Standard Description

The following is paraphrased from the Bantam Standard, © 1997 American Bantam Association

Black Rosecomb cockerel


Weight

cock: 26 ounces (740 grams)
cockerel: 22 ounces (625 grams)
hen: 22 ounces (625 grams)
pullet: 20 ounces (570 grams)

Shape of Male

COMB: Rose--square front, tapering to where the spike begins, sitting firmly and evenly on the head. The top should be evenly covered with fine points, and free from hollows. The spike should be round from the base to the tip (not a blade!), long, tapering to a fine point, and tilted slightly upward.

BEAK: Short, strong, and nicely curved.

FACE: Fine in texture--free from wrinkles, folds, or bristles.

EYES: Bold, conspicuous, large in diameter.

WATTLES: Firm, broad, fine in texture, well rounded, and free from wrinkles or folds.

EAR LOBES: Prominent, flat, and absolutely round with rounded edges. Smooth, of uniform texture all over, and fitting closely to the head. Large in comparison to the size of the bird.

HEAD: Medium sized, and carried well back in a proud manner.

NECK: Well arched, smaller toward the head and "bull-necked" at the base.

HACKLE: Falling gracefully and plentifully over the shoulders, well down over the back.

BACK: Moderately short and broad from shoulders to tail, giving a somewhat concave appearance. There should be no break where the back joins the tail.

SADDLE: Feathers abundant and long. Lower saddle should fill the space between the stern and the wing tips.

TAIL: Main tail--carried well back at angle of 40 degrees above the horizontal, well expanded but not extending beyond the sickles. Broad feathers. Sickles--broad, long, and very well curved. Lesser sickles--broad, abundant, and well curved. Coverts--abundant and nicely curved.

WINGS: Long, carried well back, with the points concealing the back half of the thighs, but not the hocks.

BREAST: Full, round, and carried well up and forward. Should extend farther forward than a vertical line drawn down through from the point of the beak.

BODY & STERN: Body--short but with good depth and width. Stern--flat, broad, and thick. Fluff short and abundant.

LEGS & TOES: Legs--short, well set apart, and parallel to each other. In profile they should be in the center of the body, below the back. Lower thighs--short, stout at top, and tapering to the hocks. Shanks--rather short, round, smooth, scales neatly overlapping. Spurs--small, fine, set low. Toes--four, straight, well and evenly scaled.

APPEARANCE: Proud, alert, graceful, the back showing one continuous sweeping curve from neck to tail.

Shape of Female
*to avoid redundancy, body parts that should be the same as those on the male will not be re-written*

NECK: Medium length, tapering, and nicely arched.

HACKLE: Abundant, and falling gracefully over the shoulders and back.

CUSHION: Full, feathers abundant.

TAIL: Carried well back, full, well expanded, broad feathers, and held at an angle of 35 degrees above the horizontal. Main tail--feathers broad, long. Top two tail feathers somewhat concaved. Coverts--broad, very long, flowing well up the tail.

APPEARANCE: Sprightly, graceful, and alert, the back showing one continuous sweeping curve from neck to tail.

Disqualifications

1) White in the face of a cockerel or pullet.
2) Comb that is lopped or that follows the contour of the head and neck.
3) Inverted spike.
4) Absence of spike.

Defects

1) Beefy, concave, hollowed, or oversized comb.
2) Spike that is blade-shaped, or other than round.
3) Short and crooked spike.
4) Black in the face, in all varieties EXCEPT birchen and brown red.
5) White in the face of a cock or hen.
6) Ear lobes that are too thin, have a blown up appearance, are disc-shaped or have hollow centers.
7) Small and narrow head.
8) Unduly long, straight, or slim neck.
9) Long and/or narrow back.
10) Narrow and/or shallow breast.
11) Tail with narrow mail tail or sickle feathers, carried too low, or with overdone appearance.
12) Abrupt break at the juncture of back and tail.
13) Wings carried too tightly, too low, or too high.
14) Feathers too loose, long, narrow, and/or fluffy (or feathers that are too tight and skimpy).
15) Stiltiness in carriage.
16) Coarseness of bone.
17) Appearance of being off balance in front and overdone in the rear, resemblance to Leghorn or Sumatra type.

COLOR OF MALE AND FEMALE BY VARIETY
*ALL varieties have WHITE ear lobes*

 

 Comb, Face, Wattles

 Beak

 Eyes

 Shanks & Toes
Barred

 bright red

 light horn

 reddish bay

 dusky white
Birchen

 dark red (mulberry)

 black

 brown

 black
Black

 bright red

 black

 brown

 black
Black Breasted Red

 bright red

horn, shaded with black

 reddish bay

 bluish slate
Black Tailed Red

 bright red

 horn

 reddish bay

 pinkish white
Blue

 bright red

 approaching black

 brown

 bluish slate
Blue Red

 bright red

 swarthy horn

 red

 bluish slate
Brown Red

 dark red (mulberry)

 black

 brown

 black
Buff

 bright red

pinkish white

 reddish bay

 pinkish white
Buff Columbian

 bright red

 light horn

 reddish bay

 bluish slate
Columbian

 bright red

 light horn

 reddish bay

 pinkish white
Crele

 bright red

 light horn

 reddish bay

 pinkish white
Exchequer

 bright red

 light horn to bluish black

 reddish bay

 bluish slate
Ginger Red

 bright red

 horn, shaded with black

 reddish bay

 bluish slate
Golden Duckwing

 bright red

 dusky horn

 reddish bay

 light gray slate
Lemon Blue

 dark red (mulberry)

 black

 brown

 black
Mille Fleur

 bright red

 dusky horn

 reddish bay

 bluish slate
Mottled

 bright red

 dusky horn

 brown

 pinkish white, mottled with black
Porcelain

 bright red

 dusky horn

 reddish bay

 bluish slate
Quail

 bright red

horn, shaded with gray 

 brown

 slaty blue
Red

 bright red

 horn

 reddish bay

 pinkish white
Red Pyle

 bright red

 horn

 reddish bay

 pinkish white
Silver Duckwing

 bright red

 dusky horn

 dark red

 light gray slate
Splash

 bright red

 light horn to bluish black

 reddish bay

 bluish slate
Wheaten

 bright red

 horn

 reddish bay

 white, tinged with pink
White

 bright red

 very light horn

 reddish bay

 white, tinged with pink

 

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