I have had the same problem. Except the judge thought mine was too light. He is definitely a blue.I do have a question though about Icarus. I got a little beat up over his color. The judge felt that he was dark for a blue. He looks like a completely different bird in the sunlight vs. barn lighting.
Is he too dark? Same bird, different lighting. Comments are greatly appreciated.
Here's the old witch back again ! You people have got to get a Standard, and READ it ! Look up BLUE, or any other color you are showing. This is a nice bird, but it is not a Blue, by ABA standards.For heaven's sake, why waste your $ showing, when you don't know what you're being judged by ?????? Can anybody answer this one ???
I have seen birds this exact same color win BB RB BV etc listed as blue. The color varies greatly, so does the judges opinion. Yes the lighting makes a HUGE difference. Here is a cockerel that Marty Maguire was selling listed as a Blue, color is just like Adoravas
In the first photo he looks just right, in the second too dark. Lighting in showrooms is almost always poor in my experience. (the 4 Corners show in Farmington, NM is an exception. Lighting is EXCELLENT!)I do have a question though about Icarus. I got a little beat up over his color. The judge felt that he was dark for a blue. He looks like a completely different bird in the sunlight vs. barn lighting.
Is he too dark? Same bird, different lighting. Comments are greatly appreciated.
I'm not sure if this is relevant or not....but with chinchillas, lighting is very important. You must know what type of lighting your judges will be seeing your animals under. Based on the lighting of shows I bring different animals. For example, I know that CA shows have new and very bright LEDs. They make even my nicest animals look like they lack depth and a bar. I bring my darker ones with bright clean white bellies. It makes for lovely contrast. For darker lit shows I bring animals of color. Like beige. In chickens it would be wise to bring buffs, reds or even some whites. If you are showing blues opt for your lightest.
Judges are human. They can only judge what they see. There should be contrast between a Blue bird's head and hackle, and it's breast. Lighting does make a huge difference in colored birds. I showed Silver Laced Wyandotte Lf and bantams for years. If they were cooped on a bottom tier, they almost disappeared behind the wire. My Columbians would beat them every time for CH. RCCL, as they were more visible.
Is it possible to politely ask a judge to take a bird outside into the light if there is any question? I am going to be bringing Icelynn again this year and if the lighting is the same i'm wondering if the same thing might happen. The sheen on her feathers reflects the lighting from florescent lights and makes her look like a completely different bird
This is all very good information. I haven't seen a single judge take a bird out into the sun to get a better look at color. A breeder/show friend of mine, he goes to Nationals and all the shows around the are., He has seen a lot of birds and has a lot of great experience, like many of you here....he ooohed and ahhed over my cockerel. Just couldn't say enough about him and even commented on his color being very nice. All I could think was "darn it" when the judge was commenting to me about his color. I didn't want to be rude, but being that it was an informal setting, I should have asked him to take a look at him in the sunlight and then re-evaluate Icarus. While he did win his class (at the fair), I would like for him to do better in a bigger show. I am interest to get him out into the sunlight when he gets home and take a pic for you guys.
