How do I know if a silver laced wyandotte is show quality?

[chick lovers]

What makes a silver laced wyandotte show quality? I am looking into showing silver laced wyandottes but i have no clue what makes them show quality.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Well, there are a lot of things that make a good Silver-Laced Wyandotte. If you really want to know how a Silver-Laced Wyandotte should look, get the American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection. This book will not only tell you what a Wyandotte should look like, but it also contains information on all other showable breeds of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and guinea fowl.

However, I can tell you about some basic things that you need to look for in a Wyandotte; more specifically, a Silver-Laced Wyandotte.

All Wyandottes should be round in shape, with a deep body, lots of fluff, a broad tail with lots of tail coverts, and a wide back. They should be fluffy, but not so fluffy that their hocks are hidden completely. The head of a Wyandotte should be broad, round, and large, with a short, nicely curved beak. The eyes should be full and prominent, and the wattles should be medium sized and well rounded, and smooth in texture. The comb should be a rose comb that follows the contours of the head, without any disqualifications like inverted spike. You want a Wyandotte to have moderately short legs, with even scaling and four straight toes. The wings of a Wyandotte should be medium in size, and the primary and secondary feathers should overlap properly when the wing is folded. All Wyandottes should appear massive.

Silver-Laced Wyandottes need to have distinct lacing. You do not want a bird with "frostiness", which is when the black lacing shades out to a lighter color at the edge of the feather. Lacing should be complete and distinct on all feathers, No messy-looking, indistinct markings (called Mossiness) should be found in the center of each laced feather. The black parts of a Silver-Laced Wyandotte should be pure black; the white parts, pure white.

Hope this helps! I would really suggest getting the Standard of Perfection. It is an essential book for a show person or a breeder.

 

[chick lovers]

Wow thats a lot of information and is greatly appreciated.

 

[mamabearsin]

What is the best place to get this book?

 

[gun32gtr]

i just found it on ebay

 

[kafernator]

I have a hen that is a 2nd generation hatch chick. We do love her, and I was not hoping for her to be a "show quality" hen. However, when her comb came in...it wasn't really a full comb...and for the longest time I thought she didn't have one and this was just a result of her poor breeding. Thanks to your reference of an "inverted spike", I realized immediately that this was the name of her flaw. : ) I know that may sound odd, but it is nice to know that it has a name. During the past few weeks, the remainder of the comb has started filling in, and she no longer looks like a unicorn. LOL Thanks for all the great info on the bird...the more the better for us newbies trying to get things right. I already knew she wasn't meant for breeding, but if at any time I have to sell her or rehome her, I can pass that on!

 

[Jack Czerwonka]

Well, there are a lot of things that make a good Silver-Laced Wyandotte. If you really want to know how a Silver-Laced Wyandotte should look, get the American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection. This book will not only tell you what a Wyandotte should look like, but it also contains information on all other showable breeds of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and guinea fowl.

However, I can tell you about some basic things that you need to look for in a Wyandotte; more specifically, a Silver-Laced Wyandotte.

All Wyandottes should be round in shape, with a deep body, lots of fluff, a broad tail with lots of tail coverts, and a wide back. They should be fluffy, but not so fluffy that their hocks are hidden completely. The head of a Wyandotte should be broad, round, and large, with a short, nicely curved beak. The eyes should be full and prominent, and the wattles should be medium sized and well rounded, and smooth in texture. The comb should be a rose comb that follows the contours of the head, without any disqualifications like inverted spike. You want a Wyandotte to have moderately short legs, with even scaling and four straight toes. The wings of a Wyandotte should be medium in size, and the primary and secondary feathers should overlap properly when the wing is folded. All Wyandottes should appear massive.

Silver-Laced Wyandottes need to have distinct lacing. You do not want a bird with "frostiness", which is when the black lacing shades out to a lighter color at the edge of the feather. Lacing should be complete and distinct on all feathers, No messy-looking, indistinct markings (called Mossiness) should be found in the center of each laced feather. The black parts of a Silver-Laced Wyandotte should be pure black; the white parts, pure white.

Hope this helps! I would really suggest getting the Standard of Perfection. It is an essential book for a show person or a breeder.

Could you send me a picture of inverted comb