Quote:
Brian, I agree with you. I live in a more urban area, where I am one of the few people who have chickens, and I am the knowledgeable one!! God forbid! So I need instruction from others who have done this for a while to help point me in the right direction. This tail discussion has been wonderful! I had read that the tail should be open, but not the tepee shape - that was great! I ran right out to look at mine. I always try to grab the judge at the end of the show and have him tell me the faults, or what I should strive for - I have learned so much that way.
My pet peeve - Please, when people write in to ask for a serious critique, don't respond and say their birds are beautiful. - They are ALL beautiful, no matter the quality. These people want to know if they have exhibition quality birds, and what their faults may be. If people keep telling them how beautiful their birds are on the thread, and they're not, they'll be in for a rude shock at the next show. In addition, the original query gets lost amid the laymen's compliments, and the experts never see the pics in order to do a critique. If folks just want to show off their babies, gushing is great. That's one of the nice things about BYC, as opposed to other forums, but gush where it's appropriate.