I agree we are pups.. After two years of trying to figure out how to breed Cream Legbars, I am just reaching the point where I think I am starting to understand the visions of what the Cream Legbar is supposed to be. I spent a year learning the history and genetics of the breed, then as I started breeding them I spend time trying to learn to select for good vigor, good production, and worked on breeding plans to keep all my favorite traits from each of my flock members while breeding out defects, etc.. In just the last month I have had some light bulb moments when I have made sense of things about the breed that were a mystery to me.
I too participate in the FB group. While they are experts at distinguishing cream birds from gold birds, hybrids from pure birds, at spotting non-crested birds, at spotting pale yellow legs from bright colored one, at evaluating tail angles, and critiquing combs (although they always give cockerels with bad combs a free pass) no one on that group has every been able to give me insight into some of the major point of the SOP like the shape of the body, the length of the legs, the slope of the back, the width of the bird, the length of the neck, etc. In many regards I feel that the Face Book group in the UK are young pups too. Each group has a different focus and I learn different things there than here. While some critiques can be instructive I don't feel that a harsh critique of every chicken in every photo posted is always necessary (especially when the photo is posted to show a new coop design or the like and some chicken just happen to be in the background with no intention for the birds to even be seen much less critiqued). I can learn just as much from polite group as I do from a cut throat one. and they say you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
