The Importance of the Chain in a Jacobin

by Clint Robertson

                The Jacobin standard allows 20 points for the ideal chain. If you were to draw a vertical line through the centre of the Jacobins rose the front half of the head formation is referred to as the Chain. Drawing another horizontal line through the rose the forward feathers below this line are referred to as the lower chain extension and above is the upper chain extension.

 The chain is a difficult feature to perfect in a Jacobin and a good chain enhances the eye-line and makes the whip-in more noticeable.  The Chain must equal the mane in profile for extension and shape. As the feathers of the Chain extend forward beyond the face of the Jacobin they should roll in slightly at the ends but not so much that they come together in front of the Jacobins face. There is a difference of opinion among some Jacobin breeders as to how tightly the chain should close around the Jacobins face. The  Chain must start out at the base of the head formation with both sides coming together and touching. From there each side must radiate upwards and outwards and separate gradually to sweep back up past each side the head until it reaches the hood. From the side the Feathers forming the chain will radiate upwards and outwards from the base of the neck reaching their widest point straight out in front of the Jacobins face. If you draw a horizontal line straight through the Jacobins eye this should be the widest point of the entire feather formation and is referred to as the eye-line. From this widest point of the chain the feathers then continue to radiate up and back in a circular arch as if drawn by a compass. This arch must continue over the top and down to the lower mane.

 The feathers of the chain should be hard, glossy and tight fitting with a slight tendency to roll at the ends cupping the Jacobins face within. If the feathers roll too much the Jacobins face will be completely hidden and the birds eye sight so limited that the bird will crouch and not show to the best of its ability. It seems that the best chain structure is the one that opens up just below the face of the bird and closes up again tightly just behind the head where it becomes part of the hood. This creates a heart shaped opening when viewed from the front with the head resting within. Again the importance of strong smooth feathers with a slight amount of roll are critical to a good chain. Too much roll is not good as this will not only make the Jacobin crouch but will take away from the wide eye-line in profile and will not let the Jacobin show its true feather length effectively. Many Jacobins that appear short or chopped off in the chain in profile actually have the correct feather length but too much roll has given the illusion of short feather. On the other hand birds with no roll cannot close in at all leaving the face wide open. We refer to these birds as open faced and this fault is just as much of a problem as birds that have excessive roll. When viewed from the front the feathers on each side of the chain must fit together and inter-lock to form a straight “Knife edge” with no breaks or misplaced feathers from bottom to top. This is why the feathers must be strong and smooth. Feathers that are soft and lack webbing and finish will have a tendency to sag and not interlock with one another. This is a serious fault and is called shingling. If you have a strong feathered Jacobin and he shows a break in his chain it may be the result of rubbing the feathers against something or from fighting. You can try to arrange the feathers so they fit once again however if there is a structural problem they will not hold for long. A good judge will always give a potential winner the benefit of the doubt by rearranging chain feathers in the judging pen before making a final decision. Many great Jacobins have lost a Championship because of a “break” in the chine and this is rightfully so because the chain is a 20 point feature.  A long smooth chain is extremely impressive particularly when the Jacobin also has a long neck and tight whip-in.