Here's a good question that my mentor asked another forum...
She posed the question that if you don't show, and want a productive breed why do you breed to a standard? On these internet forums it is made to seem like poultry shows are a big thing, that there area a lot of them and there are a lot of attendees. But in reality this is not the case 99% of people who want to raise and breed chickens want a productive one.... Go for it...
Also the best advice I have gotten was from an old school professional poultrymen... "Know a good chicken".
I like the last statement. That seams easier said than done, when even many exhibitors fail to realize why their breed has the type it does, and why it is important to keep it. Then others that think they know, but really do not.
My question to the comment "Why breed to the Standard?" would be then "Why breed a pure breed?". Breed characteristics define a breed, both phenotype and genotype. My position would be, if I was anti Standard, to strip myself of any boundaries or perceptions and breed something new all together. I could not take a pure breed, breed them away from a recognized Standard and call them by their name. It would be misleading.
The part I still cannot get by the anti Standard position is that a non standard is still a standard. A standard describes an ideal, and it is impossible to intelligently breed animals without a goal and an ideal. If someone's ideal is different than what the APA or other describes, then they are breeding something different than what is recognized and accepted by most. Nothing wrong with that, just call it something different.
Really, I have no qualms on any level. I just do not understand the anti Standard mentality. Many that breed to the Standard also breed very productive birds. It is true that there is the extreme that are solely concerned with ornamental qualities. I do not get that either, unless it is an ornamental breed. I just find that often the anti Standard crowd does not have anything to brag on either.
Ever heard of subjective and objective values? Monopoly money can within a family have trading value, but outside of the family it does not. It is not recognized by the whole or backed by any credible institution. On the other hand, the real paper money is recognized and backed by a supposed credible institution. This gives the paper real value, and is recognized world wide. Our birds haphazardly bred to an individual's concepts have no real recognized value, even if they are valued within a circle. They are really reduced to less than 1.50 each mail order chicks where the extra males are disposed of as a waste product.
On the other hand if an individual was able to breed an exceptionally remarkable strain that could compete with the ultra performers, then it would at least be equal in value to those 1.50 each birds.
On the other hand well bred Standard bred birds, that are productive, are special. Not a whole lot of them, which makes them rare, then they have something over the competition, they are recognized and backed by a respected and recognized institution, and have historic relevance. They are a continuation of generations of hard work by master breeders. There is no shortage of backyard birds that lay eggs. Plenty of them around the world.
Personally I want the complete package. I see both external and unseen faults and qualities. I want good feather quality, good heads, good comps, good type, good color, god health, good vigor, good longevity, etc. I also want to see them with appropriate growth rates and levels of production. They are after all, livestock. I guess I see that when you breed animals, you are not breeding parts of them, but the entire animal. I want quality from the surface to the core. To me the tail is part of the bird, so it is relevant to me. Even the eyes. It bugs me to see misshapen eyes, or eyes that do not fill the socket. I like the wings to be held nice and tight. Heck, most Jungle Fowl have decent combs, so there better be a good comb on my birds.
On the other hand, I cannot see perpetuating poor producers. Just makes no sense to me.
Regardless, any intelligent breeding project has to have a goal and ideals. And there are many things to consider. We are after all breeding an entire bird. Not just a mass of organs, and flesh. Or even just a pile of pretty feathers.
