Show Terms

We've shown our chickens locally for about 5 years now and have come across judging terms that perhaps mean something to the judge, but not to the general population. Perhaps one or more of the forum judges could educate the uneducated with some definitions. Some of these I know, but have included as perhaps others do not understand them. Feel free to add to the list.

Condition

Character

Commercial

Stubs

Type

Sharp

Leg Mites

Lice

Best of Breed

Best of Variety

Size is another one they put on there.

Hey Rico, come give us some insite to your secret judge code lol

I noticed two birds that were disqualified and marked "stubs"...we wondered what that meant.

Good topic! I've noticed confusing terms on my birds in the past.

Crap

KFC fodder

Obviously submitted by blind person

The person who bred this should be drug into the street and shot

Stubs has come up recently and discussed. Stubs occurs in smooth leg chickens such as Wyandottes. The shaft of the legs has small, short stubby feathers where there should be no feathers. This fault is a disqualification.

[quote="rosewood"]We've shown our chickens locally for about 5 years now and have come across judging terms that perhaps mean something to the judge, but not to the general population. Perhaps one or more of the forum judges could educate the uneducated with some definitions. Some of these I know, but have included as perhaps others do not understand them. Feel free to add to the list.

Condition- refers to the general condition of the birds body (Thin or fat), plumage(broken feathers molting), cleanliness. If the birds condition really is bad I will note it on the card as condition-(minus)or just condition, if it's in nice conition I might put condition + or nice condition

Character- might refer to the bird's showyness maybe(I have never used this term)

Commercial- refers to the fact that while the bird maybe be a Barred Rock it is not a good representation of proper breed type and likely comes from hatchery stock so will lack size, color and other important breed characteristics just does not look like it's breed should

Stubs- A short section of the stem of a feather and is a disqualifation when found on the shanks or on or between the toes of clean legged breeds.

Type- Is the Shape and Form that exsists to all members of a breed resulting from breeding to a ideal shape and size as written in the Standard of Pefection. So lets say a Plymouth Rock has a ideal shape that is including width of back, length of back the way the tail is set and more all works into correct breed type. If a bird is lacking I put put Lacks breed type on the card.

Sharp- I have no idea as I have never seen this term. Maybe refers to sharp spurs on a cock bird?

Leg Mites- Scaley Leg- this is just bad husbandary and there is no need for it. This condition is on the legs of poultry and is a small burrowing mite that results in a encrustation on the legs. No Fowl can be awarded a first prize if it sufficent to completely cover the natural color of the shanks and toes. I will always put Scaley Leg on the card if a bird has it.

Lice or Mites- I will write "Vent" on the card or Mites to bring attention the owner that the bird has mites or lice. Such a bird would not go far under me as you are doing the bird and other exhibitors a disservice. But I am finding that I don't see to many buggy birds as of late so people must be learning.

Best of Breed- or BB the bird is the best of it's breed, but also remember that the bird can be the only one entered in it's breed and still be Best of Breed.


Best of Variety- or BV- the bird is the best in it's color variety within a breed which can have many colors.

Size- Would mean that the bird is lacking in size(small) or can even be to big for it's breed. There is an ideal weight for every breed and Weight is a breed characteristic.

DQ- Disqualified for any number of reasons- I always put the reason on the card for the exhibitor.


Heather

Good post.
Thanks for taking the time to answer Heather.

Thanks for the definitions, Heather. I was sorting through some old show ribbons a week or two ago and discovered comments on the back that I hadn't seen from a few years back.

Heather answered the terms on question very well. I wrote an article on what judges write on coop cards and what all the different check marks, minus marks, C+, or C- and so on all mean. The article is posted on the Fraser Valley Poultry Association website. The article on this site is shortened version. The full version of the article will be posted on the Canadian Heritage Breeds website. This should you know what we judges short notes mean.

When Heather mentioned Commercial birds as hatchery birds, that can be expanded to what I call mail order chickens. Hatchery birds or mail order will normally lack the type, size and color compared to show stock birds. Show stock breeds normally come from breeders.

Character can probably refer to a bird like an Old English Game, which do have character and you want them to be game in character.

Sharp, as Heather mentioned is kind of an unknown. I might think a bird that looks sharp, means its overall appearance. The bird looks sharp. Excellent color, type, condition and size.

The term "sharper" came off a coop card at the recent North Thompson Fall Fair. The note stated, "Should Be a lot Sharper". This was the Best in Show large fowl from the previous Fall Fair, but she is not going to be the same as the previous year after laying for a year or being ridden around by the roosters. I like to support our fair with entries, but this year's stock is too young to show or as in the case of a Buff Brahma the pen mates have decided he should be smooth legged. I would have liked to talk to Heather at the show, but she had left when I came back after judging. Thanks to both judges for their comments here. I particular found the definition of "condition" helpful.

That's kind of a different statement alright. As many exhibitors, breeders and judges say that a pullet is in "Plump or Prime Condition" just before she starts to lay her first egg. Cockerel take a little longer but normally when their sickle feathers are fully in they are in prime condition. As many exhibitors know a bird will only normally be in prime condition for a about two weeks maximum. This is why sometimes a bird will win in one show and not at another show a month later, is because it is passed it's prime. Maybe that's what the statement met.

Rosewood That was me and what I put down was her laceing should be alot sharper(more vivid so to speak) on the Wynadotte I think. Birds change alot from show to show and it is my understanding for the at least the last two years they have not had a licensed judge doing their judging at that fair.

Heather

Our internet is acting up and I lost a post here. The explanation about the lacing makes sense. That particular BLRW is quite a bit different from when she was 6 months old last September. I'm very committed to improving the various breeds I have and knowing what the judge sees is important.

I believe the same person from the Fraser Valley club has judged our fair for a number of years and done a good job. Certainly a better job than getting an Angus expert to judge Highland cattle.

Sebas49 wrote:Heather answered the terms on question very well. I wrote an article on what judges write on coop cards and what all the different check marks, minus marks, C+, or C- and so on all mean. The article is posted on the Fraser Valley Poultry Association website. The article on this site is shortened version. The full version of the article will be posted on the Canadian Heritage Breeds website. This should you know what we judges short notes mean.

When Heather mentioned Commercial birds as hatchery birds, that can be expanded to what I call mail order chickens. Hatchery birds or mail order will normally lack the type, size and color compared to show stock birds. Show stock breeds normally come from breeders.

Character can probably refer to a bird like an Old English Game, which do have character and you want them to be game in character.

Sharp, as Heather mentioned is kind of an unknown. I might think a bird that looks sharp, means its overall appearance. The bird looks sharp. Excellent color, type, condition and size.

As I was looking at the cards that had things written on them at the show yesterday, I noticed quite a few acronyms on one of the cards. I have to go and revisit the card with letters on this morning when I go and get my birds to bring home. I can figure out what some of the letters mean, but put together, it didn't make much sense. Perhaps it will by the time I get there, re-read and perhaps ask someone, but who knows if anyone will be able to help me, no clue at all

I think this information that Rico put in the article on the Fraser Valley Poultry Association's website will be a boon for me to read. Thus I will do later. I wanted to bring this post back, so anyone that had letters for definition of stuff on their cards, that they can go and read. I am actually going to make a link to the Fraser Valley Poultry Club's site and the link part, so it is easier for others to find the information. Hold on...retrieving data....here is the link to the club http://www.fvpfa.org/default.html . But...Help here Rico. I tried to find an article on the site, the article part indicated that no articles were there. I perused the site to try and find your article, but came up with nautta. Is there a place where it might be that I can't find it? I think it would be a very beneficial knowledge for many poultry keepers. Have that wonderful day, CynthiaM.

Hi CynthiaM

It's to bad we didn't meet up at the Armstrong Show because I certainly would have gone over the comments and abbreviations the judges had put on the cards. I did an expanded article on this subject and it's posted on our Canadian Heritage Breed website. Below is the link to the article.

http://chb.skytoneprinting.com/?page_id=1339

Let me know if I can help you out with any of your questions.

Thanks for that link. Great info and very helpful!