Poultry Show Questions for Rico and other Judges!

Now I have to think of one!

OK- How much influence does a well groomed bird have on you as a judge? Is grooming enough to award a win to a slightly better specimen? A substantially better specimen?

Sue

As I've always said before type,type, type but after type 10 points are awarded to condition or call it grooming. Remember it is like a beauty contest. Body type first then condition and color next. Certain birds get extra points for station, like a modern game, Japanese. Birds get extra points for crests if they are a crested bird. Points are taking away from other sections to make up the difference.

I see Jessica Simpson not wearing any deodorant and she just climbed out of a pile of garbage. That is bird # 1

Then there is Oprah Winfrey, just as she came out of the dressing room where she was groomed by professional staff. She is bird # 2.

I would pick bird # 1
Rico: Is that fair judgement??

Piet

Im no judge but I think it would depend on if Jessica and Opreah were supposed to be cochins or OEGs.

And if Oprah will take you onto her talkshow, cause I dont really want to be on a Jessica based tv show.

Ok, just ignore the celebrity questions, Rico. I have another. As you know, Cynthia is looking for Blue cochins with truly yellow legs. How often do you see birds like that or is it more realistic to expect a more washed out leg with a yellow sole?

Sue

I have a question as well. It has to do with a marked bird.
We all know it is type, type, type, but when the variety is call partridge, how much weight does the pencilling have.
Bird#1 - nice type, good size with no pencilling to speak of, pullet of coarse.
Bird#2 - not as good a type or shape as first bird, but very close in size with very nice pencilling.
This is where I have the trouble. How can it be a partridge variety if it is not showing pencilling that is required for that standard? Should the best type bird win even though it is not a good example of the variety, but a good example of the breed?

What is "station"?

I think 'station' is like poise or posture. The way they hold themselves.

Sue

That makes sense, thank you!

Sorry I was away for a while. Let me answer some the questions.

First: Piet's question. Answer who smelled the best would win.

Coopslave's question: My answer would be the best type would win. If you add up all the points type is worth 60%. Of course if the color is so far off that it is not recognized then the bird would have a hard time winning if it is entered in the wrong variety.

Station: Sue is correct. It is how the bird stands and presents itself. A modern game must be trained to reach up high when a judge comes along to judge it. The legs and neck should a straight line from legs to head. It should strength out as to reach for food up high. Cochins should have that forward tilt to them. Totally opposite to modern games as to station. Sometime you see Cochins holding their head high and strengthening their neck out. This is very bad. Japaneses bantams with long legs making their bodies "V" shapes is a very bad fault. Japs should carry their bodies low to the ground, parallel to the ground.

What about legs (post#5)?

Sue

I love legs. What about them. Wrong colored legs will be a DQ. Stubs on a Clean Legged variety is DQ.

Here is my question. It's about spurs.

On roosters, I have read that it is important that the spurs not be overgrown. So how does one judge if the spurs are too long for the breed of rooster?

Now for the hens. I believe I read in the SOP that spurs on a hen is a DQ. I have hens that have nubs where spurs would have developed and I have a hen with a spur [about an inch long.] I also have a hen that I showed last year as a pullet that had no spurs but now has developed a spur about a 1/4 inch long. Shame as I was planning on showing her in Red Deer.
So when does a hen's nub gets considered a spur?

Spurs:
A males bird will not be DQ for having long spurs. It is appearance (condition) that the bird would get points taken off. Spurs should be kept trimmed and rounded off and kept to less then two cm long.

On hens except for Sumatras and Games it is a defect not a DQ. Nubs is not really a spur. Spurs are normally pointed when the bird gets older. Show your hen.

Sebas49 wrote:Spurs:
A males bird will not be DQ for having long spurs. It is appearance (condition) that the bird would get points taken off. Spurs should be kept trimmed and rounded off and kept to less then two cm long.

On hens except for Sumatras and Games it is a defect not a DQ. Nubs is not really a spur. Spurs are normally pointed when the bird gets older. Show your hen.

Thank you

This yellow legged thing on black and blue cochins is driving me nuts, sorry, hope this is not off topic. The question you asked was not completely answered and some stuff here is ambiguous.

According to the 2010 American Standard of Perfection, black cochin disqualifications of leg colour are (pertaining to legs and feet):

Black cochin
Disqualifications:
Shanks, other than yellow or black gradually shading into yellow
Bottoms of feet showing complete absence of yellow

Proper colour of legs and feet:
Shanks and toes:
Male -- yellow; bottoms of feet, yellow
Female -- yellow or dusky yellow, yellow preferred, bottoms of feet, yellow

Blue cochin
Disqualifications:
Nothing listed to do with leg and foot colour

Proper colour of legs and feet
Shanks and toes
Male -- yellow, bottoms of feet yellow
Female -- yellow to dusky yellow, yellow preferred, bottoms of feet yellow

There is nothing that I can find in the ASOP that talks about a leg colour disqualification in blue cochins. Yes, it talks about what the colour SHOULD be, but wondering why anything other than the yellow for males or yellow or dusky yellow for females is not listed under the disqualification.....this is not making sense to me at all. I am confused and I do not like to feel this way. It would be very nice if this could be cleared up, I am sure I am not the only one wondering about blue cochin leg colour, smiling. Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.

Shank and Foot Color: You must look in the General Disqualification section. This is where most of the general DQ are listed. In the breed and variety section additional DQ are listed for that breed or variety. In the General Disqualification section under:
Shanks and Toes: Foreign color to that described for breed and variety (Slight reddish tinge of pigment is yellow shanked varieties not to disqualify) is a DQ

So any color other that what is described for the blue cochin,
Shanks and toes
Male -- yellow, bottoms of feet yellow
Female -- yellow to dusky yellow, yellow preferred, bottoms of feet yellow
is a DQ.

Hope this helps.