The Jacobin fancy is filled with terms which are used to express conformation and feather expression in as much detail as possible. Many of these terms are almost like a foreign language to the newcomer so I will briefly try to list some of them and explain their meaning.
1. BALANCE ) Refers to a well porportioned Jacobin. Ussually a good show Jacobin is balanced. A Jacobin who is not extreme in any way but who has many desirable characteristics. Well rounded and complete.
2. BOATY ) Refers to a larger coarse type of body structure. Not the more refined steamlined structure we desire. Generally a “boaty” Jacobin stands more horizontally than vertically which gives it a more “boaty” appearance. This is not a good feature in a Jacobin.
3. BREAK ) This term has two completely different meanings. A “break” in the mane refers to an area in the mane which lacks feathers causing a thin spot or a whole in the feather formation resulting in a “break” in the overall outline of the Jacobin.
The term “break” is also used to descibe the amount of black or kite flecking in the almond coloured Jacobins. Ex. An almond Jacobin that doesn’t have enough dark flecking lacks “break”.
4. CHAIN ) Refers to the part of the feather formation which radiates from the centre of the head formation forward to beyond the face (refer to the Jacobin standard).
5. CROSSED MAIN ) When viewing the main from behind, rather than the feathers from either side meeting in a perfect line they cross over to the other side giving a jagged or zig-zag appearance.
6. CROUCHER ) Refers to a Jacobin that does not stand up properly. A Jacobin that Squats or “crouches” down to the ground. A feature you do not want in your Jacobins.
7. FEATHER AT THE EYE OR EYE LINE ) Refers to what should be the widest part of the feather formation when viewed in profile. This area can be viewed as a horozontal line stretching across the head formation running through the centre of the eye.
8. FEATHER FORMATION ) Refers to the entire feather structure of the Jacobin from the shoulders up combining the mane, hood & top and chain to form the entire feather formation.
9. FIT or FIT OF FEATHER ) Refers to the way the feathers blend into one another in the feather formation.A Jacobin whose feathers all blend into one another and no one feather sticks out giving a smooth tidy glossy appearance. That is good “fit”.
10. HOOD ) Refers to those feathers that sweep up from just behind the head and forward to a line even with the eyes when viewed from above creating a hood. Refer to the Jacobin standard.
11. SHINGLING ) Refers to a fault in the chain. When viewed from the front the feathers coming forward on each side of and in front of the Jacobin's face are the chain feathers and should fit in such a way that they form a neat knife edge verticle line on each side. When these feathers are not in perfect ailignment the chain will appear rough with the feathers laying sideways creating a shingled look. Thus we refer to this as shigling.
12. SPIKES ) Refers to the feathers which grow from on top of the Jacobin's head into the hood. Often a spike will grow into the hood causing a split in the hood when viewed from above.
13. STOVEPIPED ) Refers to a Jacobin who lacks feather length across the eye line region thus giving a straight up and down appearannce to the feather formation when viewed in profile rather than the rounded or inverted light bulb look we desire.
14. STRETCH or REACH ) Refers to the ability of a Jacobin to stand tall showing maximum height, These are features which a good show bird will always have.
15. SWING MANE ) When viewed from behind the mane should lie dead centre between the Jacobin's shoulders. When a mane slides off to one side we refer to this as a swing mane.
16. TOP, TOPPY, TOP FEATHER ) This refers to the amount of feather in both length and abundance above the head in the head formation. We want as much “top” as possible so long as the fit is good.
17. WHIP-IN ) Refers to what should be the narrowest piont of the entire feather formation when viewed in profile.The area just above the shoulders at the base of the head formation. The narrow point from where the feathers of the head formation radiate upwards and outwards. Generally a Jacobin with a longer neck will have a better “whip-in”.
18. WIDTH OF FEATHER ) Refers to to mass or volume of feather most apparant when viewed from above or behind.
19. WRY HOOD ) When viewed from above the hood should sweep over the top of the head and end in a straight line even with the eyes. When the hood veers off to one side with the feathers growing on an anglle and pointing more to one side than straight ahead we refer to this as a “wry hood”.
There are are other terms but the best place to learn is at a show where you can ask Knowledgable breeders and they can show you on live Jacobins.
Yours in the fancy,
Clint Robertson <clint@jacobins.ca>