Origin:

The Ghent pouter is a very old Flemish breed. According some sources, the first Ghent pouters are situated near Ghent about 1400 A.D.

The first special club of Ghent pouter breeders was establishted in 1911 and used as name "Gentse Slagersclub" (Ghent Striker Club). After world-war I, on december 4 1922 this club was renamed into "Kroppersclub Gent" (Pouter Club Ghent) which is still active.

During the WWII, the quantity of Ghent pouters dropped dramaticly. Luckily a few breeders could save some subjects which were crossbreeded with Dutch pouters. This resulted that the Ghent pouters were back on the top in almost no time.

Overall impression:

Powerful, wide, stocky. The front part carried erect, the back portion carried nearly horizontal, good globing ability, heavy foot feathering.

Head:

Short, well-rounded, somewhat high forehead.

Eyes:

Lively, expressive; bull in white, dominican, and blue tail marked; orange in other colors; eye cere fine and narrow, light to dark in color.

Beak:

Moderately long, powerful; flesh colored in white and light colors, dark in the darker colors; beak color is not very important. Wattle moderately developed.

Neck:

Long.

Globe:

Vvery large; full, reaching out from the breast and shoulders; largest point is at the middle of the globe.

Breast:

Powerful, keel long and well-muscled, showing almost no waist.

Back:

Nearly horizontal, rather short, wide at the shoulders and somewhat hollow.

Shoulders:

As wide as possible.

Wings:

Very wide, rather closed, carried on the tail.

TAIL:

Wide, relatively short.

Legs:

Relatively long, set rather wide; long, wide hock feathering; long, thick, rounded muffs.

Feathering:

Rich and full.

Color Classes:

Selfs in:

Black, blue bar, blue check, red, yellow, silver, mealy, cream bar, and white

Pied:

The same colors.

Dominican (gansel marked)

Black, blue, red, yellow, and silver.

Tigered and splashed:

Black, red, yellow and blue.

Tail marked:

Black, red, yellow, blue, silver.

Color and Markings:

• Selfs to be clean and intensely colored.
• Pied have a white crescent which may not touch the eye; Also white are the belly, thighs, muffs, back, and 7 to 10 flights. The tail in blacks, blues, silvers, and mealies is colored; in other colors the tail is light.
• Dominican marked are the same as gansel marked; the head, upper portion of the globe, back, wings (with the exception of the shoulder feathers, which form the colored "heart" on the back), belly, thighs, foot feathering, and the under portion of the tail are all white. The marking should show a distinct demarcation of colored and white areas. The white of the head marking runs in a symmetrical bowed line from the back globe to just under the middle of the front of the globe.
• Tigered have regularly spaced white feathers in a colored ground. Flights and tail are colored. Splashes have regularly spaced colored feathers in a white ground.
• Tail marked have the upper globe lightly splashed with blue color; tail, including the rump and underfeathering to be a cloudy light blue with a dark terminal bar; remaining feathering to be pure white.

Serious faults:

• Too long body.
• Too long wings and tail.
• Crossed wing tips.
• Small hock and foot feathering.
• Narrow shoulders.
• Weak globe.
• Major marking and color faults.

Areas to be evaluated and rated:

• Overall impression
• Globe
• Body carriage
• Foot feathering
• marking
• color