Royal Palm Breed Standard issues

[TurkeyTimes]

So I want to start a newer thread on this topic. The royal palms in the USA are not meeting the standard written by the APA SOP. I personally think it's a huge issue and not many people are aware of it. Part of the standard written as...
TAIL:Main Tail - pure white with each feather having a broad band of metallic black about 1 1/2 inches in width terminating in pure white at end of tail. COVERTS AND LESSER COVERTS: White with wide
band of metallic black. free of bronze cast, extending across feather near end terminating in a
wide edge of white. It also is suppose to be a DQ if they don't have it.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
Wings showing one or more primary or secondary feathers definitely brown in color. Entire absence of
black edging in neck of toms. Absence of black bands in main tail and greater coverts of both toms and hens.
Not to mention most royal palm lines are muddied with pencilling which should also be a DQ.

So I would like people's thoughts, opinions, comments, concerns, questions on this topic. All pictures of royal palms very helpful! I want to study and survey this! I've attached pictures of typical US royal palms (first 3 pictures) versus some of what they call a Crollwitzer in Europe (last 2 pictures). Same genotype, yet very visible difference in phenotype!! What's going on here?

 

[Kessel23]

Well I am sure not all Royale palms are not bred to the standard, I think the majority of them are, like most poultry their will be the "hatchery quality" which is not bred to a very strict standard and is usually just a bird that looks decent enough to be identifiable and then "Show Quality" which is bred to very strict standards and only the best birds are used for breeding. Hatchery quality birds are always more common because they are cheaper and more available than show quality. Also, with some breeds there are different standards in different areas of the world, I think in some parts of the world Marans need to have feathered legs to meet the standard and then in other parts they need to have clean legs to meet the standard.

 

[TurkeyTimes]

I totally understand that but but I'm talking overall quality. I Google royal palms images and don't see a single bird that meets the very specific criteria. I bought my birds as "show quality" for an expensive price from a breeder that shows them in 4H but you can see by the third picture that they don't meet the standard that is being allowed as a pass in poultry shows. My other birds batch came from Kevin Porter and again they do not meet the criteria. Granted they are even higher quality and closer to the standard. I have talked with him about it and he agrees, he has been unable to produce birds that meet the standard. All questions, comments, opinions, thoughts very appreciated!

 

[peacockfarmer]

I raised wonderful standard Royal Palms with Eastern Wild and 10 years later almost all my Royal Palms have gold or brown feathers. The Eastern wild toms were always the Alpha and so we raise hybrid babies we call Mocha Turkeys that are grey and black or Mocha Brown. Royal palms should not be raised with other breeds

This is my first hybrid Mocha Hen. She was a super mother and still alive at 12 yrs old!

 

[TurkeyTimes]

If your royal palms have brown or gold feathers they are not true royal palms. The standard calls for strictly black and white and any other color is a DQ and is not APA standard. Good looking birds nonetheless! Wow 12 is pretty dang old for a turkey! She must be very healthy and very loved. She looks like some of my f1 broadbreast hybrids.

 

[memphis]

12 years old! What a girl!

 

[TurkeyTimes]

Was hoping to get more pictures of royal palms and get more input and opinions about the variety when creating this post

 

[Molpet]

seems to have been an issue in 2010 too
https://poultrybookstore.blogspot.com/2010/01/royal-palm-turkeys.html

 

[TurkeyTimes]

It's been an issue for some time so I don't know how or why most people are kinda clueless about it

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Well,based on reading,I know for a fact mine are not even close to perfection,their auction birds.

Their young still but I wanted to make sure they were royal palms.This also interest me.