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Breed Club Secretary

Rare Poultry Society
Richard Billson
Alexandra Cottage, 8 St Thomas’s Road, Great Glen, Leicestershire,
LE8 OEG
UK

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History

A British breed created, originating in Marshside near Southport, Lancashire. It’s development was started by John Wright in the 1890s and continued by Charles Moor in the early 1900s. The breed is an amalgam of Black Hamburgh, White Leghorn, Cinnamon Malay, Old English Game bantam, Pit Game, and Sicilian Buttercup. The Marsh Daisy is a good bird on free range it is quite hardy and will forage well

The club for them was first started in 1921. Colours are Whetane, White, Black and Brown with a rose comb and pale willow green legs. No bantams are known. Wheaten are the more common.

Characteristics

Upright, bold and active. A well-proportioned bird with broad shoulders a long back and well-furnished tail held at 45 degrees.

The breast is rounded giving an overall shape; the stance is more upright than horizontal, which combined with tight feathering, gives a slightly gamey appearance. The male has a rich gold top colour with dark stone underneath, the neck hackle flowing onto the shoulders to form a cape and the saddle hackle shades from red to black as it goes back towards the tail which has black sickles and side hangers. The female is a wheat colour that gets lighter as you near the tail; she has a deep chestnut neck hackle with each feather having a slight black edging. The legs and feet in both sexes should be willow green with horn coloured toenails.

The head contains red eyes and carries a bright red rosecomb with plenty of working and the leader following the curve of the head rather than upright. The lobes should be white but a pale lemon tint is usual. There are Brown, Buff, Black, White and Wheaten varieties with Wheaten (described above) being the most common. Males can have heart problems from inbreeding and I have yet to see a three year old male even after changing males.

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