Hamburghs: An Overview 

J. R. Hunt
Email address:
hamburghpoultry@gmail.com I have been breeding Hamburghs for around 14 years and have had the experience at breeding all five colours (Black, Silver and Gold Pencilled, Silver and Gold Spangled. I keep five colours; Gold Pencilled, Silver Pencilled, Silver and Gold Spangled and Black. I acquired my first Gold Pencilled Hamburghs from my Grandfather who kept them for many years.
It worries me to read some of the post about Hamburghs on the internet. So this small piece is intended to inform readers about Hamburghs.
Hamburghs have a mysterious origin, and have been known by many names thought out their existence. Some former names which were used include; Dutch Everyday Layers, Chittiprats, Creels, Pheasant fowl and Mooneys (Batty, 1983). I have seen the spelling of their name in two ways HAMBURGH as used by (May, 1971; Batty, 1983; Kemp, 1997) and HAMBURG as used by (Manning, 1883). I would suggest that the nomenclature used in future follows (May, 1971; Batty, 1983 and Kemp, 1997).
Kemp (1997) suggest that “it is one of the oldest breed of poultry still in existence… ancestors of the Spangled varieties can be traced back three hundred years”.
Hamburghs in general
All varieties of Hamburghs should have bright red eyes, grey slate coloured legs free from any feathers with four toes; the face has a small white ovate earlobe. They should be of a medium-large size. May (1971) suggest that the weights should be around 5lb (~2.2kg) for the male and 4lb (~1.8Kg) for the female. They should have a full tail comprising eight feathers. This is hard to find with most having six or seven feathers. The tail should be held upright, straight and fanned.
The Hamburgh is an average layer. These days there are breeds which outdo them in laying capabilities. In my experience they seldom go broody, but I have had the odd one or two go broody when left to roam on their own.
The comb should be of rose comb type with fine workings. The leader should be rounded and not blade like, inclined on an angle of around 45˚. The comb should not overhang the skull and sit squarely. Wattles should be in proportion to the face gear; ie the earlobes and size of the head.
This breed is a graceful and beautiful. Much attention is needed to keep the breed refine and graceful. The Pencilled Hamburghs are one of the hardest to breed for show purposes. They require double mating to maintain and achieve the correct plumage pattern.
May (1971), Batty (1983) and Kemp (1997) document Hamburghs being exhibited in five colours (Black, Gold and Silver Pencilled along with Gold and Silver Spangled).
The Pencilled Varieties
I will only mention a few things here, if you want to know more about breeding Gold Pencilled Hamburghs
http://www.users.on.net/~greggles/gp.html is a good site, with lots of information about breeding Gold Pencilled Hamburghs.
A couple of points:
• The neck hackle should be free from penciling,
• The breast should have fine bars horizontal on the feather all the way up to the throat.
The Spangled Hamburghs
The Gold Spangled and Silver Spangled Hamburghs are VERY different in their marking. Today, most Gold Spangled Hamburghs seem to be a cross with Silver Spangled and this is easily recognized by their poor quality markings.
The main difference between the two Spangled colours is that:
In a gold spangled,
• The tail should be fully black, with beetle green sheen.
• The spangled feathers of the body are laced by the ground colour, (more like a pheasants markings).
A good article on the feather marking of the Gold Spangled Hamburghs was published by the Australian Hamburgh Breeders Club in October of 1995:vol. 3. Titled; Where, Oh Where Have the Gold Spangles Gone?
The Silver Spangles have spangled tail feathers, and the spangle on the body feathers is situated right on the end of the feather.
Black
The Black Hamburghs, are by far one of the prettiest breeds around, second only to a good Gold Pencilled. They are similar to the other varieties, bright red eyes, grey legs and a full tail. They should have good beetle green sheen throughout their feathers. A flat black, small white ovate shaped earlobes.
Batty (1983: 47) suggests two body types for the Black Hamburghs the Modern Type and the Old Type. All the birds I have seen exhibited in New South Wales and Victoria seem to be like the Modern Type with a ‘sleek’ look.
Some Basic things to be avoided in Hamburghs
• Dark and/or brown eyes. The eyes should be a bright red.
• Earlobes too large; many examples of this are seen in Black Hamburghs being shown at the moment throughout Victoria and New South Wales. Earlobes should be round and NO larger than 32 mm in diameter.
• Blue earlobes
• White in the face.
• Light coloured legs (legs should only be slate grey)
• Pencilling too coarse.
In recent year some other colours have emerged onto the scene (Blue and White). These two colours are only seen in the large fowl as there would be a clash with the Rosecombs if white and blue were to be produced in bantam standards. Also I have noticed on the internet the emergence of “lemon Pencilled Hamburghs”. I would like to know what other breeders think about this ‘new variety’.
Are these ‘lemon pencilled’ an attempt to recreate Silver Pencilled Hamburghs – but the gold tint is unable to be removed from the genetics?
In my opinion they look somewhat like a cross between Silver and Gold Pencilled and should not be considered as a variety.
I would be interested to hear other hamburgh breeders opinions/comments and their thoughts on the direction of the breed.
References
Batty, J. 1983. Lewis Wright’s Poultry. Triplegate. Surrey
Kemp, R. 1997 Exhibition Poultry Breeder’s Handbook 2nd Ed. Kangaroo Press. Kenthurst
May, C. G 1971. Brittish Poultry Standards 3rd Ed. Chapel River Press. England
Manning, R.1883. Illustrated Stock Doctor and Livestock Encyclopaedia. Pacific Publishing Company. Sydney