Blue Laced Wyandottes (Bantam)
We currently run a breeding pen of these birds with two cockerels available of equal standard. One 3 years and the other 13 months old. These are swapped intermittently to ensure best fertility. The darker Cock bird in the photos is an early bird I used which was better for producing darker offspring or gold laced. The cockerels used now are specifically for blue laced or blue laced red if you are in the US. I have worked really hard on this breed since starting with them a few years ago, and feel the progeny that is produced by the current breeding pen is the best so far. Our birds produce blue laced birds that I would say are some of the best in the UK. This is just my opinion. They are a prolific layer of creamy white eggs of a good size, probably equivalent to a supermarket medium egg. Markings are beautiful and the birds make a lovely garden bird, but prefer to free range as much as possible. A very hardy breed in my experience, not easy to breed to get the colouring and markings right, but a joy once you have. Almost impossible to get good photos, as they are incredibly active!
Please note: if you are interested in buying blue laced birds from us, prices start at £30 a bird. Please bear in mind that a pure breeding pen of blue laced produces potentially 25% splash laced and 25% gold laced and only 50% will be blue laced of which potentially 50% could be cock birds!!! So if you are genuinely interested in quality birds then you might have to wait.
Please note: if you are interested in buying blue laced birds from us, prices start at £30 a bird. Please bear in mind that a pure breeding pen of blue laced produces potentially 25% splash laced and 25% gold laced and only 50% will be blue laced of which potentially 50% could be cock birds!!! So if you are genuinely interested in quality birds then you might have to wait.
Wyandotte Breed Standard
Breed Information:
The first variety of the Wyandotte family was the silver laced, originated in America, where it was standardised in 1883. The variety was introduced into England at the time, and our breeders immediately perfected the lacings and open ground colouring. Partridge Cochin and gold spangled Hamburgh males were crossed with the silver females, to produce the gold laced variety. The white Wyandotte came as a sport from the silver laced; the buff followed by crossing buff Cochin with the silver laced. In 1896, the partridge variety was introduced from America, the result of blending partridge Cochin and Indian Game blood with that of the gold laced, the variety being perfected for markings in England. It was once called the gold pencilled, and the silver pencilled soon followed from partridge Wyandotte and dark Brahma crossings.
Columbians were the result of crossing the white Wyandotte with the barred Rock, and it was the crossing of the gold laced and the white varieties which produced the buff laced and the blue laced, first seen here in 1897. Blacks, blues and barred have been made in different ways in this country. The latest variety to be introduced is the red, created in Lancashire, from the gold laced variety, with selective matings with white Wyandotte, Barnevelder and Rhode Island Red. It is clear that while the family of the Wyandotte is large, every variety is a made one from various blendings of breeds.
Male:
Carriage: Graceful, well balanced, alert and active, but docile.
Type: Body short and deep with well-rounded sides. Back, broad and short with full and broad saddle rising with a concave sweep to the tail. Breast full, broad and round with a straight keel bone. Wings of medium size, nicely folded to the side. Tail medium size but full and spread at the base, the main feathers carried rather upright, the sickles of medium length.
Head: Short and broad. Beak stout and well curved. Eyes, intelligent and prominent. Comb, rose, firmly and evenly set on head, medium in height and width, low, and square at front, gradually tapering towards the back and terminating in a well-defined spike (or leader) which should follow the curve of the neck without any upward tendency. The top should be oval and covered with small and rounded points; the side outline being convex to conform to the shape of the skull. Face smooth and fine in texture. Ear-lobes oblong, wattles medium length, fine in texture.
Neck: Of medium length and well arched with full hackle.
Legs and feet: Thighs of medium length, well covered with soft feathers; the fluff fairly close and silky. Shanks medium in length, strong, well rounded, good quality, and free of feather or fluff. Toes, four, straight and well spread.
Plumage: Fairly close and silky, not too abundant or fluffy.
Female
The general characteristics are similar to those of the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences.
The Silver Laced
Male plumage: Head silvery-white. Neck silvery-white with clear black stripe through the centre of each feather (white shaft is permissible), free from ticks. Saddle: hackles to match neck. Back silvery-white, free from yellow or straw colour. Shoulder tip white laced with black. Wing bow silvery-white; wing coverts evenly laced, forming at least two well defined bars; secondaries black on inner and wide white strip on outer web, the edge laced with black; primaries or flights black on inner web and broadly laced white on outer edge. Breast and underparts: the web white with well-defined jet-black lacing, free from double or white outer lacing, lacing regular from throat to back of thighs, showing green lustre. A shaft may be found in the laced feathers and is permissible but undesirable. Undercolour dark slate. Tail: true tail feathers, sickles and coverts black with green lustre. Thighs and fluff black-slate with clear lacing round the hocks and outer side of thighs.
Female plumage: Head silvery-white. Neck silvery-white with clear black stripe through the centre of each feather (white shaft is permissible), free from ticks. Breast and back: undercolour dark slate, web white with regular, well defined jet black lacing, free from double or outer lacing and showing green lustre. A shaft may be found in the laced feathers and is permissible but undesirable. Wings same as back on the broad portion; secondaries and primaries as in the cock. Tail black showing green lustre, the coverts black with a white centre to each feather. Thighs and fluff black or dark slate.
The other varieties are identical to the silver laced except for differences in ground colours and markings (i.e. lacing and striping).
We breed Blue Laced which produce the following as offspring:
The Gold Laced
Ground colour rich golden bay; markings black.
The Blue Laced
Ground colour red-brown; markings clear blue, yellow in male neck hackle is not acceptable.
The Buff Laced
Ground colour rich buff; markings white.
Note: In all colours and sexes, regularity of lacing to count above any breadth of lacing. Brightness and uniformity of ground colour to be considered of more value than any particular shade.
In both sexes and all colours
Beak, legs and feet yellow or horn, which may dilute to straw in adults or laying pullets. Yellow preferred. Eyes bright bay, orange or red. Bright bay preferred.
Wyandotte bantams are miniatures of the large fowl and the standards in every respect are the same, with the exception of weights and some scales of points.
Weight:
Male not to exceed 1.70 kg
Female not to exceed 1.36 kg
The first variety of the Wyandotte family was the silver laced, originated in America, where it was standardised in 1883. The variety was introduced into England at the time, and our breeders immediately perfected the lacings and open ground colouring. Partridge Cochin and gold spangled Hamburgh males were crossed with the silver females, to produce the gold laced variety. The white Wyandotte came as a sport from the silver laced; the buff followed by crossing buff Cochin with the silver laced. In 1896, the partridge variety was introduced from America, the result of blending partridge Cochin and Indian Game blood with that of the gold laced, the variety being perfected for markings in England. It was once called the gold pencilled, and the silver pencilled soon followed from partridge Wyandotte and dark Brahma crossings.
Columbians were the result of crossing the white Wyandotte with the barred Rock, and it was the crossing of the gold laced and the white varieties which produced the buff laced and the blue laced, first seen here in 1897. Blacks, blues and barred have been made in different ways in this country. The latest variety to be introduced is the red, created in Lancashire, from the gold laced variety, with selective matings with white Wyandotte, Barnevelder and Rhode Island Red. It is clear that while the family of the Wyandotte is large, every variety is a made one from various blendings of breeds.
Male:
Carriage: Graceful, well balanced, alert and active, but docile.
Type: Body short and deep with well-rounded sides. Back, broad and short with full and broad saddle rising with a concave sweep to the tail. Breast full, broad and round with a straight keel bone. Wings of medium size, nicely folded to the side. Tail medium size but full and spread at the base, the main feathers carried rather upright, the sickles of medium length.
Head: Short and broad. Beak stout and well curved. Eyes, intelligent and prominent. Comb, rose, firmly and evenly set on head, medium in height and width, low, and square at front, gradually tapering towards the back and terminating in a well-defined spike (or leader) which should follow the curve of the neck without any upward tendency. The top should be oval and covered with small and rounded points; the side outline being convex to conform to the shape of the skull. Face smooth and fine in texture. Ear-lobes oblong, wattles medium length, fine in texture.
Neck: Of medium length and well arched with full hackle.
Legs and feet: Thighs of medium length, well covered with soft feathers; the fluff fairly close and silky. Shanks medium in length, strong, well rounded, good quality, and free of feather or fluff. Toes, four, straight and well spread.
Plumage: Fairly close and silky, not too abundant or fluffy.
Female
The general characteristics are similar to those of the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences.
The Silver Laced
Male plumage: Head silvery-white. Neck silvery-white with clear black stripe through the centre of each feather (white shaft is permissible), free from ticks. Saddle: hackles to match neck. Back silvery-white, free from yellow or straw colour. Shoulder tip white laced with black. Wing bow silvery-white; wing coverts evenly laced, forming at least two well defined bars; secondaries black on inner and wide white strip on outer web, the edge laced with black; primaries or flights black on inner web and broadly laced white on outer edge. Breast and underparts: the web white with well-defined jet-black lacing, free from double or white outer lacing, lacing regular from throat to back of thighs, showing green lustre. A shaft may be found in the laced feathers and is permissible but undesirable. Undercolour dark slate. Tail: true tail feathers, sickles and coverts black with green lustre. Thighs and fluff black-slate with clear lacing round the hocks and outer side of thighs.
Female plumage: Head silvery-white. Neck silvery-white with clear black stripe through the centre of each feather (white shaft is permissible), free from ticks. Breast and back: undercolour dark slate, web white with regular, well defined jet black lacing, free from double or outer lacing and showing green lustre. A shaft may be found in the laced feathers and is permissible but undesirable. Wings same as back on the broad portion; secondaries and primaries as in the cock. Tail black showing green lustre, the coverts black with a white centre to each feather. Thighs and fluff black or dark slate.
The other varieties are identical to the silver laced except for differences in ground colours and markings (i.e. lacing and striping).
We breed Blue Laced which produce the following as offspring:
The Gold Laced
Ground colour rich golden bay; markings black.
The Blue Laced
Ground colour red-brown; markings clear blue, yellow in male neck hackle is not acceptable.
The Buff Laced
Ground colour rich buff; markings white.
Note: In all colours and sexes, regularity of lacing to count above any breadth of lacing. Brightness and uniformity of ground colour to be considered of more value than any particular shade.
In both sexes and all colours
Beak, legs and feet yellow or horn, which may dilute to straw in adults or laying pullets. Yellow preferred. Eyes bright bay, orange or red. Bright bay preferred.
Wyandotte bantams are miniatures of the large fowl and the standards in every respect are the same, with the exception of weights and some scales of points.
Weight:
Male not to exceed 1.70 kg
Female not to exceed 1.36 kg
We are now a proud member of the Laced Wyandotte Breed Club - Joined at the National 2015
Results
National and Federation 2017 - No birds entered
Royal Norfolk 2017: 1st and 2nd with hen and cock bird
National 2016: Hen placed 2nd
Royal Norfolk 2016: 2nd Pullet
Norfolk Poultry Club Show: 2nd Hen
November 2015:
PCGB National at Telford 2015 - Had three birds booked in: a cock, a hen and a pullet.
Cock Bird: I couldnt' take him, he did not come through the moult quickly enough to be ready.
Hen: 2nd Place!!! was more than pleased with this as a result, I actually took a bird I had no intention of showing, but again the bird I wanted to take was still feathering up!!!!
I feel a second in the blue laced hen class at national level means we are doing ok!!!
Pullet: unplaced, was still too young, next year will be her year!!!
Royal Norfolk 2017: 1st and 2nd with hen and cock bird
National 2016: Hen placed 2nd
Royal Norfolk 2016: 2nd Pullet
Norfolk Poultry Club Show: 2nd Hen
November 2015:
PCGB National at Telford 2015 - Had three birds booked in: a cock, a hen and a pullet.
Cock Bird: I couldnt' take him, he did not come through the moult quickly enough to be ready.
Hen: 2nd Place!!! was more than pleased with this as a result, I actually took a bird I had no intention of showing, but again the bird I wanted to take was still feathering up!!!!
I feel a second in the blue laced hen class at national level means we are doing ok!!!
Pullet: unplaced, was still too young, next year will be her year!!!
July 2015:
The Royal Norfolk Show 2015 - Entered: a cockerel and hen.
Cockerel: Unplaced, too young really, his time will come!
Hen: Second Place
The Royal Norfolk Show 2015 - Entered: a cockerel and hen.
Cockerel: Unplaced, too young really, his time will come!
Hen: Second Place
2016 Breeding Pen