Commerical Hen???

[wislandchickens]

I'm still pretty new to showing our chickens, and so I have a question.
Just got back from fair, and we did fairly well. But one of our chickens(Barred Rock) placed 2nd,and
on the note card it said....Commerical Bird.
What does that mean?

 

[Fred's Hens]

That's very interesting, but also raises more questions for me. Why are the Plymouth subdivisioned? To get those certain divisions out of the Plymouth are they breed with a different type chicken, and if so, wouldn't that be a mixed breed? As to my knowledge, they do that with other certain purebreds, ie.. Blues, Lavenders, Orpingtons and such..
But not with other breeds like RIR, or Austrlop, etc.. Besides beautiful colors and show qualities what is the benefit?
s

The breed's name isn't Plymouths. It is Plymouth Rocks. Most folks just say Rocks. The come in several varieties, Buff, White, Barred, Partridge, Columbian, etc.

However, if you were to picture these birds without their individual feather coloration, just picture them in black silhouette, they must all look identical. Same Standard of Perfection applies to all of them, for all of them are Rocks. Plymouth Rocks.

Breeds of chickens are not species like Robins or Sparrows, or Bald Eagles. A breed is a human idea. The originators of the breed made a composite bird using several sources, several breeds of birds some 130-140 years ago. When this composite bird, the Barred Rock (the original Rock) was shown around the country, bred true to it's self, and was stable genetically, a detailed standard was written and explicit and complete drawings (think blueprints) for the Rock rendered. This Standard and these drawings was submitted to the American Poultry Association and the breed was accepted.

The Rock, like all composite breeds, can only maintain its unique and particular look and type by special care in breeding. This is considered pure breeding. Without breeding selectively, with careful compliance to the breed's Standard, the composite begins to genetically "re-arrange" itself and the resultant generations of chicks eventually grow up to be birds that sort of, kinda resemble the original breed, but just aren't true to the breed anymore. That is why the OP's original question was important. Why did the judge put a "commercial bird" tag on the show cage? Because it was obvious to the judge and to me as well that the bird shown was not a Barred Rock, not according to the Standard, but only represented loosely as it had been bred by commercial hatchery, where breeding to type isn't much of a serious consideration. Hope that helps.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

While production birds "can" be purebred, what is actually happening is hatcheries are throwing in birds that look alike without any care of overall conformation/type/color of the breeds they are throwing out there for their consumers. It is entirely possible to get a mixed breed bird from a hatchery. Sex-links are one such mix. People believe they can show them as a purebred as they simply do not know that two breeds went into creating the sex-linked product. Then there's the Easter Egger/ Ameraucana debate *facepalm*.

Anyway, a good way I have found is to look online for the breed you are after. Look at photos of birds that are being bred to the Standard of Perfection. Look at the name of the breeder, what area they are from and try to narrow down their contact information. Hopefully kschnetz will be able to get some good contacts for you.

kschnetz, who on earth is that yummy picture of? I might need to make that my background on my computer! Reminds me of Shane on "The Walking Dead."

 

[kschnetz]

Well, the reason why 4-H and FFA usually do better is because of the leaders that teach the kids everything they need to know, and even help them find really good birds! In my experience a lot of 4-H and FFA leaders are also breeders, so the kids in their project already have a step up on the competition right there. Usually judges do not know who owns the bird the are judging (aside from showmanship of course), so I don't think its a prejudice against independents. You should look into a local 4-H club or FFA chapter, and at least talk to the leaders! They can give you a wealth of information on show birds. Hope this helps =)

 

[BantamLover21]

I'm still pretty new to showing our chickens, and so I have a question.
Just got back from fair, and we did fairly well. But one of our chickens(Barred Rock) placed 2nd,and
on the note card it said....Commerical Bird.
What does that mean?

There are two types of poultry: Commercial or production poultry, and fancy or exhibition poultry. Commercial poultry are bred by hatcheries and other large organizations to lay eggs. There is little, if any, emphasis towards breeding for show-quality appearance and type (shape). Consequently, a lot of hatchery birds are smaller than they are supposed to be, lack the correct type (type is the body shape that distinguishes different breeds of fowl), and often have less-than-perfect color patterns.

On the other hand, fancy or exhibition poultry are bred to be competitive at poultry shows. They are raised and bred by breeders who are constantly working to improve the type and coloring of their birds. Most exhibition quality birds have rather different type and coloring than hatchery quality, commercial type fowl.

One bird that is a classic example of commercial versus exhibition quality is the Rhode Island Red. Commercial Rhode Island Reds lay a lot of eggs, are a kind of light reddish brown color, and weigh 5-6 lbs (if that). The undercolor (color of that portion of the feather which isn't exposed when the feathers are lying in a normal position) may be a whitish red, and the legs, beak, and head lack size and thickness. Exhibition quality Rhode Island Reds are a deep mahogany red color, with thick, well-developed legs, beaks, and heads. They weigh 6 1/2-81/2 lbs, with dark red undercolor. While good layers, they lack the great egg production of commercial birds.

Barred Rocks, like yours, are another example. Exhibition quality Barred Rocks have striking barring and are heavy birds, with well-spread tails. Commercial Barred Rocks often have less prominent barring, lack size, and have triangular tails.

Commercial-type fowl make great backyard pets, and will provide plenty of eggs for a family. But if you want to compete well at shows, buying exhibition quality birds from breeders is a must. Despite your bird getting 2nd, I hope you had fun at the show!

 

[kschnetz]

Alright I emailed a few judges and breeders here in California to see if they know anyone in Washington. In the mean time, check out the American Poultry Asociation and American Bantam Association. Are you 4-H, FFA or independent?

 

[BantamLover21]

Than
Thank you for that information! I've understood that sex-links are mixed birds. But I always thought that when you buy a breed, ie... Barred Rock, Welsummer, RIR you were buying a pure-breed bird, maybe not the best, but a pure breed. So the Welsummer that I have has win two years in a row, once for BB and this year B.
Is she just a nicer hatchery bird, and if I buy from a nice feed store, could they be from local breeders? I guess I should ask them!
Lol
Thank you!!

In the case of most breeds, you generally are buying a pure-breed. Rhode Island Reds can sometimes be different, though, as many hatchery RIRs have New Hampshire Red/other breed ancestors. It just depends; some hatcheries care about keeping their breeding lines pure, and others just want egg production and sales.

Most hatcheries do not sell that show-quality of birds, so yes, your Welsummer is probably just a better than average quality hatchery bird. Most feed stores get their chicks from hatcheries, but others get theirs from local breeders. I suppose you'll just have to ask.

Do you have any photos to share of your birds? Its always so nice to see other peoples' chickens.

 

[kschnetz]

At our county fair, they put, "Open Class" or 4-H on the pen for the judge to see. They do have a wealth of knowledge, but very competitive and don't like outsiders so much. It can be hard on the kids
o

Wow that is so wrong! It is supposed to be all anonymous. That is sad that you are not welcomed by your local 4-H and FFA!! Around here I would kick some butt if you were treated that way

 

[BantamLover21]

I've put some pictures up. Let me know what you think...

Your birds do look pretty good, especially for hatchery chickens. They have good color, and nice type, too. I'm not a Welsummer breeder, though (I do show chicken, and know a thing or two about many breeds), so my opinion isn't the best. But I think that if you could get another good Welsummer cock, you could produce some pretty nice birds from your current Welsummers.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Yeah, I can understand why the judge tagged it that, to be very honest. By commercial, the judge recognizes that the bird is a utility laying strain that has been bred for common sale. A bird like that would be an excellent layer, too good of layer for the breed, to be very honest. How did they get that strain to lay so much? Therein lies your answer.