The Frizzle is a breed of chicken with characteristic curled or frizzled plumage. While the frizzle gene can be seen in many breeds, such as the Pekin and Polish, the Frizzle is recognised as a distinct breed in a number of European countries and Australia. In the United States frizzled chickens are not considered a breed, and at shows are judged by the standards of the breed they belong to.: 24
The origin of the Frizzle is unknown. The frizzle gene is thought to have originated in Asia;: 137 frizzled chickens have been reported from the Far East since the eighteenth century. The Frizzle breed is the result of breeder selection for exhibition.: 102 It is recognised in nine European countries: Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Slovakia and the United Kingdom.
The gene for the curling of the feathers is incompletely dominant over normal plumage; not all members of the breed have frizzled feathers. Frizzled birds are heterozygous for the gene; when two are bred, the offspring inherit the gene in the usual Mendelian 1:2:1 ratio: 50% are heterozygous and frizzled like the parents, 25% have normal feathering, and 25% are "over-frizzled", with brittle feathers resembling pipe-cleaners. The Frizzle has a single comb and is clean-legged – without feathers on the shanks.: 121 It is a good forager and is hardy.
Four colours are recognised in the Entente Européenne standard: black, blue, cuckoo and white. The Poultry Club of Great Britain recognises nineteen colours for both standard and bantam sizes; not all of them are currently bred. The Australian Poultry Standards recognise black, blue, buff, white, Columbian, red and "any recognised colour".
Research suggests that the frizzled phenotype comes from a mutation within the keratin gene KRT75. A deletion that removed part of exon 5 and intron 5 ameliorated the splice site. This caused a 69 bp deletion of the KRT75 gene.
The Frizzle is reared exclusively for exhibition.: 121 It is a good layer of white or tinted eggs, and frequently gets broody.: 137
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