In the United States, the Rosecomb appeared in the first American Standard of Perfection, published in 1874. The American Poultry Association accepted both the Black and White varieties into the 1874 American Standard of Perfection, but the Blue variety did not gain acceptance until nearly one hundred years later, in 1960. The Bantam Standard has a particular allotment of points for each breed and variety of bantam chicken. Of the one hundred points each bird may earn, certain breeds or colors have more emphasis in one area than in others. The Rosecomb has an emphasis on perfection of the comb and earlobes, the most distinctive features of the breed, than does any other breed in the recognized by the American Bantam Association.

One of the most important considerations when breeding or judging Rosecombs is the necessity to have a balanced bird. No one part of the bird should overpower any other part of the bird. For example, a huge tail that drags on the ground, while it may look impressive, is not in proportion to the rest of the bird, and therefore throws it off balance. According to the American Standard of Perfection, the comb should have a square front, a central area covered in small points or protuberances, and a long, tapering spike. The lobes are round, velvety white, and free from any red markings. The lobes on a Rosecomb are unusually large and distinctive, and in older cocks the lobes are often as big as his entire head! The back of a Rosecomb is short and sweeping, with no breaking point between the back and tail. In the male, the tail carriage is approximately 40° above the horizontal, whereas in the female the tail is carried at 35°. The tail should be well spread, with great importance placed on wide feathers. Wing carriage is low, but not so low as to cover the hocks of the bird. The overall appearance should be that of dignity and pride.

The American Poultry Association only recognizes three varieties of Rosecombs in the American Standard of Perfection: Black, White, and Blue. However, the American Bantam Association recognizes a total of twenty-six varieties in the Bantam Standard. Unfortunately, most of these varieties are never seen and some probably do not even exist.

Black is the most popular variety, and consistently has the best quality. Whites often do not have the feather quality of the Blacks, lacking especially in the width of the tail feathers. The Blue variety tends to be high quality, but because they do not breed true some people find them too difficult to work with. When Blues are bred to Blues, they produce fifty percent Blues, twenty-five percent Blacks (not true Blacks), and twenty-five percent Splashes. The biggest problem faced with the Blue variety is brassiness or red coloration in the hackles of the males. Throughout the country, a few breeders do raise some of the other varieties of Rosecomb, but none of these ever appear in large numbers.

Many people have trouble breeding Rosecombs, and there are several reasons that may be the cause of this. Fertility tends to be unusually low among Rosecombs, and much of this results from severe inbreeding in most strains in an attempt to preserve type. Within the last several years most the Rosecomb breeders I know have made an outcross to another bloodline, having gotten fed up with only hatching two or three chicks per year (that was my experience). So far for me, the outcross has produced amazing results, to say the least!

Hatchability also tends to be low in Rosecombs and the only reason I have heard for this is that the embryos are especially sensitive to humidity. I have heard of several people with this problem: embryos dying around the eighteenth or nineteenth day of incubation. Supposedly the problem is too much humidity in the incubator, especially around the critical hatching period, which causes the chicks to essentially drown in the shell. Assuming that chicks really do hatch, I find it best to hatch them early in the season because they need an unusually long duration of time to mature and feather out fully.

People who show Rosecombs will tell you they’re the best birds around, and well, maybe they’re right. If you haven’t already, perhaps it’s time you try your hand at the beautiful breed with the mysterious past. Keep on raising those Beautiful Little Aristocrats!

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