This is Rachel. If you haven’t already made her acquaintance, she’s something of a hen starlet on my Facebook page where she is featured daily in all her fluffy cuteness. Rachel is a bantam frizzled Cochin. Cochin is her breed, bantam describes her miniature size and frizzle describes her unusual feathers. Genetics cause frizzled feathers to grow out and curl away from the body instead of  growing flat and smooth following the body contour. Frizzle is not a breed, it is a genetically programmed feather type.

Cochin is her breed, bantam describes her miniature size and frizzle describes her unusual feathers.

Smooth feathered Polish pullet

This Polish pullet is smooth-feathered.

Genetics cause frizzled feathers to grow out and curl away from the body instead of growing flat and smooth following the body contour.

Frizzle is not a breed, it is a genetically programmed feather type.

Frizzled Polish pullet

This Polish pullet is frizzled.

Rachel and her hatch mates and friends, Monica (black) and Phoebe (white) above are bantam Cochins with frizzled feathers.

Rachel and her hatch mates and friends, Monica (black) and Phoebe (white) above are bantam Cochins with frizzled feathers

Bertha is a large fowl Cochin with smooth feathers.

Bertha is a large fowl Cochin with smooth feathers

FACTS ABOUT FRIZZLED CHICKENS:

  • Frizzles are most commonly found in the following breeds: Polish, Cochin, Plymouth Rock, Japanese and Silkies (Silkie frizzles are referred to as Sizzles)
  • Frizzled feathers curl out and away from the skin instead of laying flat against it.
  • Frizzles cannot fly and may find it difficult to roost if the roosts are positioned too high above the floor.

Phoebe's frizzled feathers, re-growing after a normal molt. The feather shafts cause the curly effect.Phoebe’s frizzled feathers, re-growing after a normal molt. Frizzled feathers provide less protection from the cold than smooth feathers as it is difficult to trap warm air against their bodies with backwards-facing feathers.

Frizzled feathers provide less protection from the cold than smooth feathers as it is difficult to trap warm air against their bodies with backwards-facing feathers.  Frizzled genes are dominant. A smooth-feathered bird bred to a frizzled bird will result in 25% of the chicks possessing  frizzled feathers.

Bantam Cochin Frizzles Monica, Rachel & Phoebe at 6 weeks old. Breeding a frizzled bird to another frizzled bird is undesirable due to the chance that the mating may produce "curlies," an over-frizzled bird with feathers that are weak, brittle and break easily. Bantam Cochin Frizzles Monica, Rachel & Phoebe at 6 weeks old.

Breeding a frizzled bird to another frizzled bird is undesirable due to the chance that the mating may produce “curlies,” an over-frizzled bird with feathers that are weak, brittle and break easily. (think: chicken with a really bad perm)

White bantam Cochin chicks

White bantam Cochin chicks Female with frizzled feathers on left. Male on right.

“The Frizzle gene (F) is incompletely dominant, with exhibition quality Frizzles usually with one dose only of the Frizzle gene (F/f+).  But there is a frizzle modifying gene (mf) which is recessive. The mf gene when homozygous (two doses) is a strong modifier of the frizzle trait. Birds with one dose of the frizzle gene (F/f+) & two doses of the modifying gene (mf/mf) may appear predominantly smooth, & may be mistaken for non-frizzle (& not of exhibition quality). Frizzle birds homozygous for both F & mf (F/F mf/mf) may be mistaken for heterozygous F/f+ (one dose of Frizzle gene) with no modifiers (Mf+/Mf+). It is mentioned in the Hutt book that this mf gene is very common in non-frizzled breeds.” Poultry Genetics

Phoebe, my poster child for a bad molt.Phoebe, my poster child for an ugly moltPhoebe after molting. Phoebe after molting

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This is Rachel. If you haven’t already made her acquaintance, she’s something of a hen starlet on my Facebook page where she is featured daily in all her fluffy cuteness. Rachel is a bantam frizzled Cochin. Cochin is her breed, bantam describes her miniature size and frizzle describes her unusual feathers. Genetics cause frizzled feathers to grow out and curl away from the body instead of  growing flat and smooth following the body contour. Frizzle is not a breed, it is a genetically programmed feather type.

Cochin is her breed, bantam describes her miniature size and frizzle describes her unusual feathers.

Smooth feathered Polish pullet

This Polish pullet is smooth-feathered.

Genetics cause frizzled feathers to grow out and curl away from the body instead of growing flat and smooth following the body contour.

Frizzle is not a breed, it is a genetically programmed feather type.

Frizzled Polish pullet

This Polish pullet is frizzled.

Rachel and her hatch mates and friends, Monica (black) and Phoebe (white) above are bantam Cochins with frizzled feathers.

Rachel and her hatch mates and friends, Monica (black) and Phoebe (white) above are bantam Cochins with frizzled feathers

Bertha is a large fowl Cochin with smooth feathers.

Bertha is a large fowl Cochin with smooth feathers

FACTS ABOUT FRIZZLED CHICKENS:

  • Frizzles are most commonly found in the following breeds: Polish, Cochin, Plymouth Rock, Japanese and Silkies (Silkie frizzles are referred to as Sizzles)
  • Frizzled feathers curl out and away from the skin instead of laying flat against it.
  • Frizzles cannot fly and may find it difficult to roost if the roosts are positioned too high above the floor.

Phoebe's frizzled feathers, re-growing after a normal molt. The feather shafts cause the curly effect.Phoebe’s frizzled feathers, re-growing after a normal molt. Frizzled feathers provide less protection from the cold than smooth feathers as it is difficult to trap warm air against their bodies with backwards-facing feathers.

Frizzled feathers provide less protection from the cold than smooth feathers as it is difficult to trap warm air against their bodies with backwards-facing feathers.  Frizzled genes are dominant. A smooth-feathered bird bred to a frizzled bird will result in 25% of the chicks possessing  frizzled feathers.

Bantam Cochin Frizzles Monica, Rachel & Phoebe at 6 weeks old. Breeding a frizzled bird to another frizzled bird is undesirable due to the chance that the mating may produce "curlies," an over-frizzled bird with feathers that are weak, brittle and break easily. Bantam Cochin Frizzles Monica, Rachel & Phoebe at 6 weeks old.

Breeding a frizzled bird to another frizzled bird is undesirable due to the chance that the mating may produce “curlies,” an over-frizzled bird with feathers that are weak, brittle and break easily. (think: chicken with a really bad perm)

White bantam Cochin chicks

White bantam Cochin chicks Female with frizzled feathers on left. Male on right.

“The Frizzle gene (F) is incompletely dominant, with exhibition quality Frizzles usually with one dose only of the Frizzle gene (F/f+).  But there is a frizzle modifying gene (mf) which is recessive. The mf gene when homozygous (two doses) is a strong modifier of the frizzle trait. Birds with one dose of the frizzle gene (F/f+) & two doses of the modifying gene (mf/mf) may appear predominantly smooth, & may be mistaken for non-frizzle (& not of exhibition quality). Frizzle birds homozygous for both F & mf (F/F mf/mf) may be mistaken for heterozygous F/f+ (one dose of Frizzle gene) with no modifiers (Mf+/Mf+). It is mentioned in the Hutt book that this mf gene is very common in non-frizzled breeds.” Poultry Genetics

Phoebe, my poster child for a bad molt.Phoebe, my poster child for an ugly moltPhoebe after molting. Phoebe after molting

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telly
telly
2024 years ago

How can I get frizzles? They are adorbs!

Victoria Darby
Victoria Darby
2024 years ago

Did you ever get an answer to this as I am having the same problem. Black frizzled Serama’s losing the hair on the head. About 3-4 months old, one rooster and one hen. I need to give the rooster away soon, due to our neighborhood, so it would be great if I knew he would be a little cuter and more adoptable
soon :-) Thanks for any info you can give me.

wyatt chia
wyatt chia
2024 years ago

I am confused. I have 3 week olds. The assortment seems to include frizzled, half frizzled, just ruffley, and smooth. If they have some will it be more as their feathers come in?

Jake AndLisa Bastian
Jake AndLisa Bastian
2024 years ago

I have several polish frizzles that I hatched that are now 7 weeks old. Is there a good resource online for their care? More specifically, temperature, weather requirements? They are all 1/2 tolbunt polish frizzle:) some are candy corn, as well as gold lace split. ❤️? Thank you!