User talk:Sebright

The Sebright bantam was created through careful breeding around 200 years ago, by Hertfordshire Baronet Sir John Saunders Sebright, who was fascinated by animal breeding. Sir John lived from 1767 to 1846. Sir John had an obvious interest in animals in general, and particularly birds. He kept falcons for instance, and went on to write a small book on them. in 1810 Sir John established the Sebright bantam club. The Sebright is the only bantam breed to carry the name of the original developer. Reports have been made that Sir John was not actually responsible for the birth of the Sebright as we know it, yet worked on such things as the lacing, however other evidence suggests that this isn’t the case. The sebright bantam was created using a myriad of different breeds. The fine lacing that this breed is famous for is said to come from the polish fowl. The polish fowl, was a major part in the creation of the sebright. The hen feathering that is an essential part of this breed's features is thought to have been bred into the mixture by the use of a "hen cock" - and old English game bantam cockerel, lacking the pointed hackle feathers and flowing sickle feathers that are evident on today’s stereotypical cock bird. Nankins also played a part. The rose comb bantam was used, as was the Hamburg. The sebright comes in two colours; gold and silver laced, commonly shortened nowadays to simply gold and silver. When I say two colours, I mean two standard and recognised colours, for more were and are to follow (more on this further in). Of the two colours, it was the gold that came first, and perfected for a short time, with the silver coming in afterwards. A chamois version of the breed now seems to be well established in various parts, notably the United States and this carries the beautiful chamois feathering seen once more in the Polish bantam. Chamois i might define, as being a beautiful buff lacing. A "Citroen" as it is casually known seems to have been established as well. This is believed to have come from generations of crossing between gold and silver specimens, and ending up with a line that breed true to a certain shade. A direct cross between a gold and a silver is often referred to as a creamy, and the colour reflects this title, with birds being off white or light yellow in colour. Other varieties that are heard of include birds with white lacing and birds referred to as lemon. Whether these birds should be accepted as being Sebrights is unknown, some will argue for and others against it. These colours will never be able to live up to the standards of the gold and silver varieties however, which have had a 200 year head start to perfect themselves. A common rip off, and i will not hesitate to call it that, because it has become personally one of the pains of my existence is the recent trend in birds being sold or auctioned off as "blue sebrights". These birds appear to be some sort of old english game cross, but have a bearded on occasions and carry an obvious blue colour. It is quite clear from inspection that these resemble nothing of the true sebright bantams. The comb of the sebright is also one of its signature features. It must be rose combed in variety and according to the standard a mulberry colour. It is sad that this wonderful mulberry comb is now all but lost, particularly in cock birds. Word has it, that the sebright club are having to alter the standards to include dark red. "mulberry, or dark red" will therefore be written. Another long term and large fault that we have noticed, are the numerous birds popping up with single combs. The gene seems to have gotten into a lot of the sebright population and every now and again makes an appearance. Some bare the theory that this is a trait of all silver laced breeds, with breeders also seeing it in their silver laced Wyandotte’s. The good news is that the rose comb is dominant, however in order to prevent these birds from cropping up all the time, it is advisable not to breed from the single combed birds. The sebright bantam should have no crest. I remember on eBay this year i noticed the eggs from gold birds, which were being sold as "crested sebrights". From the picture, i can only describe them as looking like a slender, gold laced Appenzeller Spitzhauben's. The sebright is not noted for its reproductive skills, egg laying or broodiness. Cockerels have a reputation amongst breeders for being particularly infertile. Infertility is being tackled by some breeders, who artificially inseminate their birds. I cannot help but wonder what will happen if this continues, the birds surely will become more infertile and eventually lose their ability to mate independently. There are certain sebright lines, which carry exceptional fertility yields, and it is these that are highly sought after by breeders. Being and ornamental breed, the sebright hen lays only 60-80 eggs per annum. Broodiness is seen from time to time, it has certainly not been completely bred out as seems to be the case with some breeds such as the leghorn, however broody sebright hens are no common occurrence. I remember being extremely surprised when i attended an auction in Salisbury this year and spotted a silver sebright hen struggling to fit the eight black rock hybrid chicks she had hatched underneath her. Sebrights along with silkies and some other breeds are more prone to mareks disease than most other varieties. Mareks disease is a form of herpes virus, that results in paralysis of the neck and legs of the bird, as well as uncomfortable skin damage. The birds waste away, not being able to eat or drink. There is no cure for this disease, but a vaccination is available for young chicks. A fellow breeder who breeds Dutch bantams and is almost half the age of the sebright will happily quote "if it wasn’t for that injection, those birds would be extinct" although personally i don’t think they are quite as prone as that. It is worth bearing in mind however. Sebright bantams are flighty and it should be made clear that fences ideally need to be six feet in height. If raised from chicks and handled readily, they tame down very well. Given the opportunity, they will become wild and it is this that you want to try and avoid with such a flighty breed. Some birds will refuse to roost anywhere but the trees, if not socialised from a young age. The bottom line is that the Sebright fowl is a truly challenging and wonderful breed to maintain, both for the novice and avid keeper.