Barred Color Standard

Barred Plumage

Color of Male and Female

PLUMAGE: Ground color pearly white, each fether barred with uniform, narrow, equidistant, clear cut dark bars that stop short of absolute jet black.  The light and dark bars to be of about equal width, and this uniform barring width to extend throughout the entire length of each feather; each feather ending in a narrow dark tip.  A sharp line of demarkation should be apparent between the light and dark bars.  They should not run together.
UNDERCOLOR: Barred throughout.

The barred color plumage is composed of two color bars, the white and the dark.  Experienced breeders look first at the white bars and then the dark bars.  Parallel barring is desired, not V-shaped barring.

The white bars should be a pearly white and the same width throughout the entire length of the feather.  The dark bars should be almost jet black, or the same width throughout the entire feather and give the impression of embossed lettering on white stationery.

More attention should be given to the brightness and sharpness of the pearly white bar and the almost jet black bar then whether the bird appears lighter or darker than your individual preference.  Do not be disturbed over the fact that males are lighter in color than the females.

Strive for one uniform color over the entire body of the bird.  Lighter hackles and bronzed wing bows are especially objectionable in males.  The breeder should strive constantly for the maximum number of bars on each feather.

Tone of Color

Tone of color depends upon these factors.
1.  Width of light and dark bars on each feather.
2.  Intensity of whitness in the white bar, and intensity of black in the dark bar.
When viewed from a distance too great to distinguish the individual bars, these factors give the tone of color or overall appearance.  Tone of color is blue, or modified light blue, medium blue or dark blue.  Tone of color in the pearly white bar is most affected by ashyness, gray, smokiness, bronzing, creaminess, dullness, rustiness or brassiness.  Tone of color in the almost jet black bar is most affected by brownish tinge, beetle green, purple or metallic sheen.  No two specimens are exactly alike in tone of color.

Disqualifications
Red or yellow in any section of the plumage - Two or more solid black or solid white feathers in primaries, or two or more in secondaries, or two or more in main tail.

Defects
Irregular barring - Metallic, brassiness or foreign color on surface.