The Derbyshire Redcap is named for its enormous rose comb, a broad spike-covered cushion that can measure three inches across — larger than any other breed carries. It is an old English farm bird, kept for laying 150 to 200 white eggs a year while finding most of its own food on rough ground. Redcaps are alert, active and strongly disinclined to confinement, and they take cold far better than heat. The Livestock Conservancy lists the breed as critical, and the show comb is difficult enough that few keepers attempt it.
Cold hardy
Flighty
Egg colorWhite To Slightly Tinted
Egg production150–200 / year
TemperamentFlighty
BroodinessRare
ClimateCold hardy
PurposeEggs, Meat
Weight
Hen5.5–6.5 lb
Rooster7–8 lb
How to spot it
CombRose
Very large rose comb covered in fine points, ending in a rear spike
Earlobes
Red
Plumage
Red-brown with black half-moon spangling on each feather
Look for
The comb — nothing else in poultry carries one that size
Find Redcap breeders near you
No breeders currently list this breed — post a wanted ad or check back soon.
Rose
