TRANSLATED ORLOFF STANDARD FROM GERMAN 

 

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 

 

 Good, medium-sized, heavily muscled, broad-bodied, crude middle form between Landrace and Malay type with fairly robust bone structure,  medium high build, erect posture, bearded, partially abundantly feathered, despite wild appearance, very tame character. 

 

BREEDING CHARACTERISTICS - COCK: 

 

Body: strong, erect posture 

Neck: long, straight erect, with full hackles, not covering the shoulders, puffed up in the nape, distinctly separated from back. 

Back: medium length, broad, flat, sloping 

Shoulders: broad, distinctly separated (**from body?) 

Wings: medium length, close to body, slightly protruding wing bow 

Saddle: broad, with full, medium length saddle hackles 

Tail: relatively short with moderately long, flowing sickles, fairly broad, and carried erect to right angled 

Breast: broad; not protruding (**flat front) 

Belly (**Body and Fluff): broad and well developed 

Head: medium-sized; front very broad; moderately arched; with overhanging eyebrows 

Face: red; partially covered by beard 

Comb: Walnut** comb, partially covered with feather bristles, sitting tightly on skull  (**stated as "comb with ridges"-this is my wording - CJC) 

Throat **Lobes (**wattles): stunted, covered by beard 

Ear Lobes: insignificant, covered by beard 

Eyes: large, pearl to orange-red colored; they seem smaller because of the protruding eyebrows; dark/gloomy and wild looking 

Beak: short, strong, slightly bent; yellow, or **light yellow with a dark ridge (**horn) 

Beard**: heavy cheek beard, as well as a full chin beard on the lower beak  (**Beard and Muffs: Beard - large, elongated. Muffs - full, feathers projecting from face, extending to and covering ear-lobes.  I used the Faverolles description here because I think it may be more appropriate than the Americauna, or other, descriptions - please debate this - CJC ) 

Thigh: medium length, protuberant; tightly feathered 

Feet: medium length, smooth, lemon to orange-yellow  

Toes: strong, medium length, well spread 

Plumage: tightly feathered head; moderate neck feathering, "puffed up", down to the shoulders, but doesn't cover them; saddle hackles full, but without cushion; full and moderate length on the tail; chest feathering relatively short so underfeathers emerge when crop is full 

 

BREEDING CHARACTERISTICS - HEN:   

 

The hen is essentially similar in characteristics to the cock, however; 

          - the posture is less erect 

          - the belly has a fuller development 

          - the comb is almost not developed and partially covered with feather bristles 

          - the neck feathers (ruff, neck frill, collar) are heavily puffed up 

 

BAD BREEDING CHARACTERISTICS (**DISQUALIFICATIONS or MAJOR FAULTS): 

 Narrow, thin trunk; underdeveloped belly; very narrow breast; arched or very narrow back;  leg position too high; not enough beard; foot feathering. 

 

MAHOGANY: 

 

COCK: Basic color is like dark, polished mahogany wood with a lot of luster. Beard, front of neck and breast appearing black, the remaining plumage more or less mahogany. Tail brilliantly black with green iridescence. 

 

HEN: Similar essentially to the whole plumage of the basic color of the cock with a little less shine.  Single black spots are permitted on the wing coverts and in the beard. 

 Major Faults:  Dull plumage; black wing triangle with the cock; spangle markings in the plumage of the hen; a lot of bright or very irregular basic color. 

 

WHITE: 

 

COCK: White, ornate plumage with some creaminess allowed. 

HEN: Cream-white; underplumage white. 

Major Faults: Too strong yellow plumage; different-colored feathers. 

 

BLACK: 

 

COCK and HEN:  Abundant black with green iridescence. Underplumage in the cock somewhat whitish. Somewhat dark **extensive base (angelaufene Lauffarbe) color in the hen is to be judged mildly. 

 Major Faults: Matte plumage: (**shafting) reedy; irregular ground color. 

 

**CUCKOO (**originally Gesperbert - "European Sparrow Hawk" colored): 

 

Every feather has numerous changes from black with light blue light arching bands; in the cock, the bands are the same width: in the hen, the black bands are wider than the light blue.   The markings are not sharply defined, Underplumage only weakly marked .  Beard cuckoo.   Somewhat dark **base color  (angelaufene Lauffarbe) in the hen is to be mildly judged.   

Major Faults:  Absolutely blurred markings; total absence of barring in tail feathers and sickle feathers; Reedy (**shafting); yellow plumage. 

 

MOTTLED (**originally Schwartz-Weissgescheckt - black-white spotted): 

 

Basic color abundant black with green iridescence. The feather ends with white tips. Beard black with white feather tips. In the cock and young birds, the basic color in the general view prevails. With the hen, the markings are very evenly distributed. Up to two white primary feathers on either side are permitted. In older birds, the white markings increase in size. 

Underplumage in the cock ranges from the base color to whitish.  

Major Faults: Rusty or gray-black base color; white unterplumage in the hen;  lacing, missing or very 

coarse markings; too much white in tail feathers and sickles; white around vent plumage. 

 

WEIGHTS:

 

Cock:  3 - 3.5 kg          (6 lb. 10 oz. - 7 lb. 11 oz.) 

Hen:    2.25 - 2.75 kg  (4 lb. 15 oz. - 6 lb. 1 oz.) 

Brood eggs-least weight: 53 gs  (1.87 oz.) 

Egg color:  white to brownish  

Ring dimensions:  Cock   22     Hen     20 

 

COLORS: 

 

*SPANGLED (**originally rotbunt - red-multi colored): 

 

COCK: Basic color like polished, dark mahogany wood, the neck and saddle hackles being a little lighter than on the back, shoulders and wing covers. The markings are irregularly 3-colored with brown basic color, black in the middle section before the white feather tip and the single color fields are distinct. The beard is primarily white. Breast and thigh black with brown deposits (**patches?) and white feathering. Wing bands  black with bluish green iridescence and  more or less white feather tips. Secondary feathers are more brown towards the ends of the wing and more black towards the body with black and white markings at the feather tips.  Primary feathers are brown with black and white markings, pure white primaries are permitted. Tail feathers black with irregular white tips. Sickles black with green iridescence.

 

HEN: Basic color red-brown, like a freshly shelled horse chestnut. The pattern resembles brown-porcelain-colored markings with brown basic color and black spot with white pearl at the feather tips, nevertheless, it is not exactly precise. The beard is primarily white. Wings similar to the cock. Tail brown with isolated black and white markings. 

The white markings increase in size with the age of the hen. 

 

Major Faults: Cock too dull, matte or too bright in the base color; a lot of brass in the hackles; a lot of brown in the tail. 

Hen too bright or very irregular base color; a lot of mossiness in the basic plumage. In both the cock and the hen very washed out or blurred markings; predominantly brown or black feathers in the beard;  pure white secondary feathers in young birds.