Are my Mottled Cochin Bantam & Silver Laced Wyandotte show quality?

[PoultryQueen101]

I thought it was a cockerel too at first look, but it looks nothing like my cockerel at that age, his comb is huge and very red and his face is basically wattle-material city. I realized that her face wasnt really red and she had that feminine look.

I showed her in the production class, her and the bird my brother showed were gorgeous compared to the other comets and leghorns in the category, but she didn twin anything. But if I showed her in fancy, she would have gotten third at least.... because 1 and 2 were also our birds. She is very pretty, and we are going to show her in ohio national. She is too skittish to get bred by the roo, she lays, she is still young at 5 months. She has pretty yellow legs and black toenails.

 

[BantamLover21]

This is a photo of a exhibition quality Wyandotte. It is a Golden Laced Wyandotte, which is similar to a Silver Laced. Photo courtesy of Feathersite.com.

Note the size, width of tail, large round breast, distinct/even lacing, well formed comb, and smooth outline. Her lacing could be a little better on her tail, but every bird has its faults.

Compare it to the photo of your bird.

Your Silver Laced Wyandotte, 702marine, is a very pretty bird, that should be a great producer of eggs for your family. But there are differences between her and an exhibition type Wyandotte that would probably prevent her from placing at a larger (non county fair) poultry show. She is smaller, has less tail width, is flatter over the back, has messier lacing, and should have more width in her breast, body, and head. She could still be a great county fair bird or showmanship bird, but I would never enter her at a larger poultry show.

The same holds true with Cochins.

Photo courtesy of Feathersite.com.
This is a show quality Brown Red Cochin bantam hen. Now, the Brown Red is not one of the most perfected varieties of Cochin, so this bird does have some flaws, and is not as good as a exhibition Black or White Cochin would probably be. Still, it exhibits correct Cochin type. Cochins should be large, fluffy birds, with round tails, soft feathering, profuse foot feathers, broad heads, tightly folded wings, and a short appearance. This bird shows all of those traits, though it could be just a little rounder/fluffier.


Now your Cochin bantam, 702marine. She is very cute, and does have some Cochin traits. However, there are once again important differences. See how your Cochin's tail is flatter, tighter feathered, held lower, and is not as large as the Cochin's tail in the above photo? She also doesn't show the massiveness and overall loose/heavy feathering of a show quality Cochin. She is a classic hatchery-quality Cochin, and will probably make a great pet--Cochins can be really sweet. I used to have two Cochin bantam hens before I had to cut down my breeds of chicken in order to focus on my favorites, and I loved them. Just like your Wyandotte, though, she will never be a real showbird. She will probably fill out a little more as she matures, but the structure just isn't there.

Hopefully, those photos/comparisons will help you (and others who read this thread) understand more about the difference between hatchery quality and exhibition quality chickens. I am by no means trying to discourage you from showing your current birds, or having your kids show them. Even if they don't win anything, the experience will still be great. I've been showing chickens for 3 years, and enjoy every show I go to. I just don't want you to show them, unknowing of their true quality, and then be disappointed.

If you really want to show poultry, I would definitely recommend finding a local breeder and purchasing some quality birds.

 

[poltroon]

OP, if you're interested in getting some birds that would be good for showing, finding a breeder with birds to sell is very doable.

This is the schedule for upcoming California poultry shows: http://www.poultryshowcentral.com/California.html

I would particularly bring to your attention the Bakersfield show Novermber 15/16th - it's not too terribly far from you, and likely there will be birds for sale. If there are specific breeds that interest you, you may be able to arrange ahead of time to have birds brought for you there.

 

[PoultryQueen101]

This is a photo of a exhibition quality Wyandotte. It is a Golden Laced Wyandotte, which is similar to a Silver Laced. [COLOR=FF0000]Photo courtesy of Feathersite.com.[/COLOR]

Note the size, width of tail, large round breast, distinct/even lacing, well formed comb, and smooth outline. Her lacing could be a little better on her tail, but every bird has its faults. Compare it to the photo of your bird.

Your Silver Laced Wyandotte, 702marine, is a very pretty bird, that should be a great producer of eggs for your family. But there are differences between her and an exhibition type Wyandotte that would probably prevent her from placing at a larger (non county fair) poultry show. She is smaller, has less tail width, is flatter over the back, has messier lacing, and should have more width in her breast, body, and head. She could still be a great county fair bird or showmanship bird, but I would never enter her at a larger poultry show. The same holds true with Cochins.

[COLOR=FF0000]Photo courtesy of Feathersite.com.[/COLOR] This is a show quality Brown Red Cochin bantam hen. Now, the Brown Red is not one of the most perfected varieties of Cochin, so this bird does have some flaws, and is not as good as a exhibition Black or White Cochin would probably be. Still, it exhibits correct Cochin type. Cochins should be large, fluffy birds, with round tails, soft feathering, profuse foot feathers, broad heads, tightly folded wings, and a short appearance. This bird shows all of those traits, though it could be just a little rounder/fluffier. Now your Cochin bantam, 702marine. She is very cute, and does have some Cochin traits. However, there are once again important differences. See how your Cochin's tail is flatter, tighter feathered, held lower, and is not as large as the Cochin's tail in the above photo? She also doesn't show the massiveness and overall loose/heavy feathering of a show quality Cochin. She is a classic hatchery-quality Cochin, and will probably make a great pet--Cochins can be really sweet. I used to have two Cochin bantam hens before I had to cut down my breeds of chicken in order to focus on my favorites, and I loved them. Just like your Wyandotte, though, she will never be a real showbird. She will probably fill out a little more as she matures, but the structure just isn't there.

Hopefully, those photos/comparisons will help you (and others who read this thread) understand more about the difference between hatchery quality and exhibition quality chickens. I am by no means trying to discourage you from showing your current birds, or having your kids show them. Even if they don't win anything, the experience will still be great. I've been showing chickens for 3 years, and enjoy every show I go to. I just don't want you to show them, unknowing of their true quality, and then be disappointed. If you really want to show poultry, I would definitely recommend finding a local breeder and purchasing some quality birds.

I just realized the photo of my sl wyandotte made her look wimpy. She flattens her tail and sets lower when she is calm, but she was excited about running around the yard.

 

[702marine]

Thank you for all the information. I am working on getting show quality Silver Laced Polish here in the next couple of weeks.

This is the line they are coming from:

Hopefully this will get us started in showing.