I wasn't intending to argue either. Was responding to the collective idea of the Cochin/Orpington similarity that gets expressed now and again. If timing or wording had anyone feeling singled out or picked on that wasn't the idea and I'm sorry if that may have happened here. I will say that being a show winner does not mean that any one bird would have the approval of even a decent percentage of the judges or breeders. This bird here could be an example. Even to my eye he is sort of a sad sack in comparison to other UK winners who may have been bred to the same ideals, even by the same breeder, but pulled it off differently and, in my opinion, way better. Shows may or may not be an indication of quality and breed type. The judges, like the exhibitors, are only human after all. And General Licensed judges often end up trying to evaluate breeds that they are not completely at ease and familiar with. Like all of us in our endeavors they do their best but that doesn't always mean they get it right.
In fact I did think you were singling out my comment and yes, it is sort of a sad sack compared to so many others I've seen. But at the moment I couldn't find pictures of the literal basketballs with heads I was thinking of!
