After decades of the breed's existence resting in the hands of an elderly woman who maintained the breed out of a genuine affection; the breed wasn't maintained to any standard other than to supply the needs of her family for three generations. Honestly, what more could be asked of a caretaker than to give the Erminette a reason to exist. As a result however, the Erminettes originating from her farm expressed some varying characteristics which made it hard to people to easily recognize the breed.
Adding to this confusion was the work Rod Nelson did in establishing his flock of Erminettes from this woman. While maintaining and improving the Erminette he simultaneously established a red 'version' of the Erminette that did not produce three color phases like the original Erminette. These birds carried the blue gene and white skin as well as the mahogany gene. Shortly after his death the two separate breeds were crossed which caused a lot of confusion as to what constituted an Erminette. Not until the history was made easily available did this confusion come to an end.
For those who wish to breed Erminettes, please study the standard carefully and incorporate the list below of what to breed for and what to cull out of your flocks.
WHAT TO BREED FOR
WHAT TO BREED AGAINST
Adding to this confusion was the work Rod Nelson did in establishing his flock of Erminettes from this woman. While maintaining and improving the Erminette he simultaneously established a red 'version' of the Erminette that did not produce three color phases like the original Erminette. These birds carried the blue gene and white skin as well as the mahogany gene. Shortly after his death the two separate breeds were crossed which caused a lot of confusion as to what constituted an Erminette. Not until the history was made easily available did this confusion come to an end.
For those who wish to breed Erminettes, please study the standard carefully and incorporate the list below of what to breed for and what to cull out of your flocks.
WHAT TO BREED FOR
- Yellow skin
- White feather to black feather ration - 85% white, 15% black
- White feathers are ideally solid white without streaks of black
- Black feathers are ideally solid black without traces of white markings such as spangles, streaks, ect
- Ideally legs should be solid yellow
- Combs single, straight, medium-large in males, medium in females. Historically combs were pea, then rose, then single. Only single remains today and seems to be the most desirable at present. There is interest in producing rose comb again in the Erminette. If this happens these birds should conform to the standard in all areas except in comb type.
- Females seem to run one of two ways; smaller hens around 5 lbs or large bodied hens easily reaching 7-8 lbs. Select the larger hens as opportunity allows.
- Eye color bay. Some individuals tend to have darker eyes on the Erminette colored and solid black colored birds. Select the bay color as opportunity allows.
- As a side regarding eye color; very rarely there appears a bird that reaches adult hood with light mint green colored eyes. They are quite beautiful and stunning. Should these appear in your flock, don't discard these quickly as there are breeders who like to maintain this trait as a side flock to their main flocks. This rare color does not appear in any other breed of chicken. Before you cull these out, please reach out to Curt Burroughs on the breeder page to see if these could be relocated to individuals interested in perpetuating this trait.
WHAT TO BREED AGAINST
- The blue gene. No blue color in the feathers. No solid blue birds. Blue is a disqualification.
- Red coloration in the feathers. No red should be present. Red is a disqualification. The 'Red Version' of the Erminette is actually a separate breed and genetically completely different than true Erminettes. These two separate genepools should never be crossed. When these types were crossed in the past it nearly caused the extinction of both breeds. It has taken years to segregate these apart. Some remnants remain (red and blue feathers and white skin for instance).
- Gold leakage. Gold leaking out on the hackle and saddle of the males is a disqualification in the showring.
- White skin
- Large to extra large combs
- Combs that flop to one side, especially in the females. This problem is starting to disappear as breeders focus their attention.
- Individuals that are below the standard weights, especially in the females.
- Too many black feathers (individuals which have 25% or more of their body comprised of black feathers should be culled out as opportunity allows). Erminettes should not look like Mottled Javas or colored like Anconas.
- Gray feathers. Some of the birds that have a higher ration of black feathers have a tendency to sport a few solid gray feathers. Cull as opportunity allows.
- Erminette colored birds that have only a handful of black feathers. This is more desirable than a bird with too much black on it. However, as culling options allow, replace these birds with individuals who exhibit the proper white to black ratio.
- Barring. It is believed that the barring gene has been removed from the genepool. However, if this is encountered they should be culled immediately as this is a disqualification.
- Feathered shanks. When Glenn Drowns obtained the last of the true Erminettes and the red 'version' some individuals in both populations possessed slight feathering on their shanks. While this would be a disqualification in the showring, there is some interest in maintaining this trait as a side population for historical reasons. Before you cull these out, please reach out to Curt Burroughs on the breeder page to see if these could be relocated to breeders interested in perpetuating this historical trait.