Lincolnshire Buff Breed Standard
Origin: British
Classification: Heavy
Egg colour: Light brown
A dual purpose utility breed found mainly in its native Lincolnshire. During the 19th and early 20th Century, it was supplied in vast numbers to the London markets as a white fleshed table bird and was widely sold as a good winter layer. Standardisation of the Buff Orpington, which many at the time considered to be a refined Lincolnshire Buff, lead to its demise in name by the 1920s, although its genetic material still lived on in the Orpington albeit in a much modified form. In the 1980s, the breed was redeveloped in Lincolnshire using this genetic material, with the addition of that of the Cochin and Dorking.
General Characteristics:
Male
Carriage: Alert, upright, with bold appearance.
Type: Body large, deep and moderately long. Back broad, saddle feathers medium length and abundant. Breast broad with well rounded keel bone, long and straight. Wings moderately large and carried horizontally. Tail medium size and carried well out, with well curved sickles.
Head: Head strong. Beak stout. Eyes large and bright. Comb to be single, upright and straight, medium size, free from side sprigs, smooth and fine in texture, with five or six evenly serrated spikes. Face smooth. Wattles medium size, rounded, and of fine texture. Ear lobes fine in texture.
Neck: Medium length with full hackle.
Legs and Feet: Free from any feather. Legs set well apart, thighs large and medium length. Toes five, the three front toes to be large, round, long and straight but well spread. The fourth toe should be as near as possible to that of a four toed bird, with the fifth toe quite separate, placed above, curving backwards and upwards.
Plumage: Close and free from unnecessary fluff. Feathers broad.
Female
The general characteristics are similar to those of the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences.
Colour
Male Plumage: Back, neck and saddle hackles a rich orange, wing bow coverts copper, wing bar coverts chestnut. A degree of umber (very dark brown to dull black with no sheen) on some main wing feathers and axials. Tail side hangers and sickles bronze to copper, main tail feathers bronze to copper, shading into umber. Remainder of the plumage ginger buff to the skin.
Female Plumage: Back, neck, wings, saddle and tail ginger buff. A small degree or no umber on some main wing feathers and axials. Neck hackle with sheen. Tail with darker shading up to umber at the end. Remainder of plumage a lighter shade of ginger buff to the skin.
In both sexes: Beak white to horn. Eyes bright orange. Comb, face, lobes and wattles bright red. Legs and feet white sometimes with horn shading on the front scales and in males in breeding condition, a line of reddish pigment down the outer sides of the shanks.
Serious Defects Mealiness in surface colour. Grey under colour. White in plumage, face and/or lobes. Any green-black in plumage. Lopped or beefy comb. Visible umber in the closed wing. Excess fluff.
Disqualifications Any deformity. Absence of fifth toe. Leg colour other than as described. Any feathers on legs.
Weights
Cock 4.00 – 5.00kg (9 – 11lb) Cockerel 3.10 – 4.00kg (7 – 9lb)
Hen 3.10 – 4.00kg (7 – 9lb) Pullet 2.90 – 3.60kg (6 – 8lb)
Scale of Points
Type 20
Colour 20
Size 20
Head 10
Feet/Legs and 5th toe 10
Dual purpose utility qualities 10
Condition 10
Total 100
BANTAM
Lincolnshire Buff bantams should follow exactly the large fowl standard.
Weights
Cock 1 – 1.3kg (40oz) Cockerel 0.980kg (34oz)
Hen 0.980kg (34oz) Pullet 0.850kg (30oz)