WHILE JUDGING: COMPARE EACH FINDING WITH THE RELEVANT BREED STANDARD

TAIL AND TAIL FEATHERS: The tail is used for balance while walking and, in flying, as a rudder for up – and – down and side – to – side motion.

As poultry is judged and identified, there are standards for the angle of the back, wing or tail, with respect to the horizontal or back of the chicken.

The angle of the tail helps one to identify the breed of chicken. The range of tail angles for males is from slightly below horizontal to 75 degrees and from slightly below horizontal to 70 degrees for females.

Tail Carriage should be as specified in the Breed Standard and if it departs too far should be penalized.

Generally any tail at 90 degrees or over (Squirrel-tailed) is a serious fault. Japanese bantams are the main exception. But a very low tail will also be serious when the most usual tail angle is specified.

GENERAL DISQUALIFICATIONS AND DEFECTS: TAIL

TOPIC	DESCRIPTION	ACTION
COLOUR	Foreign colour:	Disqualify
DEVELOPMENT	Tail less than ¼ developed:	Deduct: 1 point
DEVELOPMENT	Tail less than ½ developed:	Deduct: 2 points
DEVELOPMENT	Tail less than ¾ developed:	Deduct: 3 points
ABSENT FEATHERS	Absence of main tail feathers	Deduct: 1 point for each feather
ABSENT FEATHERS	Complete absence of all main tail feathers (except in rumples breeds):	Disqualify
ABSENT FEATHERS	Absence of sickle feathers	Deduct: 1½ points for each feather
TWISTED FEATHERS	Any twisted tail feathers, except in Sebastapol Geese and Frizzle Chickens:	Disqualify
TWISTED FEATHERS	Any twisted sickle feathers, except in Frizzles:	Disqualify
REVERSED TAIL FEATHERS	One or more reversed main tail feathers:	Disqualify
PINCHED FEATHERS	Pinched or “Gamy” in All Breeds of Chickens, except Modern Games, Cornish and Malays:	Deduct: ½ to 2 points
SPLIT TAIL	Split tail in cockerels or pullets:	Deduct: 2 to 2½ points
SPLIT TAIL	Split tail in cock and hen: –	Disqualify
SQUIRREL TAIL	Any tail, any part of which projects in front of a perpendicular line over the back or a tail that bends sharply over the back and touches, or almost touches, the head, like that of a squirrel except in Japanese Bantams:–	Disqualify
WRY TAIL	Any tail carried wry, to the right or left side of the continuation of the backbone and not straight with the body of the fowl:–	Disqualify
WHITE FLUFF	Excessive white fluff at base of tail in all part-coloured varieties:	Deduct: 1 point
RUMPLESS	Rump-less except where a breed characteristic:	Disqualify

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