There
well over one hundred breeds and varieties of poultry in this
country, with many others in existence throughout the world. Each
of these breeds has distinct attributes and character, and is
classified by The Poultry Club accordingly. This can also be based
on a breed's historical origins, original purpose, popularity,
or size.
Two
sizes of fowl exist - Large Fowl and Bantam. Both sizes can be
found in many breeds, the Bantam version having been created as
a miniature of the Large. 'True Bantams', are those with no Large
Fowl counterpart and the breeds under this heading are usually
for ornamental purposes. Waterfowl are similarly divided into
'Light', 'Medium' and 'Heavy' Geese, and 'Heavy', 'Light', and
'Bantam' Duck.
In
fowl, another important distinction is that made between 'Hard'
and 'Soft' feather breeds. Generally speaking, the 'Hard' feather
breeds are the 'Game' varieties, whose historical origins lie
in the outlawed pursuit of cockfighting. Having been developed
over generations for exhibition purposes, they would be most unsuitable
for this now. As the term suggests, they also have tighter feathering.
The 'Soft' feather breeds are those remaining.
Although
many of the breeds, and varieties or sizes within a breed, are
very rare, the Poultry Club classifies 'Rare' breeds as those
without their own specialist Breed Club or Society. The 'Rare
Breeds' are looked after by a Breed Club known as 'The Rare Poultry
Society'. You can also access contact details for all the UK
Breed Clubs and their websites here.
You
can view our 'Breed Gallery' by using the links provided below.
Here you will find a brief, illustrated guide to a small selection
of poultry breeds, with its history, and the colours and varieties
available
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Hard Feather
A selection of Hard Feather fowl varieties,
including Old English Game Bantam, Old English Game, and Modern
Game. |
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Soft Feather Heavy
A selection of the Soft Feather Heavy Breeds,
including Orpington, Sussex, Plymouth Rock, Wyandotte, and
Rhode Island Red. |
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Soft Feather Light
A selection of the Soft Feather Light Breeds,
including Ancona, Leghorn, Minorca, Poland, and Silkie. |
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True Bantam
A selection of the True Bantam Breeds, including
Pekin, Rosecomb, Sebright, Belgian, Dutch, and Japanese. |
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Rare Breeds
A selection of the Rare Breeds, including Andalusian,
Norfolk Grey, and Houdan. |
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Turkey
A selection of the Turkey varieties, including
White and Narragansett. |
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Waterfowl: Duck
A selection of the Duck Breeds, including Call,
Orpington, Silver Appleyard, and Pekin. |
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