CSU - Chicken State University- Large Fowl SOP

[NoseyChickens]

It is very normal for feathers to come in all white as they age.

I found great improvements were made when using a larger male with great type/color/crest size over females with good lacing. It improved the size in the offspring, the lacing, and the overall size of the birds.

BUT. I am so new to all of this and my birds are in need of improvement. So I feel uncomfortable giving advice of any kind. The genetics of it all still makes me feel like I am in way over my head.

I will try to get some full body pictures to share. It's a crazy week coming up for me. But I will try to make time.

 

[ramirezframing]

Thanks for the information NoseyChickens.

 

[fowlman01]

With any breed you want to get the body right first. In this case, the crest, body shape and tail. You can work on color faults later....or at the same time in some cases, but some folks forget about the shape in their quest to get good color.

The APA Standard is a good book and it will make more sense after you read the first 30 pages AND get feedback from this thread and the heritage thread. It just makes more sense if you have the basic knowledge and the correct terminology. Some of the terms used on BYC are only used online and never used by seasoned poultry folk...in some cases they would not even know what you are talking about as in: POL, lockdown, etc etc.

Raising chickens is fairly easy, but breeding chickens to a Standard is extremely difficult. Also don't go by pictures you find online as 90
% of them have major faults.

Walt

 

[championsumatra]

Quote: yes I agree always get the body and the type down first.

 

[HighNDryFarm]

With any breed you want to get the body right first. In this case, the crest, body shape and tail. You can work on color faults later....or at the same time in some cases, but some folks forget about the shape in their quest to get good color.

The APA Standard is a good book and it will make more sense after you read the first 30 pages AND get feedback from this thread and the heritage thread. It just makes more sense if you have the basic knowledge and the correct terminology. Some of the terms used on BYC are only used online and never used by seasoned poultry folk...in some cases they would not even know what you are talking about as in: POL, lockdown, etc etc.

Raising chickens is fairly easy, but breeding chickens to a Standard is extremely difficult. Also don't go by pictures you find online as 90
% of them have major faults.

Walt

I'm hoping that in these last few hours that someone could post a picture of a full grown bird and talk about what is correct and not correct and why. I don't mean a really nice bird but maybe one someone is working with. Maybe the photos posted by 4her (not sure if that's the right spelling). She's looking for some input for her daughter I think, who's in 4H. I didn't see any response to her birds except to tell her to take better pictures but I'm wondering if there could be some input with the pictures she posted.

 

[ramirezframing]

Tried to get both sides and a crest shot but the wind blew the crest up on the one side right as i took it. she does have dirt staining on wing feathers. Six month old hen BT bearded SIlver Lace. Dick Horstman bred.

Using her pictures, the hens tail needs to be alot higher, same with the roosters (this could just be bad pictures). I would also like to see a fuller crest and beard on them. At the moment they both seem to be good on the size of wattles and comb. Have to see how the crests color out after the first molt and their size after they mature.

This is just my thoughts, and as I have said before, I have never showed before.

 

[fowlman01]

Using her pictures, the hens tail needs to be alot higher, same with the roosters (this could just be bad pictures). I would also like to see a fuller crest and beard on them. At the moment they both seem to be good on the size of wattles and comb. Have to see how the crests color out after the first molt and their size after they mature.

This is just my thoughts, and as I have said before, I have never showed before.

These pics don't show the bird very well, but in the middle picture you can see that the lower chest is flat. As noted: the crest is very small and the tail too low. The middle pic also seems to indicate that the birds wings are too low, but it doesn't show that in the other pictures. You can only. do so much with pictures like this.

Walt

 

[4Hgirl]

I'm familiar with the strain you purchased & it's a good one. Your pictures make it hard to evaluate the birds. Try new pics with more chicken & less scenery. Best is if they're standing on a flat surface & the picture is shot straight on rather than down on the bird.

ETA: in another post you referred to the birds as your "babies". That means I probably won't comment on them even if you post better pictures. I'm finally getting the message that people who are emotionally invested in their birds don't really want an honest critique, they want only "they're beautiful" comments.

Lol yes I can see your fear to hurt someone's feelings that feels their animal is their baby. I simply meant they are babies. Only 6mo old. I really do want honest critique. These are my daughters that I bought as she begged and begged for polish despite everyone telling me don't do it. She wants to enter them in some 4h shows, where we are we get little to no feedback from the judge or anyone else on them so I'd love to know their flaws and good qualities. I don't want to breed them. I have no emotional investment in them, my daughter does but she doesn't get on here. Obviously I made her this profile (4h girl) then I took it over.

 

[HighNDryFarm]

With any breed you want to get the body right first. In this case, the crest, body shape and tail. You can work on color faults later....or at the same time in some cases, but some folks forget about the shape in their quest to get good color.

The APA Standard is a good book and it will make more sense after you read the first 30 pages AND get feedback from this thread and the heritage thread. It just makes more sense if you have the basic knowledge and the correct terminology. Some of the terms used on BYC are only used online and never used by seasoned poultry folk...in some cases they would not even know what you are talking about as in: POL, lockdown, etc etc.

Raising chickens is fairly easy, but breeding chickens to a Standard is extremely difficult. Also don't go by pictures you find online as 90
% of them have major faults.

Walt

When I asked someone about a picture of a LF WCB Polish featured on the Polish Breeders Club page, I found out that wasn't even a LF bird. Other examples of color have frizzled birds w/o even referring to the frizzle as not being part of the color they're showing. Yes, it's been really difficult to source information for the Polish, beyond the Standard book anyway.

 

[Dr Bjorn Netland]

With any breed you want to get the body right first. In this case, the crest, body shape and tail. You can work on color faults later....or at the same time in some cases, but some folks forget about the shape in their quest to get good color.

The APA Standard is a good book and it will make more sense after you read the first 30 pages AND get feedback from this thread and the heritage thread. It just makes more sense if you have the basic knowledge and the correct terminology. Some of the terms used on BYC are only used online and never used by seasoned poultry folk...in some cases they would not even know what you are talking about as in: POL, lockdown, etc etc.

Raising chickens is fairly easy, but breeding chickens to a Standard is extremely difficult. Also don't go by pictures you find online as 90
% of them have major faults.

Walt

So true! The problem is, though, that often birds with extremely poor type (e.g., Single Comb Light Brown Leghorns with a "shallow" breast and short legs) but superior, stunning color win over birds with far superior type and only very minor color faults. I know that judging is subjective to a certain degree, and I totally agree that type comes before color, but it becomes a bit frustrating to some breeders when their birds lose to others over a very insignificant color issue (I almost never show any more, so it does not really concern me, yet I hate to see the better bird being put down). Then to the tail angle: I may be mistaken, but I have always measured it from the BACKLINE, and not from the true horizontal. If that is correct, the Polish cockbird comes pretty close to having a squirrel tail. Walt, could you please clarify how we should measure the tail angle? Vern Sorensen was the one who told me that the angle should be measured from the backline, and I had an enormous amount of respect for him.