No wonder the Standard of Perfection is open to interpretation!

http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=chla&cc=chla&idno=2837819&q1=Genetics+of+the+Fowl&frm=frameset&view=image&seq=69

Start towards the bottom and you can read about the creeper gene which makes the long bones in the legs very short. I think this is a gene that the japanese bantams carry.

 

I don't see why that creeper thing would be necessary to silkies, since they are so short legged in the first place

 

Quote:I don't think Silkies are short legged. They have a lot of fluff, which might make them appear to have short legs.

Their butt fluff is very close to the ground - which is stated under the definition of creeper.

 

This is why you need to go to shows where they have good judges to see what they are actually talking about. Sometimes being there is worth a whole lot more than just a thousand words. When you can look at two different chickens and have somebody point out the differences, it becomes a lot clearer.

Then you have stuff that makes absolutely no sense until it is explained. I'll admit. I would not have had a clue what "Creeper" meant.

 

You must read all the general stuff and the definitions as well as the breed standard. The breed standard does not contain all the information about how the bird will be judged.

There are general disqualifications that apply to all birds and you need to look at those, too. Also, you are responsible for learning the vocabulary.

 

Quote:They are not so short legged as to be dwarfed in any way... but the fluff and body of the feather makes them appear shorter than they are. The female in my avatar has perfectly normal leg length, she's just a very full feathered bird.

 

In the older Bantam Standards...there used to be a breed called a "Creeper".....short legged breed like a Japanese but with out the tail going over their backs.