Sebright

Looks how to spot one

Short, tight, laced feathering; males are hen-feathered

A tiny, proud-looking bantam with a rose comb, drooping wings and a fanned tail. Each rounded feather is neatly edged in black, giving a lace effect over a gold or silver ground. Cocks lack the long curved sickle and hackle feathers of most roosters and look much like the hens. Hens lay small cream to white eggs.12

Personality what they are like

Active, spirited and inquisitive. Sebrights can become quite tame if handled from a young age, though they generally prefer exploring and foraging to cuddling.2

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Very active and strong fliers that can fly up into trees, so a covered run keeps them safe and easy to catch.21

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Chickens keep their own feathers in order by preening and dust bathing, so the main jobs are a dry dust-bath area, clean dry bedding, daily flock checks and regular egg collection. Sebrights are kept mainly as ornamental birds; hens lay about 60 to 80 small cream eggs a year and rarely go broody.21

Home where they are happiest

A secure, dry, well-ventilated but draught-free coop with perches and nest boxes, plus a fenced run with a patch of dry soil for dust bathing. The RSPCA suggests about 1 m² of indoor space per bird where possible. A covered or roofed run suits these good fliers, and they prefer warm, dry conditions over cold and damp.45

Food basics what goes in the bowl

A complete commercial poultry ration is the base: chick starter, then grower, then layer feed once hens begin laying. Provide insoluble grit, oyster shell as extra calcium for laying hens, and constant clean water.45

Company who they like around

Chickens are flock animals that forage, roost and dust bathe together, so keep at least three birds that get along.4

The story where it all began

Sir John Saunders Sebright, a baronet and Member of Parliament, spent some 20 to 30 years breeding a small laced bantam, probably using Nankin, Hamburg and Polish stock. He introduced the breed around 1810 and founded the Sebright Bantam Club, the first club devoted to a single chicken breed.12

Recognised by the official bits

The Poultry Club of Great Britain

Standardised true bantam (no large fowl version), in gold and silver.3

American Poultry Association

Admitted to the Standard of Perfection in 1874 in golden and silver.2

Entente Européenne

Recognised breed.1

The Livestock Conservancy

Listed in the Watch category.2