Funny thing happened at a chicken show. . .

The Cowichan Feather Fanciers had their APA sanctioned club show last weekend in Coombs BC. A little over 500 birds were entered. You would think a chicken should be a top winner at a chicken show right? Well ...

Best Bird in Show - Bronze turkey hen
Res Best Bird In Show - Chocolate Muscovy Drake

Go Figure!

Maybe it wasn't a chicken show, but ugliest bird show ... because those must be two of the ugliest breeds in the APA standard, LOL!

How will the chickens live this down??!?!?

Congrats to the winners, I know they must be very proud of their birds......and they should be! It's awesome that there are wonderful breeders for ALL types of fowl, striving to meet the SOP for their breed. That said chickens everywhere are hanging their heads in shame.

Congrats Omega Blue! The Bronze Turkeys have been hard to beat at our Alberta shows too. Do you still have some of the old Rochester strain in yours?

Echo, I totally agree...there are many breeds of poultry and livestock that are in need of caretakers. good thing we don't all choose the same ones.

Hi Kathy, yes, the old Rochester blood is the cornerstone of my line, from a production and disease resistance standpoint. However, from a visual standpoint, one might see more of the Wishard Bronze ancestry.

Loosing that Rochester line is really a sad thing for Canada. I said it a decade ago and I'll still say it today, they were, hands down, the best line of turkeys I have ever seen.

Been working part time in a poultry slaughter house recently and have seen alot of the Orlopp Bronze. What a disaster they are, they seem to lack genetic resilience. Had a batch just yesterday where every single liver got condemned for blackhead, along with 3 whole birds! I think people are being suckered into believing that since they have bronze feathers, they can be pastured like a true bronze. They are really just whites with bronze feathers and need to be protected from the elements like one does with whites. FWIW, my true bronze are still sleeping under the stars on logs (and gates, and fencing, grrr) and still haven't lost a liver this year.

I would also like to say that my turkeys had some surprisingly strong competition from some Narragansets. I never got to hold them and check out their fleshing, but everything I could see told me that they were most likely the biggest Narri's I have ever seen and with very good conformation (balance). I know nothing about Narri colouring, so can't comment there. Unfortunately both old toms wouldn't stop displaying and therefore the judges were not able to see the conformation I saw at coop in.

Aww I think both the Muscovy's and turkeys are pretty but that's just me, lol I think turkens are cute too so maybe that's why.

Omega Blue Farms wrote:Hi Kathy, yes, the old Rochester blood is the cornerstone of my line, from a production and disease resistance standpoint. However, from a visual standpoint, one might see more of the Wishard Bronze ancestry.

Loosing that Rochester line is really a sad thing for Canada. I said it a decade ago and I'll still say it today, they were, hands down, the best line of turkeys I have ever seen.

Been working part time in a poultry slaughter house recently and have seen alot of the Orlopp Bronze. What a disaster they are, they seem to lack genetic resilience. Had a batch just yesterday where every single liver got condemned for blackhead, along with 3 whole birds! I think people are being suckered into believing that since they have bronze feathers, they can be pastured like a true bronze. They are really just whites with bronze feathers and need to be protected from the elements like one does with whites. FWIW, my true bronze are still sleeping under the stars on logs (and gates, and fencing, grrr) and still haven't lost a liver this year.

I would also like to say that my turkeys had some surprisingly strong competition from some Narragansets. I never got to hold them and check out their fleshing, but everything I could see told me that they were most likely the biggest Narri's I have ever seen and with very good conformation (balance). I know nothing about Narri colouring, so can't comment there. Unfortunately both old toms wouldn't stop displaying and therefore the judges were not able to see the conformation I saw at coop in.  

I agree with you Wayne,   We butchered 5 turkeys, 2 standard Bronze and 3 Orlopps,  aqll  3 Orlopp  had Blackhead and had to be cremated. The 2 Bronze were perfect.