CSU - Chicken State University- Large Fowl SOP

[aveca]

Im not the expert for sure but I will help you out here Roger...he is excellent in type, WIDE in front and back important to orpingtons, you can see a decent amount of leg under him..wonderful color..strong healthy bone in the leg and foot..good comb..needs a little more in tail, his feathers are not as profuse as some, some people like a longer back, I do not...very nice Roger..I know from experience with these that they are very healthy and fleet of foot for very big birds..suprisingly fast , just try to catch one....extreamly good temprement ..sweet to be around..will not attack anyone..but will fence fight with other males..

Would love to see recent US version of blue orp but they tell me that thier arnt any..somone can present them right here and prove that wrong..

Im tring to find a couple australorp pics to critique..lost a folder somehow..

 

[bnjrob]

This is not a "show off your bird thread". This thread is about learning more about the SOP and seeing examples of birds in each given category - good and bad examples. This is why you were asked to critique your own bird, listing its strengths and its flaws that you think it has - not simply telling everyone that a judge at a show thought it was a great bird.

No, photos don't always show the full picture of a bird, But photos can and do show flaws and strengths. If you have read back through the thread, you will probably find that when a photo shows a flaw or a strength that is not there - because of the pose of the bird at that time such as droopy wings that aren't normally droopy - the poster will usually mention this in the post so that people know the pose of the bird does not reflect how the bird usually looks.

Even when a photo shows a problem that really isn't there all the time, we can all learn that "this is what this problem can look like" so people know what to look for in their own birds. And we can also see what good SOP bird is supposed to look like. That is what this thread is about - learning what birds should look like.

 

[galanie]

And as well, a few of the ones that have been judging them for a very long time can indeed tell some things from the pictures that we can't. But I am not one of them of course. I like your boy very much Roger. Like most here, I'm here to learn, not to teach.

 

[cluck-cluck]

Here you go, have at it.

Thank you for posting, for such a popular bird, so few have posted! He does seem nice and round, yet we can see the nice slate legs. Is he a black variety (sorry if stupid question) and if so, does he also need to have green sheen?

In so many cases, when looking at common hatchery stock, except for the coloration the birds have an ever so common look to them. Whether they are supposed to be Rocks, Reds, Australops, or what have you.

If these photos were in black and white far too many of these birds would look the same. Similar size, same pinched tails, similar back lines, often with cushions, similar wing set and the list goes on. Again, in black and white silhouettes, how many of these birds would be indistinguishable by breed?

Studying older poultry material presented in black and white and discussing a breed's features, both the good and the bad, in pencil drawings is curiously more helpful in learning to see type. My 2 cents.

Sorry, but I disagree! I need to see where the hatchery birds have gone wrong too, because I'm such an amateur! But I'm getting better with this thread

Ok, Here are some Hatchery Australorps:

How are you going to judge a bird without holding him, feeling of his brest & legs, I just don't get it, How can you judge a bird fairly by looking at him when he has already been judged at the show by a real judge who has had his hands on him or her ? Not meaning to be unreasonable but how ?
Rebel

Of course a show would be way more educational, but at the same time, this reaches people like myself, who are so busy with kids, etc... that getting away to a show to actually meet people who know and have birds right in front of me, is not quite possible at the moment... missed the one I planned on going to

So this thread is invaluable to me (Thanks Fred!) Plus you only have so much time at a show, you'd probably only learn about a few birds, and here, we're methodically going through all the large fowl SOP's

 

[galanie]

Rebel Yell's boy is Blue. Blue cockerels have what appears to be a black "back" especially in pictures they look that way - hackles, saddle, etc.

 

[cluck-cluck]

Oh, lovely! Thank you for clarifying!

 

[ronott1]

Thank you for posting, for such a popular bird, so few have posted! He does seem nice and round, yet we can see the nice slate legs. Is he a black variety (sorry if stupid question) and if so, does he also need to have green sheen?
Sorry, but I disagree! I need to see where the hatchery birds have gone wrong too, because I'm such an amateur! But I'm getting better with this thread

Of course a show would be way more educational, but at the same time, this reaches people like myself, who are so busy with kids, etc... that getting away to a show to actually meet people who know and have birds right in front of me, is not quite possible at the moment... missed the one I planned on going to

So this thread is invaluable to me (Thanks Fred!) Plus you only have so much time at a show, you'd probably only learn about a few birds, and here, we're methodically going through all the large fowl SOP's

Yes, the black came in splotchy after they molted too.

They do have a green sheen--Purple is bad for BAs.

These are Cackle BAs and are now where near SQ.

 

[galanie]

Here's a whole new can of worms concerning feather sexing. Maybe this is not exactly teh right thread for it but I know people hang here that really know what theyre talking about. In the *Buff Orpington Thread* someone says they wrote McMurray hatchery and asked what breeds they feather sex. One of the breeds mentioned that McMurray feather sexes is the Buff Orpington. Now, I've heard many, many times that they cannot be feather sexed. Anyone have any input on this? Could it be that these can simply because they have a fast feathering and slow feathering strains they use?

 

[Hemlock Hill]

This is not a "show off your bird thread". This thread is about learning more about the SOP and seeing examples of birds in each given category - good and bad examples. This is why you were asked to critique your own bird, listing its strengths and its flaws that you think it has - not simply telling everyone that a judge at a show thought it was a great bird.

No, photos don't always show the full picture of a bird, But photos can and do show flaws and strengths. If you have read back through the thread, you will probably find that when a photo shows a flaw or a strength that is not there - because of the pose of the bird at that time such as droopy wings that aren't normally droopy - the poster will usually mention this in the post so that people know the pose of the bird does not reflect how the bird usually looks.

Even when a photo shows a problem that really isn't there all the time, we can all learn that "this is what this problem can look like" so people know what to look for in their own birds. And we can also see what good SOP bird is supposed to look like. That is what this thread is about - learning what birds should look like.

Amen to that!

OK here's and example for you all, not every fault ( or bonus) is visible:



Even though this little guy is charming as can be, he's got some issues if I were to show him. I won't show him. He's a pet, and eats plenty of bugs and provides comic relief to earn his keep.
- 1st off- I don't think his color is accepted yet, so he could not compete with other Bantam Orpingtons of accepted colors. Not a fault, but something to consider with the flood of new colors being imported and shown.
- 2nd- he is over his weight class for a bantam per APA
- 3rd- I feel the tail is too narrow
- 4th- side sprig on the comb

There may be other issues I am not aware of yet, but this is enough to dq him from MY group of potential show birds.

 

[ronott1]

Here's a whole new can of worms concerning feather sexing. Maybe this is not exactly teh right thread for it but I know people hang here that really know what theyre talking about. In the *Buff Orpington Thread* someone says they wrote McMurray hatchery and asked what breeds they feather sex. One of the breeds mentioned that McMurray feather sexes is the Buff Orpington. Now, I've heard many, many times that they cannot be feather sexed. Anyone have any input on this? Could it be that these can simply because they have a fast feathering and slow feathering strains they use?

They have probably been crossed with Leghorns--feather sexing is possible then.