No I've never encountered hatchery birds that are bred to the Standard of Perfection, and crossing hatchery birds to show quality stock would only lessen the quality of the stock. Since barred Rocks are so common there is no reason to try to improve hatchery birds through breeding.
I would...
Very true.
At my fair people brought two “English” Orpingtons in unrecognized colors and those were the only English. They didn’t place above best of variety so there was no champion English. Any hatchery buff could have gotten the title.
Probably not more than a point for a missing feather. She’s in much better condition than most. The thing about summer shows is few birds are in condition for them.
Very windy day, wasn’t it?
This is really good! I could take some tips from it too! I never think about the importance of production qualities.
The only things I would change would be to also compare the hen to the standard: size, head width, back width, clarity of barring.
Identify hackle and...
She certainly wouldn’t do well at an APA show. At a fair she might do okay, though I wouldn’t expect much better than a best of breed.
APA barred Plymouth Rocks are much larger and longer with a smooth slope to the tail. They are rectangular and very deep, enormous birds. Hatchery barred Rocks...