Standardbred Leghorn Thread

[cmom]

This is what the judges use at the shows for the standard. It's what I use too. The bookmark is for the Leghorns.

 

[cmom]

It's funny you say that, lol. I don't sell eggs so I was about to give a few of my cull friends to a hen when my mom had a fit. The cull hens are the only ones making eggs we can actually eat since everything else gets hatched!

My biggest problem is that I have a ton of extra males in my "general population" pen and it would cause chaos to add just two or three cull hens in there, not to mention it would be cruel to the girls! I could put them in the Legbar pen because I'd be able to tell their eggs apart, but I already have only one male to 8 females and don't want to risk reduced fertilization. I guess maybe they can go in with those ugly little Columbian Rock bantams I've got out there, lol.

I do have coops and pens I put the bachelors in. As long as there is no females in the mix it works out. I do sell the males. I have a couple of buyers that will usually take them all. I only keep the ones I'm going to use for breeding and usually a backup male for each of my breeds. I don't process the males anymore but I'm an old lady with my old man and we have a butcher down the road. If I want a chicken I go and get one from him. Since I can sell the males, it helps with the feed costs. I go through around a half ton of feed a month, so selling the males helps to offset the feed costs. Now I only hatch once a year in the spring, but I hatch out a few hundred chicks knowing that around half will be males. Years ago I started a farm swap at our farm. DH was worried about what if someone was to get hurt. A friend also had one at his place and someone did get hurt. No one wants to issue event insurance at a residence (farm). I went to our local TSC and asked if we could set up in an area of their parking lot that is hardly used and they said we could try. It was a success and we have went from once a month to biweekly. We have been having the swap there now for well over 10 years so it is well known in our area. I take the birds I want to sell to the swap. There are several buyers that come.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

@Geckolady I've attached the first Leghorn book that @ChicKat mentions. It's in the public domain, I guess. Never occurred to me to upload free books to Amazon and sell them, LOL!

I find it quite useful and while it is old and what wins at shows shifts back and forth a bit due to the preferences of influential judges and breeders, it's useful to see these things discussed.

Hmm, scratch that on the attachment. Too large. I'll look for it hosted online somewhere, but until then if anyone wants to PM me their email address I'll send it through that way.

In the meanwhile, here's another excellent book with similar qualities. I especially appreciate the images on page 31 in evaluating toplines and tail angles.

The Leghorns: Brown-White-Buff-Black-Duckwing by America's Leading Authorities

It is interesting that all of these books have nearly identical titles but these two, at least, have rather distinctive information, though I'm sure there is some overlap.

Edited to add an online version of the book that was too large to attach: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009607764

Here's "The Brown Leghorn: How to Mate, Rear and Judge Them"

And here's a WHOLE LIST of old Leghorn books that you can read online for free! They cover every possible topic from genetics, to history to the practical things like breeding and keeping them.

Enjoy!

I tried to add these to the first post for quick reference, but I can no longer edit that post?! Ugh. I feel like this thread is ruined now.

 

[cmom]

No two judges see the birds exactly the same way. Hatchery birds do tend to be smaller than a breeders stock. It will take a few years to get really nice birds.

 

[ChicKat]

I was surprised when I first started showing my Leghorns. I thought a lighter weight bird would be an advantage, but no the judges preferred the beefier ones and they remarked the backs were too short so I started breeding my longer backs birds.

Perhaps a bit OT, however, the genetic relationship of long-back and higher-weight also extends to other species. For a decade on a ranch I worked with registered beef cattle and long back = heavier livestock.

Circle back to the SOP differences in weight and in show winners for chickens....The ones that I've seen win shows are seemingly massive. Judges like/love BIG birds.

Looking at some of the older pictures in some of those books from the early 1900's the illustrations show birds with higher tail angles. High tail angle - shorter back and vice versa. JMO

From one of the books. Male - tail angle too high? Nice comb. Female - Tail more of a fan than a point and comb flopped over the eye.

 

[Miami Leghorn]

It seems from what I'm reading,and I may be wrong but,and pardon my ignorance, sounds like complying to the SOP in some cases is equivalent to shooting at a moving target.
Longer backs this year,shorter backs next year...this is trending,that is trending...

 

[Miami Leghorn]

Most people that are serious about showing learn which judges like their critters and will "follow" that judge around. I appreciate more diverse opinions, but if you find a judge that likes the same things you like it is particularly helpful in helping you evaluate your progress and finetune your animals when comparing multiple ones from the same line.

I specifically say "animals" here as opposed to just birds or chickens, because it's pretty universal in showing livestock of all sorts. I have rabbit friends that will drive past a closer show to one six hours further away because they prefer that judge, for example.

Politics

 

[Miami Leghorn]

Sometimes, mostly it's just finding folks that interpret the standard the same way you do.

With all due respect I know the game very well...Not chickens, but Politics in competition. My experience with for example,the karate tournaments.I have two boys that competed since they were five years old...After a few years one decided to do something else and the other one decided to go all the way through In sparring and kata.In the beginning it was clear that he was the best in his division but there was always a few Darlings of the of the league the ones that were affiliated with a lot of the judges...heck even one Sensei would buy lunch for the judges that were always at the tournaments...many times comments from the spectators and other parents were that we got robbed. After a while I said to tell my son " you know what? Be the best that you can be and eventually they won't be able to ignore your scores" he started competing for himself for his own personal records and eventually all the posers couldn't compete with him because he just became so good... when he started to compete for himself everything changed. Long story short I think when I reach what I want in my chicken endeavor s, I'm not going to bother to show them I'm not going to be chasing other people's opinions.
I think the chicken show thing is great but I don't think it's for me.Don't get me wrong, I'm that showing is a chance to meet other breeders,to network, obtain other lines and such,but the politics I think are a put off for me.

 

[Miami Leghorn]

If you don't want to breed to the standard or show or either that's your prerogative. There's plenty of Leghorn threads where breeding to standard isn't the focus.

Personally, I'm breeding to the standard whether I show or not. I like the bigger, better-built dual-purpose birds and the standard provides a guideline for me to keep in mind when I select my breeding stock.

If you are choosing not to do that what IS your selection criteria, out of curiosity?

Don't get me wrong understanding the SOP is quite useful and appropriate. But it's the chasing of judges is what turns me off.
Like I said with all due respect.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I used to say that there was more politics in the AKC than in Washington DC, but that was in the 80's and 90's. Some things do change.

This is what I meant by my pullet's comb drooping over. I saw it in the Leghorn book but not in the pics on this thread. Correct? Incorrect? Doesn't matter?

I'm here to learn from you.

View attachment 2493380

I think as long as it doesn't obscure the eye, the flopping comb is fine