Russian Orloffs

[Alaskan]

I agree that the whites look great.....but I vote for the lower tail. The tail on the whites looks wrong.

 

[Canieldonrad]

Could always just go the route of Modern Game, give a vague approximate and let the breeders and judges decide what that approximate is supposed to be. Something along the lines of the UK Standard, carriage low but slightly above horizontal. Id say anywhere lower than 45 and above 0 would be slightly above. That way the breeder can determine what they like, and the judge can determine what they like.

 

[Alaskan]

Could always just go the route of Modern Game, give a vague approximate and let the breeders and judges decide what that approximate is supposed to be.  Something along the lines of the UK Standard, carriage low but slightly above horizontal.  Id say anywhere lower than 45 and above 0 would be slightly above.  That way the breeder can determine what they like, and the judge can determine what they like.

I like this idea, lots.

 

[RiddleMe]

If I had to write a standard I would base it off of these two Whites out of Germany, ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. Of course their tails are a bit higher, around 60 for the male and 55 for the female it seems.

I do like the type on these two, though I would like to see a more level side shot of each. Based on the angles of the cage it looks like the pics are taken slightly low and looking up, which does elongate them somewhat visually and it makes it hard to tell for sure if the hen has a curve to her back or if it is just her shoulder/wing bow creating that impression. I personally like a slight curve in the back, in keeping with the gamefowl "3 curves". I would also like to see just a little more breast on the male, although he doesn't appear to lack in overall heft. Don't get me wrong, I would be thrilled to own birds even close to these, just nitpicking for that unattainable "perfect bird". WRT the tail angle, I agree it is just a little high for my preference, I like around 40 degrees.

 

[ashandvine]

There are some great things here and some places we can't really see. I just read this description and have to admit that I am a sucker for any description that includes the prominnant brow lol but it says the tail is long and well developed, nothing about angle. I don't like the tail on that white either. I want to see their heads better too. Hackles on the hen seemed a little less than I prefer as well. I miss the mention of horn in the beak and the language is really loose. Its just that 'protuberant' word that got my attention. No mention of angles at all. I know a couple judges. I will ask what they think. The low tail of a lot of Asil is not where I would hope to go either. Something in between seems to acknowledge the genetics best and meets everyone 'in the middle.' ha ha. This image from Fowlafoot Poultry Conservation Farm seems to be a good middle.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/prariechiken/AseelGrade-1.jpg

Breed Description
Body: strongbuild, Breast: flat, broad, Legs: high, strong boned, Head: strong, eyebrows protuberant, Eyes: red to amber colored, Comb: small, low set raspberry-type, Beak: short, thick, yellow-colored, Neck: long, stallion-like, Earlobes: very small, red-colored, Wattles: not developed, Tail: long, well developed, Back: broad, slopping towards tail, flat, Shanks: long, yellow-colored, Plumage: Thick overall, throat covered with a beard-like feathers. Neck plumage scruffy, Colors: mahogany.
Eggs: 140 to 150 per year egg-weight 58 to 60 Gr
Weight: male 4,5 Kg (10 Lbs) female 3 Kg (6,6 Lbs)

Again, just throwing ideas around.​

 

[ashandvine]

Where did everybody go?

 

[desertmarcy]

Where did everybody go?

I've been busy, so haven't posted much lately. We finally got a little rain here, but it has been a very dry summer and hot, so hard to get anything done. I finally got my Orloff pullets and cockerels separated into different pens. Should have been done a long time ago, but no place to put them. So I moved my Rhode Island Red hens from last year (7 of them) into my mixed layer flock, put the cock out in a pen by himself, which freed up a pen to split up the Orloffs---finally! I ended up with 22 pullets and 12 cockerels. I think I have them sexed correctly, anyway. I am out of numbered leg bands that fit these birds and have put off ordering some more because they are expensive, but it makes it a lot easier to keep track of the birds. And when taking photos, so I know which ones I have taken. I am noticing that the offspring from my original red male, the one I lost to the heat this year, do not have much white in their muffs, their muffs are mostly brown, and the overall birds are a little browner shade. I am also seeing that I have some picking going on and so some of the birds do not have much tail. I went back to mixing the 17% pellet with 22% starter crumble to give them more protein. I also notice that the pullets are not as nearly upright in stature as the cockerels. No where near the upright stature as that white pullet from Germany that was posted for sure. To me, those white Orloffs look skinny. I want to see more breast on them. I will try to get some photos of these birds and post soon. I am pretty happy so far with the mahagony color and spangling on most of them, especially the offspring from my 2012 male mated back to two 2011 hens from my original birds that I got from Rare Feathers Farm. I haven't culled any of my Orloffs from this year yet except for a few that had crossed beaks. It is difficult without an actual standard to go by. I find myself focusing more on color than type because of that, and I know I should be focusing on type. Anybody know what color the undercoat feathers should be?

 

[Canieldonrad]

I'm still not 100% sure I want to tackle Mahogany at this point. Their back toes are showing improvement. Two are beginning to look like normal feet which is a good thing. But I am beginning to think, at least, two are Spangled.














Considered keeping this Cockerel to cross to them to help improve them in their rough spots. But I'm not sure if his posture is something he would pass or not. None of the adults in the flock he came from look like he does, none of his brothers or sisters look like he does. So I can't say he will make a good bird to mix in.

 

[Canieldonrad]

looked over the 4 this morning. two are definitely showing that their duckfoot is correcting. very pleased now, i was afraid of them being useless.

 

[RiddleMe]

looked over the 4 this morning. two are definitely showing that their duckfoot is correcting. very pleased now, i was afraid of them being useless.

Interesting you said this, when I culled half my pullets at about 3 months due to duckfoot, I thought "how on earth did I miss this in the chicks?" But after looking back at early pics I realized I missed it because it wasn't there, only one showed any signs. Understanding you have limited stock and it's post chick-season, you could see what they throw, but if their chicks are duckfooted IMHO I would be ready to scrap that lot. As discussed earlier, duckfoot can be physically corrected but if it's genetic and not environmental you're just setting yourself up for ongoing/long term headaches.