I am not really sure where to start on the head. There is a guild to breeding and culling laying flocks by head points that was done by a researcher at the Agricultural Experimentation Station at Kansas State in the 1920's. It is the thing that has helped me understand what to look for in the head of a chickens.
The full guild can be read on-line HERE
Below is an image for this guide.
the top image shows the first head point of a productive layer. This is the distance from the brow of the eye to the comb. Warning: This is hard to evaluate on Legbars with big crests or folded combs but can be done. You want the The distance from the brow to the the comb to be minimal like the good example on the left. The poor example on the right shows the eyes further down in the skull.
The second point I don' fully understand but this is the one that the author says really distinguishes a good layer. He describes it as the the skull carrying forward. About all I see is that the beak is horizontal to the ground and not sloping down. The author talks more about skull width, etc. in the guide.
Next is the depth of the head. This is what I hear APA members and judges talk about the most. First, is the distance from the comb (i.e. top of the head) to the ear lobe shown by line A-B. You want a deep head. Judges will be looking for this. A shallow head is a sign of inbreeding depression and low vigor. It is also refered to as a snake head and is not a good thing. Next is the distance from the ear lobes to the end of the beak. For a balanced head you want these two line to be equal in distance. If you get the length of the second line to be a lot longer than the first line again you are getting into the snake head range which is a low vigor bird.
The last head point is the flatness of the head. Again with a crest this can be difficult to see but you want the line from the beak to the top of the head directly above the eye to the back of the skull to by large angles. the steep angle is not good.
Here are some front views of the head.
The top image shows that the eyes should be facing forward. The poor example shows them further apart and point more to the sides. The poor example also shows what is referred to as sunken eyes which is anther indicator of inbreeding depression and low vigor. You don't want the skull so crater in where the eyes are set.
The bottom image shows the eyes in the center of the skull as the good example. Again they are facing forward. The poor example on the right shows the eyes very high in the skull facing more upward that forward.
Head: Medium size, symmetrical, well balanced, and of fine quality.
So looking at the standard a medium head has to do with proportions. If it looks big for the bird it is. If it looks small for the bird it is. If it look normal you are okay for a medium head. I didn't find examples of large headed birds or small headed birds. If you have questions on this say something and we will find images so you can visualize the difference in head sizes.
Symmetrical - this will have to be evaluated from the top of straight on. If you can put a mirror down the center of the head (very difficult to actually do so just imagine) then the refection in the mirror should be in line with the head on both sides.
Well Balanced - I would suggest that this refers to the 3rd head point. You need to have the distance from the beak to the earlobe equal to the ear lobe to the top of the head. If the distance to the beak is longer you do not have a well balanced head. Also keep the top of the head flat. No steep angle from the beak to the top of the head to the back of the skull. That will not look balanced to someone looking for a good quality head. Also head point number 2 plays in here. You don't want that beak sloping down. That also won't look balanced to someone looking for a good head. And of course the eyes have to be well set for a good balance, so although head point number 3 is called "balance" all the head points really play into this.
Fine Quality: I don't fulling understand this APA term but I think they use the term fine to indicate the lighter skull of the laying breeds vs. a heavy beefy skull of the meat breeds that are thicker boned for supporting weight rather than "finer" boned for egg production. I could be wrong on this one. I am still learning too. I have heard the Legbar head referred to as a Sweet Head. I am not sure what that is either but think it refers to the "fine" heads. So if you are familiar with the "sweet" head that is correct for the Legbar.
These head points take a lot of time to learn to identify. Don't get discouraged if you can't tell a good head from a poor head. There are other ways to evaluate birds for laying qualities and as long as you have productive layers the head will follow. On the other had don't dismiss the head as not being important. Some judges are head freaks and place more importance on the head than any other part of the bird. The head is the light house of the bird and gives it direction. The back is what the bird is built on but the head is what guides it. Those are the two parts of the birds that different people will list as first priorities on a bird.
The full guild can be read on-line HERE
Below is an image for this guide.
the top image shows the first head point of a productive layer. This is the distance from the brow of the eye to the comb. Warning: This is hard to evaluate on Legbars with big crests or folded combs but can be done. You want the The distance from the brow to the the comb to be minimal like the good example on the left. The poor example on the right shows the eyes further down in the skull.
The second point I don' fully understand but this is the one that the author says really distinguishes a good layer. He describes it as the the skull carrying forward. About all I see is that the beak is horizontal to the ground and not sloping down. The author talks more about skull width, etc. in the guide.
Next is the depth of the head. This is what I hear APA members and judges talk about the most. First, is the distance from the comb (i.e. top of the head) to the ear lobe shown by line A-B. You want a deep head. Judges will be looking for this. A shallow head is a sign of inbreeding depression and low vigor. It is also refered to as a snake head and is not a good thing. Next is the distance from the ear lobes to the end of the beak. For a balanced head you want these two line to be equal in distance. If you get the length of the second line to be a lot longer than the first line again you are getting into the snake head range which is a low vigor bird.
The last head point is the flatness of the head. Again with a crest this can be difficult to see but you want the line from the beak to the top of the head directly above the eye to the back of the skull to by large angles. the steep angle is not good.
Here are some front views of the head.
The top image shows that the eyes should be facing forward. The poor example shows them further apart and point more to the sides. The poor example also shows what is referred to as sunken eyes which is anther indicator of inbreeding depression and low vigor. You don't want the skull so crater in where the eyes are set.
The bottom image shows the eyes in the center of the skull as the good example. Again they are facing forward. The poor example on the right shows the eyes very high in the skull facing more upward that forward.
Head: Medium size, symmetrical, well balanced, and of fine quality.
So looking at the standard a medium head has to do with proportions. If it looks big for the bird it is. If it looks small for the bird it is. If it look normal you are okay for a medium head. I didn't find examples of large headed birds or small headed birds. If you have questions on this say something and we will find images so you can visualize the difference in head sizes.
Symmetrical - this will have to be evaluated from the top of straight on. If you can put a mirror down the center of the head (very difficult to actually do so just imagine) then the refection in the mirror should be in line with the head on both sides.
Well Balanced - I would suggest that this refers to the 3rd head point. You need to have the distance from the beak to the earlobe equal to the ear lobe to the top of the head. If the distance to the beak is longer you do not have a well balanced head. Also keep the top of the head flat. No steep angle from the beak to the top of the head to the back of the skull. That will not look balanced to someone looking for a good quality head. Also head point number 2 plays in here. You don't want that beak sloping down. That also won't look balanced to someone looking for a good head. And of course the eyes have to be well set for a good balance, so although head point number 3 is called "balance" all the head points really play into this.
Fine Quality: I don't fulling understand this APA term but I think they use the term fine to indicate the lighter skull of the laying breeds vs. a heavy beefy skull of the meat breeds that are thicker boned for supporting weight rather than "finer" boned for egg production. I could be wrong on this one. I am still learning too. I have heard the Legbar head referred to as a Sweet Head. I am not sure what that is either but think it refers to the "fine" heads. So if you are familiar with the "sweet" head that is correct for the Legbar.
These head points take a lot of time to learn to identify. Don't get discouraged if you can't tell a good head from a poor head. There are other ways to evaluate birds for laying qualities and as long as you have productive layers the head will follow. On the other had don't dismiss the head as not being important. Some judges are head freaks and place more importance on the head than any other part of the bird. The head is the light house of the bird and gives it direction. The back is what the bird is built on but the head is what guides it. Those are the two parts of the birds that different people will list as first priorities on a bird.
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