It is commonly held that the Frizzle heralds from Asia, with reports of ‘frizzled fowl’ appearing in places such as India, Java and the Philippines since the 18th Century. However this is by no means conclusive as frizzling of the plumage is a genetic mutation which is capable of being displayed in any breed as is seen for example in Poland’s, Japanese and more recently Cochins. This gives our Frizzle breed a rather mysterious past, as no one can be sure as to the direct origins of the breed, which is now standardised under the Poultry Club of Great Britain. It would be prudent to accept that these Asian ‘frizzled fowl’ may well have found their way into the hands of breeders and developed into the distinctive breed we have today. It must be stressed however that simply having frizzled plumage does not constitute a Frizzle. The Frizzle breed whilst obviously displaying the necessary curl of feather, must also match the standard for breed type, size, colour etc. It is all these points together which give us the fabulous Frizzle as the breed we all admire.

Obviously the curled feather formation of the Frizzle is its most distinctive feature; each feather should be broad and curled towards the head. This makes breeding for this characteristic a science all of its own. As mentioned above the frizzling is caused by a gene, which is incompletely dominant to normal feathering, meaning that from a mating of frizzle to frizzle the progeny can display one of three feather formations: normal, frizzled and over-frizzled.

Not only is the Frizzle an attractive breed because of its quaint curled feathers, it requires no special attention, being a hardy breed with superb foraging abilities whilst being a more than adequate layer of tinted eggs. Frizzle hens also give the famed broody - the Silkie a push for the title of best sitting breed. It is easy to distinguish frizzle chicks from their normal feathered siblings by a week old, as the ends of the wing feathers begin to turn outwards even at this early stage.

Traditionally available in 13 colour varieties in both large fowl and bantams (as standardised by the PCGB) the frizzle offers a wide spectrum of choice for both the exhibitor and back yard keeper.

The Frizzle Society
 

Constitution
 

1. That the name of the society be The Frizzle Society of Great Britain.
2. That the aims of the society- be to promote the keeping, breeding and exhibiting of the Frizzle.
3. That the Frizzle fowl be bred to a "high standard" of perfection
4. That the standard for Frizzles, as now published by the Poultry Club of Great Britain, be supported and only be revised by the society- in the interest of the breed.)
5. That the society be managed by a chairman, president and secretary/treasurer.
6. That the annual general meeting be held at the annual club show.
7. The offices of the chairman and secretary/treasurer to be on an annual basis. Election of new officers to be made at the A.G.M. Retiring officers will be eligible for re-election.
8. Judges for the club show to be appointed at the A.G.M.
9. Membership to be open to everyone. Subscription £10.00 per annum. Membership renewable at each A.G.M or before end of January. Members more than one year in arrears to be struck off.
10. Classification for the club show to be agreed at the A.G.M.
11. Venue for the club show to be decided at the A.G.M.
12. To support, as a society, shows which include breed classes for Frizzles in their schedule.
13. The constitution of the society may only be changed by a majority decision at the A.G.M.
14. That the society be affiliated to the Poultry Club of Great Britain.
15. That the treasurer presents an audited balance sheet at the A.G.M.
16. That at the A.G.M each year, the society the society shall publish a list of approved judges.