Large fowl

Origin: Asia

Classification: Heavy, soft feather

Egg colour: Tinted

Weight: Large fowl; male 4.55 – 5.9kg, female 4.1 – 5kg

History

Originally from China, it was imported as the Shanghai, later becoming known as the Cochin-China. Its enormous size and table qualities made it very popular, and it was an excellent layer. Sadly its ‘improvement’ for exhibition has lost these utility aspects, with it now being selected for feather and fluff. There is no bantam version.

Characteristics

Male

Carriage: massive and deep. Carriage rather forward, high at stern and dignified.

Type: body large and deep. Back broad and very short. Saddle very broad and large with a gradual and decided rise to the tail, forming a harmonious line with it. Breast broad and full, as low down as possible. Wings small and closely clipped up, the flights being neatly and entirely tucked under the secondaries. Tail small, soft, with as little hard quill as possible, and carried low or nearly flat.

Head: small. Beak rather short, curved and very stout at base. Eyes large and fairly prominent. Comb singe, upright, small perfectly straight, of fine texture, neatly arched and evenly serrated, free from excrescences. Face smooth, as free as possible from fathers or hairs. Ear-lobes are sufficiently developed to hang nearly or quite as low as the wattles, which are thin, long and pendant.

Neck: rather short, carried somewhat forward, handsomely curved, thickly furnished with hackle feathers, which flow gracefully over shoulders.

Legs and feet: thighs large and thickly covered with fluffy feathers standing out in globular form; hocks entirely covered with soft curling feathers, but as free as possible from any stiff quills (vulture hocks). Shanks short, stout in bone, plumage long, beginning just below hocks and covering front and outer sides of shanks, from which it should be outstanding; the upper part growing out from under thigh plumage and continuing into foot feathering. There should be no marked break in the outlines between the plumage of these sections. Toes, four, well spread, straight; middle and outer toes heavily feathered to ends. Slight feathering of other two toes is a good sign to breeders.

Female

Similar to the male, allowing for normal sexual differences. Combs and wattles as small as possible. The body more square than the male’s and the shoulders more prominent. The back very flat, wide and short, with the cushion exceedingly broad, full and convex, rising from as far forward as possible and almost burying the tail. Wings nearly buried in abundant feathering and the tail very small. Breast full, as low as possible. General shape of ‘lumpy’, massive and square. Carriage is forward, high at cushion with a matronly appearance.

Colours

Black, blue, buff, cuckoo, partridge, grouse, white.

In both sexes beak yellow or horn. Comb, face, ear-lobes and wattles  bright red. Eyes pearl or bright red. Legs brilliant yellow.

Defects

Primary wing feathers twisted on their axes. Utter absence of leg feather. Badly twisted or falling comb. Legs other than yellow or dusky yellow. Black spots in buffs, brown mottling (if conspicuous) in partridge males, or pale breasts destitute of pencilling in partridge females. White or black feathers in cuckoos. Crooked back, squirrel tail or any other deformity.