General Formation For All Varieties
(Except Oriental Turbits)

Head

          Size: Large but balanced in proportion to size of the bird. Using the eyeball as the unit for size, the placement of the other characters and their comparative size or shapes surrounding it gives the head its size and type.

        In Profile: Frontal, high and rounded with good top skull over the eye, showing no flatness on crown in the sweep to the peak of crest. Highest point of skull located at a perpendicular line drawn at the front of the eyeball to the top of the skull, just before the "rollover". The roundness should rise more perpendicularly from the beak, giving a bulging appearance to the frontal, such roundness not circular as a coin. The bulge should be as prominent as possible in the profile. The perfect curva­ture of frontal is promoted by a decided "downfaced aspect" — not to be confused with the "downheaded look".

 

   If the rollover in the sweep lacks rise due to a poor top skull, but slopes down-ward all the way from the top skull to the nose, the sweep will not have the proper outline. Such birds, when possessed of a wide nose and stout beak, both of which are very highly prized, frequently appear — to the inexperienced fancier — to be better in skull properties than others equally good in nose and beak, but having a better frontal. The two properties with a poor frontal are more conspicuous.

      The whole profile (sweep of skull), grand in outline, forming one smooth, continu­ous unbroken curve, from the tip of the upper mandible up over the nose, frontal top skull, and back skull, to the point o the peaked crest, showing no break at the juncture of beak and wattle or at the top of the wattle. (See "Peaked Crest" to complete the description of outline of profile).

       When Viewed in Front: Full fronted, the frontal broad between the eyes and well filled, wide at gape, lores full, cheeks prominent, and top skull arched from side to side. Bulge width brought forward from the top of skull and down, full, blending perfectly with the nose wattle, lores and short, stout beak. Depth of top skull, full­ness of. cheeks and adequate gullet are required to attain the desired over-all "depth of head".

 

       When Viewed from Above: Frontal, full and prominent width between the eyes carried forward and down full and in a bulging manner, blending smoothly into the nose wattles; frontal free of "pinched-effect" between wattles and eyes.

Beak

          Both mandibles short, thick and stout, blunt on ends; upper mandible well curved downward continuing the unbroken sweep of frontal Lower mandible meeting and supporting the upper, both of equal sub-stance. The line between the mandibles should be straight, which line, if extended backward, would intersect a (level) hori­zontal line from the frontal through the lower part of the eye.

Beak Wattle and Gullet

        Wattle: Heart-shaped, fine in texture, size in keeping with the size of head. Smooth and showing no break when viewed in profile or from above.

 

        Gullet: Well developed, to drop straight down from lower mandible to the begin­ning of the frill.

Gape

Gape, wide between corners of mouth, such width when carried forward to give a U-shaped appearance inside the mouth. 

Eye and Eye Cere

  Eye: Large, bright and prominent. Color of eye in Satinettes called bull-eye, being in iris a blackish brown with a black pupil. In Blondinettes red, orange, gravel or "false-pearl" in keeping with the plummage of the bird.

Eye Cere: A fine line neat in texture encircling the eye lids. In color, Satinettes, as near flesh white as possible; Blondinettes, a color harmonizing with the plummage but in no event red.

Peaked Crest

Needle pointed, upright and centrally located (when viewed from front or back), beginning at a point slightly below the top of the back skull and rising from a well-defined mane to a point slightly above the highest point of skull when the head is in a horizontal position. The point of peak must not sag down below the sweep of skull, nor must it rise directly off the back of the head as if the skull were an oval.

Neck and Mane

Medium length, thick, broad at base, with a well-arched, unbroken mane. When viewed from side should give great width to neck considering mane and gullet not to be a slender or "storky" neck.

 

Size

 About nine inches from front of breast to tip of tail and nine inches from floor to crown of skull. 

Flights and Tail

 

Flights: Short and carried compactly over the tail; ten primary and ten secon­dary feathers in each wing. No "roach-wings" allowed.

 

Tail: Twelve main feathers in tail, short and folded compactly, carried just clear of the floor and continuing the wedge shape of the body.

Body Feathers

Compact and firm, but of a fine texture.

Body Type

Cobby, symmetrical, plump and compact, broad across the shoulders and when viewed from above, tapering acutely to wedge-shape toward the tip of the tail. Depth of body, in profile, full from the shoulders to the keel to further the overall wedge-shape appearance.

Carriage

Erect, elegant, alert and graceful; the eye carried in a perpendicular line above the ball of the foot with the breast thrown out prominently, protruding beyond the wing butts, the wing butts to be covered by the breast feathering.

Frill

As much as possible well covering the chest.

Legs and Feet

Thighs full and legs of a length and setting designed to prompt proper balance of carriage; legs and toes covered with feathers continuing down to toenails, presenting a medium feather muffed covering (except Dominoes and Oriental Turbits which should have clean legs).

Show Condition

 In order for a bird to display its best qualities, it should be in full feather and otherwise in the peak of show condition.

Disqualification

 

1.      No, frill whatsoever

2.           Over trimming

3.           Coloring of feathers or any artificial alteration of structural formation.

4.           Out of condition from disease.

5.          Any decided deformity.

6.           External parasites – Lice, Mites, Etc.

 

(NOTE) Trimming of beak and toenails with scissors and/or file is permissible and is not to be considered objectionable.

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Copyright 2006 All Rights Reserved by the American Oriental Frill Club

Revised Sunday, April 29, 2007