List of chicken colours
Appearance
Breeders and fanciers of chickens accurately describe the colours and patterns[1] of the feathers of chicken breeds and varieties. This is a list of the terms used in this context.
Self[edit]
Self-coloured chickens are those which display one solid colour without patterning of any kind.
Colour | Cock | Hen | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Black | ![]() |
Green iridescence is desired for "beetle black" show chickens. | |
Blue | ![]() Sumatra |
![]() dark blue-laced Andalusian |
|
Splash or Blue Splashed White | ![]() Sumatra |
![]() Silkie |
Splash is the homozygous form of Blue |
Buff | ![]() |
||
Lavender | ![]() |
Red lavender |
|
Red | ![]() |
![]() |
Red is the intensified version of Buff |
White | ![]() |
![]() |
Barred and cuckoo[edit]
Columbian, belted[edit]
Colour | Cock | Hen | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
White Columbian | ![]() Sundheimer |
Called 'light' in the Brahma and Sussex[2] | |
Buff Columbian | ![]() |
||
Golden Belted | ![]() |
![]() |
Belted resembles Columbian but the head and neck are solid black, not merely striped |
Silver Belted | ![]() cock and hen |
![]() chick |
Duckwing[edit]
Colour | Cock | Hen | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Golden Duckwing | |||
Blue Golden Duckwing | |||
Silver Duckwing | ![]() |
||
Blue Silver Duckwing | |||
Fawn Silver Duckwing | ![]() |
Laced[edit]
Colour | Cock | Hen | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Black Laced | not used; black-laced plumage is named after the red series colour instead: "golden laced" for black and red, "citron laced" for black and buff, "silver laced" for black and white | ||
Blue Laced | ![]() |
![]() |
|
Blue Laced Red | ![]() |
![]() |
|
Buff Laced | ![]() |
Alternatively known as Chamois.[3] | |
Golden Laced | ![]() Sebright |
![]() |
|
Silver Laced | ![]() |
![]() |
Pencilled[edit]
Colour | Cock | Hen | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Birchen | Sometimes called Grey in Japanese bantams. | ||
Golden Pencilled | |||
Silver Pencilled | ![]() |
Mottled, spangled, mille fleur[edit]
Colour | Cock | Hen | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Blue Mottled | |||
Citron Spangled | ![]() |
||
Golden Spangled | ![]() |
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Silver Spangled | ![]() |
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Mille Fleur | ![]() |
![]() |
Called 'speckled' in the Sussex. |
Lemon Mille Fleur | |||
Porcelain | A diluted version of Mille Fleur |
Black-tailed[edit]
Colour | Cock | Hen | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Black-tailed Buff | ![]() |
||
Black-tailed White | ![]() |
||
Black-tailed red | ![]() |
Black-breasted[edit]
Colour | Cock | Hen | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Black Breasted Red | ![]() |
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Blue Breasted Red | ![]() |
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Partridge | ![]() |
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Wheaten | ![]() |
||
Blue Wheaten |
Others[edit]
Colour | Cock | Hen | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Brassy Back | |||
Blue Brassy Back | |||
Blue Light Brown | |||
Blue-red | |||
Brown | |||
Brown Red | Sometimes called Gold Birchen. | ||
Coloured | |||
Coronation | |||
Cream Light Brown | ![]() |
||
Dark brown | |||
Exchequer | Found only in Leghorns with the exception of Serama.[4] | ||
Ginger Red | |||
Golden Neck | |||
Golden-necked mille fleur | |||
Gray | |||
Lemon Blue | |||
Light Brown | |||
Pyle | Alternatively spelt Pile. | ||
Red Pyle | |||
Quail | ![]() |
![]() |
|
Salmon | |||
Silver Blue | ![]() |
![]() |
|
Silver Gray | |||
Splash | ![]() |
||
Tolbunt | Seen only in Polish chickens | ||
White Laced Red | |||
Chocolate | Sex-linked recessive. Found rarely in Orpingtons and Wyandottes.[5] |
References[edit]
- ^ All About Chickens: All the chicken colours under the sun Archived 2012-06-06 at the Wayback Machine Accessed January 2012.
- ^ David Scrivener (2014). Popular Poultry Breeds. Ramsbury: Crowood. ISBN 9781847979711.
- ^ Wright, Lewis (2005). The new book of poultry. Ripol Classic Publishing House. p. 447. ISBN 9785878653336. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
- ^ scnaonline.org
- ^ Li; Bed'hom; Marthay; et al. (20 November 2018). "A missense mutation in TYRP1 causes the chocolate plumage color in chicken and alters melanosome structure" (PDF). Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research. doi:10.1111/pcmr.12753.