The Hamburgh is one of the oldest known European breeds.

It would appear that along with the Dorking and Old English Game, they were established in Britain at the time of the Roman invasions of the 4th century AD. The early naturalist, Aldrovandus described a chicken in the 14th century in Italy which by his description had to be a Hamburgh. No other breed has the distinctive rose comb which shape has been described as "a wisp of flame".

In Yorkshire and Lancashire they were known as Pheasants and Moonies. Eventually, these two breeds were crossed and became what is now known as the spangled Hamburghs. Birds were carried to the local inns and exhibited against each other, the onlookers being the judges. Thus, as far back as the 1700's the Hamburgh was bred to a high state of perfection, possibly no other breed of chicken has ever been so judiciously developed.

The pencilled varieties have a different ancestry, being more like the north European chickens such as Campines and Frieslands. The pencilled varieties were known as Dutch Everyday Layers..... the name says it all!

Hamburghs have been used in the development of many of todays modern chickens. Wyandottes, Sebrights and virtually every rose combed breed or variety has Hamburgh blood in its make up.

The distinctive features of the Hamburgh are the comb, round white lobes, soft flowing feather and beautiful markings. Originally Hamburghs came in five colours, these being Black, Gold Spangled, Silver Spangled, Gold Pencilled and Silver Pencilled. In the USA, whites and blues are also standard and there are records also of buffs and silver laced blacks. All colours are standardised in bantams except white and black.

Why Hamburghs have the name they do is a mystery, as they appear to have no correlation with the German port of Hamburgh from which the name originates.

A silver spangled male

A beautiful black hen

A silver spangled bantam pullet

How to breed Gold Pencilled Hamburghs