Cuckoo

Color and pattern male

Plumage: bright and as even as possible over the entire body; each feather dark-grey, three or four times crosswise interrupted by a light-grey slightly arched bar, which is not sharply defined. 

Ornamental feathersthe number of crosswise bars is larger in proportion to the length of the feather, the bars tends towards an inverted V mostly in the neck- and saddle-hackle; slightly white at the base of the tail is permitted, if it is not visibly disturbing from the outside. 

Cuckoo males are allowed in either purebred or impurebred:

- Purebred, the light-grey bars are clearly wider than the dark-grey bars; the overall appearance is lighter then the female.

- Impurebred, the light-grey bars are slightly narrower than the dark-grey bars; the overall appearance is similar to the female.

Down: light-grey, without barring.                                                                                                                                   

Serious faults

Complete mis-colored feathers. Strong yellow or rusty brown in the ornamental feathers. White in wing-flights and sickles or large steering-feathers.  Too little barring in wings, tail and breast of impurebred.

Faults

A few mis-colored feathers. Barring in the down.

Color and pattern female

Plumage: similar to the male but appears darker because the light-grey barring is slightly narrower than the dark-grey barring. 

Serious faults

Too little shaft-stripe pattern. Too little barring in neck-hackle, wings and tail. White in wing-flights.Too little barring in wings and tail.

Faults

Slightly too light or slightly too dark color. A few off-colored feathers. Clear barring in the down. 

 

Feather details from:  http://www.kippenencyclopedie.nl

Website from Johan Albada with more than:

         5000 photos of chicken-breeds, chicken color varieties and feathers.       

 

Genetic code: https://kippenjungle.nl/Overzicht.htm

Website from Henk Meijers with all available information regarding chicken genetics including the world famous: 

Chicken Color Calculator