The Sultan is a Turkish ornamental breed kept at the Ottoman court, and it carries nearly every decorative feature at once: a full crest, beard and muffs, heavily feathered legs and feet, five toes, a small V-shaped comb, and pure white plumage. It was never a production bird — hens lay 50 to 100 white eggs a year — and it is not built for weather, with foot feathering that mats in mud and a crest that must be kept dry. Sultans are exceptionally docile and take confinement better than most, which suits the ornamental role. The Livestock Conservancy lists the breed as threatened.
Good with kids
Heat tolerant
Egg colorWhite
Egg production50–100 / year
TemperamentDocile
BroodinessRare
ClimateHeat tolerant
PurposeShow
Weight
Large fowl (Standard size)
Hen4–5 lb
Rooster5.5–6.5 lb
Bantam (Miniature size)
Hen1.4 lb
Rooster1.6 lb
How to spot it
CombV-shaped
Small V-shaped comb, hidden by the crest
Head
Full crest plus a beard and muffs
Legs & feet
Heavily feathered down to and including the outer toes; five toes per foot
Look for
White, crested, bearded, five-toed and foot-feathered all at once
V-shaped
