We cannot slavishly subscribe to what a few are saying, or interpreting --- Before anyone takes offense I'm not saying that this is being done - I'm cautioning for the future. -- Seems to me that the SOP there and here is pretty clear that the earlobes and neck hackles are not the same color. Someone sent me the Cream, Silver, Gold - from the Journal of Genetics by Punnett -- and I just re-read that last night...
There are some discrepancies that we have the opportunity to resolve. In his famous quote, Pease said that the down on chicks for CLs is as the gold legbar, in the Brit SOP it says as the silver legbar. I suspect that perhaps since the CL is inhibited gold based bird, the down should actually resemble the gold legbar and not the silver. The other probable error/omission in the Brit SOP is that the birds have shafting on their feathers.
As an artist, blackbirds13 posseses powerful observation abilities that most people don't have...doesn't observation of every CL shows feather shafting -- (shows some other things too...but that's not the subject at hand)-- It is probably as important to have the USA SOP a match to the true bird, as it is to have it a match to the Brit SOP... The Perfection will never be reached, but the SOP should describe a real and not an imaginary bird. I'm pointing out some of the areas where our friends overseas may have had an error or an omission. Certainly those are definitely things that we wouldn't want to replicate here...because they erred there... Another USA difference is that no one in the USA has reported an olive egg layer. To get an olive egg layer here...now, some other genetics must be introduced.
Lastly, I understand how advocates of the very light bird, if indeed that is what a number of people believe to be correct feel as strongly about their advocacy as advocates for a different look feel.....Some folks both in the USA and in the UK have told me that the white-looking birds, and the 'some chestnut allowed' birds would all fit into the standard. Meaning the Brit - from the UK source that told me that, and the DRAFT USA SOP from the USA person who told me...so perhaps it finally IS time to move on to type, productivity etc... IF these two sources are correct. I do find it unappealing to hear people intimate to others that their birds, or their knowledge is inferior because they don't subscribe to the light coloration.
ChicKat, thanks for taking the time to post, I always enjoy reading your comments.
The shafting will be addressed in the next draft of the SOP. Upon review of many British birds, it appears that most hens do have some degree of shafting so it is important to address this in the US SOP,
My goal with the SOP is to mirror the British SOP where possible and to clarify points so as to not unduly handicap American Cream Legbar fanciers when they go to shows. The trick is that if you mention an area and make it permissible, you have to carefully word things so that while not penalizing the hen for having a trait, you do not encourage that trait to become more wide spread. Luckily we have several years to review, internalize and modify the SOP where needed before the Cream Legbars will be ready for acceptance.
I really think the reason the light males are championed by some is because they are obviously ig/ig. This is the Cream Legbar and for me, I am not as concerned about the amount of chestnut a bird, rather I am concerned about whether they are cream based. I went out of my way to obtain eggs from a breeder with lighter males specifically so that I can have known cream (ig/ig) genetics to do test hatches and understand what I have. They are invaluable for that purpose. Does that mean I don't like color--not in the least. I like the chestnut. I simply need that assurance of cream for my breeding program. Others may not feel that need and that is up to them on how they want to breed their flock and develop their line. Some want to build the barn first then paint it, others want to paint as they go so there is less work later. I am wanting to start with some pre-primed material along with the raw lumber. Everyone is different.
The British SOP is by far less specific than the APA version. They address far fewer items and present it more as a narrative where the APA requires more detail in every aspect, so there was a challenge in trying to port the intent of the Brits into the document we have now. I thank those involved with that very much--mainly KPenley and Heather Barnes. I have really not understood all of the concerns and bickering about the more colorful-but-not-obviuosly non-cream colors on males. The standard quite clearly allows for some chestnut on the crest, shoulders, wing bows and fronts, and back. Solid blocks of red, no, but chestnut certainly fine. Avoid on the wing bay/triangle and saddle where possible, but it will be points off not a DQ so don't sweat the small stuff. Do your best with what you have and pick your battles every year to improve. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Every breeder will choose to focus on what is important to them or try to eliminate what they don't like first.
As for the chick down, I am suspicious that the down is to match the silver chicks. When I hatched the two known cream boys out I thought 'wow, these guys look like silver chicks'. Seriously they were that silvery-creamy-grey. I had one silver-dilute chick hatch along side and they looked very, very similar--so as to not be able to tell them apart by just a glance. When I asked Blackbirds13 about that, she said that in her experience the lighter creamy silver downed boys turned out cream roosters. Could it be that the preferred down is like the silver for the males and like the gold for the females? Just a thought.
