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 Malay
Large fowl Origin: Asia Classification: Asian Hardfeather Egg colour: Tinted Weight: Large fowl; male 5kg, female 4.1kg. Bantam; male 1190-1360g,
At the first poultry show in England in 1845 the Malay had its classification and in the first British Book of Standards in 1865 descriptions were included of both the black/red and white Malay. One of the oldest breeds, the Malay reached this country as early as 1830 and our breeders developed it, particularly in Cornwall and Devon. At the turn of the 20th century, the Malay was bantamised, the bantams proving to be more popular than the large fowl. They were large in comparison to other bantams and it’s hard to reduce size further without losing the typical large fowl characteristics. They should follow the large fowl standard in every respect except weight.
Characteristics Male Type and carriage: fierce, gaunt and erect, high in front, sloping at stern. Hard, clean cut-up appearance. The profile of neck hackle, back and upper feathers of tail should form a succession of three curves. Body: extremely firm and muscular. Wide fronted, short and tapering. Shoulders broad and square. Breast: deep and full, generally devoid of feathers at point of keel. Back: short and sloping, with convex outline. Saddle narrow and sloping. Wings: large, strong, carried high, held closely to the sides and devoid of feathers at point. Wing butts prominent and well up. Tail: of moderate length, drooping but not whipped. Sickles narrow and only slightly curved. Head: very broad across the skull, with well projecting overhanging eyebrows, giving a cruel expression. Beak short, strong and curved downwards but not hooked. The profile of the beak should follow that of the skull; the two should resemble a semicircle in shape. Eyes deep set. Comb shaped like a half walnut, small, set well forward, and as free as possible from irregularities. Face smooth. Ear lobes and wattles small and fine or absent. Neck: long and upright, with a slight curve, thick from the gullet to back of skull. Bare skin on throat extending a long way down the neck, lightly covered with small hair-like feathers. Hackle full at base of skull, but very short and scant elsewhere. Legs and feet: legs long and strong boned, set well on the front of the body – in keeping with the balance of the bird. Thighs muscular with very little feather, leaving the hocks clearly exposed. Shanks free of feathers, neatly scaled, flat at the hocks and gradually rounding to the spurs, which should have a downward curve. Toes four, long and straight with powerful nails, hind toe firm on the ground. Plumage: very short, hard, narrow and scant. Handling: extremely firm fleshed and muscular.
Female With the exception of the tail, which is carried slightly above the horizontal line, well ‘played; as is flexible at the joint, rather short and square and neither fanned nor whipped, the general characteristics are similar to the male, allowing for normal sexual differences.
Colours Black, black-red, pile, spangled, white. In both sexes and all colours, beak yellow or horn. Legs and feet rich yellow, although in the black a slight duskiness may be overlooked. Comb, face, throat, wattles and earlobes are brilliant red. Eyes pearl, white, yellow or daw with a green shade, but the lighter the better. Red or foxy tinge is very objectionable. However, it is acceptable for young birds to have slightly darker eyes than adults.
Defects
Lack of attitude. Any clear evidence of an alien cross. Lack of size, Single,spreading or pea comb, red eye, bow legs, knock knees, bad feet.
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