Royce,
I am well aware of the APA description, and I think it's too bad it got in there in that form.
According to the reports from breeders in the Netherlands, a laced breast in the male makes it virtually impossible to do a single mating breeding program, as the lacing of the male supposedly does not help the desired lacing in females. Having one run for both male and female show birds should certainly be the ideal, and it was proven by one of the outstanding Dutch breeders some years ago that this goal was achievable with the black breasted males... Whatever it be, the Dutch have their standard reflecting this fact.
Now to the root of the problem:
Horst Greczmiehl (German immigrant in British Columbia, Canada) was the one who submitted the proposed standard to the APA in conjunction with our qualifying show. He was also the breeder who brought the most birds to that meet, along with a couple of other breeders (at least two of them of Dutch background--I believe immigrants) along with myself and Lowell Barber. I am pretty sure Horst submitted a translation of the GERMAN standard, which differs from the Dutch/British one, albeit almost all the male birds shown had black breasts (though I know that a couple of them had VERY broad lacing so that the brown did not show, because I was allowed to handle some of Horst's birds). Again, as is the case with the Welsummers, we have ended up with a confused state, which is most unfortunate.
By far the most numerous (and some would say, the BEST) breeders in Europe are in Germany, and their shows are incredibly impressive, both in number of birds shown and in quality. The types and characteristics specified in the German standard has therefore become what is generally accepted in many other European countries (Denmark and other Scandinavian countries, Poland, France, and others), but not necessarily in the country of origin (in this case the Netherlands for the Barnevelders and the Welsummers) or in Great Britain/Ireland.
The APA standard for the Welsummers was largely an adoptation of the UK/Dutch standards (Horst somehow must have had access to these) whereas the Barnevelders ended up with the lacing of the breast of the male. You're absolutely correct, Royce, this is what our APA standard specifies. I was aware of this early on and discussed it with Horst, but he dismissed the issue as inconsequential because the lacing was so wide, he claimed, that the breast of the male would APPEAR all black. I never did pursue it further at the time because I gave up on the breed shortly afterwards, but then I checked with the Dutch and was told that the black breast in the male was what was desired.
So here is my explanation as to this problem:
The Germans are the dominant poultry breeders in Europe and as such have "taken over" many breeds originating elsewhere (such as, for instance, Wyandottes, New Hampshires, Welsummers, Barnevelders, RIRs, etc.) to such an extent that they show more birds of these breeds than does any other nation. Over time, they have also "set" their own types, colors, etc. Many of the birds recently imported here in North America come from multiple sources -- Germany, Netherlands, UK, France, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, and others -- and come with the divergent standard requirements when such differences exist (consider the Leghorn standards, for instance, with German ('Italiener'), Dutch, UK, French, Scandinavian specifications all at variance with the APA standard at various points). The controversy is here, and it reflects where the birds we imported originated-----and where their breeders' roots were. As for the Barnevelders and Welsummers, many breeders (especially Canadians) have their origins in places such as Germany, Poland, Scandinavia, etc. I believe. Naturally, these folk would like to see the breeds proceed along the lines that they have been used to. This problem arose, for instance, when it came to a revision of the APA standard for the Welsummers, when the German immigrants argued in favor of a much lower tail angle and were able to get it lowered to 60 degrees from the original 75 (but, thank Odin, not one like the German standard, which would make the bird look like a RIR with Welsummer color).
We really need to come to an agreement here in North America about which way to turn. In my opinion, we should always follow the lead of the people in the country where the breeds originated (as they are doing, I think, in the case of the Marans). Then again, that is only my OPINION, and I cannot claim any special knowledge of where the truth lies or where it should be; it should be in the hands of the reputable breeders, and it should be settled AS SOON AS POSSIBLE because continued confusion serves nobody, breeders, judges, or plain fanciers.
Just sayin' ---- and a happy 2013 to y'all.
Regards,
Bjorn
I think there may be some misunderstanding about what the SOP states. So, while hoping I ain't breaking any rules or getting myself into any trouble, let me quote here from the 2010 APA SOP that just came out last year:
From Page 142 of the SOP
BARNEVELDERS
The breed was originated in the district of Barneveld, Holland, with the brown eggs as one of the chief attractions. At first the birds were of mixed markings, some being double laced, others single laced, while the majority follwed the stippled partridge pattern. Two varieties were standardized, the double laced partridge and the stippled partridge, but the former gradually came to the top and is the popular variety in Holland today.
Now, from pages 35 & 36 of the SOP describing the color "Partridge" in the male and then female respectively:
Male
HEAD: Web of feather, lustrous rich red
NECK: Hackle -- web of feather, lustrous greenish black with a narrow lacing of medium shade of rich, brilliant red, shaft black
BACK: Back, including Saddle -- web of feathers, lustrous, greenish black with narrow facing of a medium shade of rich brilliant red, a slight shafting of rich red permissible. Rich brilliant red predominating on surface of upper back; saddle matching with hackle color.
BREAST: Lustrous greenish black
(Other parts of body omitted here to save time and space)
Female
HEAD: Deep reddish bay
NECK: Hackle -- black, slightly penciled with deep reddish bay and laced with reddish bay
BACK: Deep reddish bay, with distinct black pencilings.
BREAST: Deep reddish bay with distinct black pencilings.
(Again, other parts of body omitted here to save time and space)
Now back to Page 142 of SOP for comparison to the above:
COLOR - MALE
HEAD: Each feather black with slight reddish brown edging and reddish brown shafts, tips of feather black
NECK: Each feather black with slight reddish brown edging and reddish brown shafts, tips of feather black
BACK: Each feather reddish brown with very wide lacing of lustrous, greenish black
Saddle - Each feather black with slight reddish brown edging and reddish brown shafts, tips of feathers black
BREAST: Each feather reddish brown with a sharply defined lacing of lustrous, greenish black
(Other body parts omitted)
So, one can see that the APA SOP does require lacing in the breast of the Barnie male.
COLOR - FEMALE
HEAD: Plumage, lustrous, greenish black
NECK: Lustrous, greenish black. Front of neck - same as breast.
BACK: Each fether reddish brown, free of black peppering, with a well defined outer lacing of lustrous, greenish black and a well definted inner lacking of lustrous, greenish black. The outer lacing to be distinct yet not so heavy as to give a black appearance to the bird in the show pen.
BREAST: Each feather reddish brown, free of black peppering, with a well defined outer lacing of lustrous, greenish black and a well defined inner lacing of lustrous, greenish black. The outer lacing to be distinct yet not so heavy as to give a black appearance to the bird in the show pen.
So hopefully this will help clarify why the Barnie is considered a "Partridge" colored bird and how that applies to the specific coloration of the breed. And it should also correct any misunderstandings about whether our SOP requires lacing in the breasts of the male.
God Bless,
Royce
