Now here, for me, is where I think some people are missing the point of poultry breeding for exhibition. I see so many people here who want some breed or variety that noone else has. I've even seen posts where people have said they want something unusual to show so they cabe assured of getting a BV or BB award.
What's the point of that? Hw is that an accomplishment?
In virtually every show in the country the Old English Game Bantams are the largest class followed by Featherleg Bantams, Single Comb Clean Leg Bantams or Rose Comb Clean Leg Bantams. If you can breed OEGBs & win or in some shows even place you've done something. Same is tue of Cochin Bantams Leghorn Bantams or Bantam Plymouth Rocks. There's pleanty of competition in those classes so if you win you've done something.
As far a Legbars Or some of the othr obscure breeds are concerned { what the heck is a Sumtaler?] you will go to show after show with one of these & be the only one there. I've never actually seen one of either of them-or several others for that matter. So, you bring the only Legbar to a show & bring home a BB award-so what-it's meaningless.
Beauty is still in the eye of the beholder but the single combed birds witha small crest behind the comb look too much like many barnyard mutts to have any appeal for me but if they appeal to you ok. That said, my original point remains. I don't understand why anyone would want to show birds where there is almost no chance of having an comptition. It doesn't sound like any fun to me.
It is interesting and fascinating how very many Bantams are now in the poultry world...and how many people and what a diversity of owners are raising and showing them. They are beautiful - and some look almost like toys, or like ornaments for the mantle...right up there next to the Fu Dogs.
There is a mis-match, perhaps, between 'show birds' and 'production birds'. The CL was definitely developed by R.C.Punnett to fill a niche for egg production. Thinking of Bantam breeds, at a seminar that I attended last weekend, one woman asked why someone would raise a bantam, and her view was that their eggs are too small to be practical. Obviously she is firmly footed in the production arena. Because of the unique appearance, and the novelty of the blue-genetics in the eggshell - the CL has appeal to a number of people on a number of levels.
Those of us who raise CLs are so accustomed now to AUTOSEXING that we forget or we disregard what other chicken raisers need to go through (specifically those without autosexing breeds, I mean)--- More time has to elapse before they know their home hatched chicks gender, and for people who live where no roosters are permitted...the associated dilemmas of getting a supposed female chick that turns out to be a rooster - and this happens a LOT.
I think what KPenley, and GaryDean26 said about showing the Cream Legbar to have it become more well known has intrinsic value.
There can, perhaps be multipurposes to poultry shows.
Agreed that NYReds having winning RIRs has much more prestige than anyone who has won BB with a Cream Legbar - and interestingly - I think RIRs and BPRs were never
originally intended to be show birds either - but over the many decades have been developed into stunning examples of chickens - due to dedicated breeders. Other breeds such as the Bantams, and Phoenix - other long tailed breeds were bred specifically for looks.
Since showing CLs for their novelty is so new, it cannot be even in the same ball park as an older established heritage breed, never-the-less many of us feel that it is a breed that not only deserves it's day in the sun, but would be exactly right for the chicken owner who wants to be sure that they have a couple of hens, have a colorful egg basket, and have healthy, friendly, beautiful and unusual birds.
Referring back to the difference between Show and Production birds....many Cream Legbar owners value them for their practicality - and showing would be a side activity,
