Post Pics Of Orps/ Orpingtons HERE

[chickened]

Thanks Walt, keep it coming this is great stuff.

Checked the British Standard...don't have time to go word for word, but the major differences I see are the head and how much fluff they can have on their thighs. Those two things are not the same as the APA SOP, and those are pretty important differences. Looking at their Standard and looking at what they put up as superior specimens kind of throws me, but they may have a great answer about why the standard is different than the birds placed. The British Standard says: plumage-Fairly profuse but close, not soft, loose and fluffy like a Cochin or close and hard like a game. This is the same description the Australian Standard uses for Orps. This is pretty accurate for an Orpington plumage, but that is not what I am seeing in the British birds here or abroad.

A standard is useless if judges are picking birds that do not fit their Standard description.

Again...I have no axe to grind with the British birds, I like them. My responses here are my opinion as an APA judge and as a long time breeder of Orpingtons in black and buff.
(black-C. Moore, buff-R. Brazelton)

Walt

 

[ruth]

I felt the same way about shows, after 1/2 hour I was done. I think showing them and all the stuff with that would be a little more time consuming and especially if I had many birds there. I helped out an exhibitor at the Stockton show and it was very interesting. I was not bored.

I am self employed and run a business and a farm with more than chickens mind you and I always am happy when the days get longer.

You sound like me. Also self-employed for past 18 years AND run a farm with tours and hatchery. What's that saying.....busier than a one legged man in an a-- kicking contest? Well, that's me. I wish I had time to attend a show or show my birds but I'll have to leave that to others to do. Heck, I wish they had a show within 200 miles of me that I could attend, if only for a short while. I've yet to see a show in any state boarding ours.

My "real" job:

www.edgar2.com

My "hobby" farm:

www.bethelplantation.com

Between the two and houskeeping and gardening, and, and, and - I probably put in 18 hours a day and work well past midnight, one a.m., two a.m. I'm learning everything I know about chickens from the internet, mostly on BYC so I appreciate it when Walt and other knowledgeable people lend their expertise to a thread.

 

[fowlman01]

Thanks Walt, keep it coming this is great stuff.

I could have used your help at Stockton, I had 45 birds entered (bantams, large fowl and lots of waterfowl.). Showing is not for everyone and it is a lot of work if you do it the way you should. I cut corners and sometimes it bites me...but I want this to be fun. I don't go to shows to lose, but if I do, chances are I had lots of fun at the show anyway. I have met some really fine people at poultry shows.

Walt

 

[DaveK]

Showing isn't for everyone. Some have no interest and others have no opportunity. Still, some folks at least consider the idea so it bothers me when the whole thing is portrayed in a manner that might put anyone off. Confusing the heck out of the newcomers to the game isn't going to help insure that we have viable shows in the future. Misleading and confusing/false information as has been posted isn't going to encourage anyone who thought they'd like to try something new. Showing can be extremely fun, interesting and social. Lots of opportunity for learning as well. The thing I most want to stress is that generally even the most competitive of exhibitors are there for the birds and the competition and will be more than helpful to anyone asking questions and who shows some interest. It ain't a competition when it's only you. It may be taken very seriously by some but when all is said and done some of the finest folks to walk the face of the earth are to be found at poultry shows.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Oh I wouldn;'t discourage anybody from showing. I hope my kids want to do it someday, but I am hearing impaired and crowded places disorient me rather quickly.
I would like to find some outdoor shows that aren't too far away. Anybody know of some in the SE?

 

[aveca]

Your right Dave..It is very cconfusing, I admit I was very confused as well as to what was correct ..what I like is not necessarily what is correct and I had a long conversation with somone who is at the top of thier game showing orps yesterday..it really helped me to understand what is correct..by using illustration of one of my birds she explained what is what and why this is good or great and what are the weak spots are and tighter feathers are correct because ect...I learned a lot..you can read all of the books you want , but until you get around somone who really knows this stuff and can explain things, you wont really know. there is a lot of confusing info floating along. but some is good avise as well..Walt knows what is right and he can put my feet right back down befor I do something wrong with a suggestion, and the person I talked to yesterday totally steered me into not doing what I was going to do and concentrate on something else..so thats what Im going to do. I was concentrating on australorps she said go this way..these blk orps are relativly rare and arnt the best egg layers get as many as you can in her first 4 yrs..collect up everything once she has settled well into egg laying.

In the end the show birds are the ones everyone wants , the amount of work that people put in to them shows, better tails better feather quality...better color...you can take steps backwards quickly if you dont have a guide to walk you through the process..what appeals to my eye might not be correct or backwards and there is so much more to consider such as thriftyness..if great birds become too inbred and develope general overall weakness and early deaths ect..better think about those things as well ..a hundred years ago people knew what to do. we are all re-learning it..they knew what they wanted to cross and why when breeding show birds.it was necessary where today we get our eggs at the store so dont concentrate on these things..

its a long process..I do like both versions for different reasons and I do see crosses that somone in the know worked into a correct form that do very well at shows..its a careful process with lots to consider.

 

[fowlman01]

If you don't want to show a person should still go to at least one show to compare and see what birds are winning. I had a lot of problems relating the SOP to actual birds until I went to a show and could see what broad or wide meant in relation to the breed I was raising. Almost all good breeders will help a new person when they are approached at a show. It is a concentrated learning time for those that want to learn birds. I find that people showing birds are very helpful when asked questions. You have 8+ hours to ask various people questions.

Asking questions at shows accelerated my learning by quite a bit. I would find the oldest people I could find that raised the breeds I was interested in and get their opinion of the birds shown. Just make sure that they are not senile....lol..The well known respected breeders tend to know more about their breed than the average judge. Talk to the people who raise the birds and have a good show record for that breed. Both the ABA and APA publish wins in their yearbooks. Keep in mind that there are exhibitors that buy the birds they show, so look for wins that cover more than one year.

Walt

 

[aveca]

guess i had better re-join APA ..member of just about everything else..forgot about them. probably wont be recorded anywhere if i dont

 

[fowlman01]

guess i had better re-join APA ..member of just about everything else..forgot about them. probably wont be recorded anywhere if i dont

When you join you receive a yearbook that will have all the rules and you can see who is strong in a breed by the wins they have recorded. The yearbook alone is worth the dues.

Walt

 

[michelle89]