Questions on APA judging of BLRW's!

[riverman]

I've got 3 BLRW Roosters to choose from for my one Splash lady, All three men have great lacing in my opinion as well which makes this all the more difficult.

I'm wondering what the small details are on the judging of these birds? I've heard something about the golden hackle and saddle feathers... Are they frowned upon? I've got one Roo with the Gold hackles and saddles but the other two have the deep Red mahogany colored ones. Which is more preferred? And I think I'm gathering that the angle of the neck and tail are pretty important in the judging process? Is this true? Any good articles on this someone can share, or your thoughts are extremely helpful! Thanks in advance!

The first picture is one of my Roosters that has the more Deep Red coloring with mid blue to darker blue lacing,
the 2nd and 3rd picture are of my bigger Roo but has golden hackles/saddles and almost the same coloring.

 

[geweldig23]

You want the bird with the deeper red coloring. The bird in my avatar picture is a poor example of that, but he is still a big massive bird that I love

The gold (or some call it a rust color) looks more like the coloring on a golden laced wyandotte, and these are obviously blue laced reds. Keep in mind though about type. If you are going to breed, color is easier to fix than type, so if your gold colored bird is better than the darker red bird in type, use it and fix the color in another generation because good type in blue laced reds is more difficult to find than in the other varieties. You could show either bird depending on which has the best type and which has the best coloring......hopefully the red bird ends up with the best type.

You want a bird with a medium length, broad back. The best description I read of a wyandotte was here on byc, and that was " The Wyandotte is a bird of smooth transitions and curves." The standard for the wyandotte is posted on the Wyandotte Breeders of America website.

 

[riverman]

Thanks geweldig, Yea I looked at the website and read about the smooth U'ness in the back and such. If the medium sized Rooster(they're the same age) has better color and shape would he be a better shot for breeding rather than the larger sized Rooster with rust hackles and saddles? The larger Roo has a bit of a flat spot in the middle of his back, but is larger and has a broader comb. I need to post pics tomorrow

 

[NYREDS]

This variety hasn't been admitted to the Standard as yet & from the examples I've seen it will be some time before it is. As far as judging it is concerned the first consideration would be type & this is where the variety is generally weak. If you are serious about working to improve these birds there are a couple of things you need to do.
First, buy a Standard & study it. You have to know & understand what the breed should look like if you expect any success with breeding it. Second, go to some shows, with your Standard, & compare the Standard description to the birds that are winning. Note: you'll see the best type in the White & Silver Laced varieties.
As to colour, the variety has been admitted in Cornish Bantams so the Standard will also be a help in understanding the colour requirements. That said, there is no absolute guarantee that the colour will be interpreted the same in the Wyandottes.
As to the three birds you have pictured, frankly, none have very good Wyandotte type so I'm at a loss as to which one to recommend.

 

[HBuehler]

I agree with Nyreds.If you want to breed for correct type and color to show you really need to get a better rooster than any of those.I won't suggest which one to use since here I wouldn't consider using any in our breeding pens.

 

[geweldig23]

Those guys aren't full grown are they??? If they are, then like they said, I wouldn't use them. If they still have a lot of growing to do, keep them before you cull. The blue laced reds have gone a long way as far as type is concerned. If you want to see birds with some of the best type as far as blue laced reds, go to www.foleyswaterfowl.com. Although they are not in the standard yet, there are still a lot of them at shows and it is still a great accomplishment to win best of variety (which is all that you can win with a non-standardized bird)

Remember, it can take up to 18 months for a wyandotte to reach its full maturity and potential, so don't cull or judge too heavily if they are still so young.


Edited to add that if you want to add size to a line, it is best to improve it with larger hens than a larger roo. So I wouldn't take too much of your larger roosters size into consideration. Type,type,type is what you are looking for. Try to pair your best rooster up with hens that don't have the same faults, that way you are not breeding the fault more heavily into the line. Try to find a larger hen with good type and a deep mahogany color. Try to find one with a good comb, and a minimal ammount,if any, of faults shared with your rooster.

This is my perspective though, I'm still an 18 year old senior in high school, so still learning

 

[Josie360]

This is my splash roo. I know I need a better picture...I'm working on it. Critiques please.

 

[geweldig23]

Quote:
Its early to tell you how he looks. Wyandottes are slow maturing birds and take a while before you can tell their potential. Give him more time to fill out.

 

[Josie360]

Thanks. I will.