meeting.