CSU - Chicken State University- Large Fowl SOP

[3riverschick]

Quote: There's an easy and a more complicated answer to this. In one word, Yes, according to the SOP. Here it comes...however....
The British SOP states, and it has been historically true in the breed...that the hackle is a white feather striped with black...not a black feather laced with white. The country of origin and the veteran breeders, keepers of the historic breed type, have always been very clear about this.
So what happened? Why do we differ. Well, back about the time the Light Sussex was being considered for APA SOP ( approved 1929) , the English were sending a lot of birds over to the US to be bred and shown. The same time, the Light variety was going thru an era of fascination with the superhackle. It was a concern to the veteran breeders, such that Outram mentions it in his book ( 1925).
Superhackle is when the hackle feathers have such a wide stripe ( or lack white edging altogether) that the bottom of the hackle forms a black necklace around the birds neck. In an extreme superhackle, the white edging is missing altogether and the hackle is entirely black. So the birds the APA was seeing may have looked like the hackle feather was black , laced with white. They standardized what they were give to judge.
So... that's my historic take on the subject. I still have not figured out what the difference (if any) there is in breeding a hackle that is white striped with black or black laced with white. Whether it is a matter of color balancing, the new gene hackle black, or whatever. Maybe the old timers were trying to explain the feathers were on a Silver base and not a Black base? I am not sure yet. So I am going to breed my Lights to the country of origin and look for the white feather with the black stripe. In the end, in the show cage, I don't think it will matter to the judge as long as the feather has a white edge and a black center in the proper proportions. The interesting thing about all this is the APA SOP doesn't mention any proportions for the white and black which leaves us leeway to go either route. Black with white lacing or white with black stripe.
Best,
Karen

 

[cluck-cluck]

Thanks Karen, that's very interesting! I would suppose collaboration in the old days wasn't easy (must have taken a long time for mail to go back and forth) I'd bet SOP's would have matched better if written today (or else we'd have some serious feuds, LOL)

 

[Fred's Hens]

The tempo here ebbs and flows.

To repeat what we've said over and over. Do not look for this judge or that "expert" to carry the freight here. No one can carry this thread on his/her own. If there are those interested in discussing the challenges and joys of the Sussex, it is up to them to carry the conversation. If after a lull period and interest wanes, we do clean up the section of chit chat, and open with a new breed. That's how it works.

 

[lgrant1]

OK, since we are waiting for pictures of stock, I thought maybe I could post a few of mine.













I have 4 Light Sussex, 2 pullets and 2 cockerels all 7 months old. The breeder I bought the hatching eggs from said they are from UK imported stock. I would love feedback on how they look for breeding. I'm not planning to show, but do want to have good quality stock if I decide to keep this breed. Thanks in advance.

 

[lgrant1]

This is Angus my other cockerel

 

[math ace]

The tempo here ebbs and flows.

To repeat what we've said over and over. Do not look for this judge or that "expert" to carry the freight here. No one can carry this thread on his/her own. If there are those interested in discussing the challenges and joys of the Sussex, it is up to them to carry the conversation. If after a lull period and interest wanes, we do clean up the section of chit chat, and open with a new breed. That's how it works.

I was with this thread in the beginning and have missed a lot in between. I thought the original rules were that non-posters weren't allowed to speak. The posters were allowed to talk amongst themselves and then eventually the class would begin. I was not waiting for a "JUDGING", but I was waiting for a class to begin on the Sussex. I clearly didn't understand the rules of this thread, my bad.

Personally, I know NOTHING about the color standard perfections for the Sussex colors other than the speckled Sussex. MrHeinz77, I will be returning to the SS thread to critique your birds. Wake me up over there if someone decides to take up the Sussex on this thread.

OBTW, I am loving the color on the TWO chicks I hatched from Reichert this year. I am going to post a couple of chick pics on the SQ SS thread. I only hatched TWO chicks and I am praying they are girls.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I was with this thread in the beginning and have missed a lot in between. I thought the original rules were that non-posters weren't allowed to speak. The posters were allowed to talk amongst themselves and then eventually the class would begin. I was not waiting for a "JUDGING", but I was waiting for a class to begin on the Sussex. I clearly didn't understand the rules of this thread, my bad.

Personally, I know NOTHING about the color standard perfections for the Sussex colors other than the speckled Sussex. MrHeinz77, I will be returning to the SS thread to critique your birds. Wake me up over there if someone decides to take up the Sussex on this thread.

OBTW, I am loving the color on the TWO chicks I hatched from Reichert this year. I am going to post a couple of chick pics on the SQ SS thread. I only hatched TWO chicks and I am praying they are girls.

Not a problem. We've had to allow for the natural ebb and flow and go with what happens. There certainly isn't an assigned faculty or anything close to it. The hope was that such adjunct faculty, as we called them, would indeed take the reigns, jump in, and do some substantial instruction on the breed, each breed as we came to it. That's really all we could do. Hope for the best. In most cases? This has happened and the section went quite well.

 

[3riverschick]

Quote:

 

[3riverschick]

http://www.katherineplumer.com/closeups/poultry/SOP/LLightSussex.html
Now this is best done in windows because I don't have permission to grab this pictures and bring them here from Katherine Plummer's website. Those of you with SOP's, consult them.
http://www.katherineplumer.com/closeups/poultry/SOP/LLightSussex.html Starting a the top of the female head draw a visual circle which follows the curve where the comb meets the skull. On around where the beak meets the skull... and down around the front of the skull and under the "chin". Up around the back of the skull and up to meet the crest where we started. It makes a circle. Not an oblong or a tri-corner. A circle. The eye, tho the head is refined without being weedy, is large and bright., not a tiny pig-eye. This side portrait is that of a productive hen who can lay well without wearing herself out, or using herself up. Again, type defines production virtues.
Best,
Karen

 

[3riverschick]

Ok, let's run with this: type defines production virtues. the Sussex is a really good breed to study this.

http://www.katherineplumer.com/closeups/poultry/SOP/LLightSussex.html
I am watching the latest Batman movie as I type this so it may take a while.