Whats the difference between "good" and "show" quality?

[DUCKGIRL89]

What is the difference? I know show quality is where the duck is good enough to show, but what "good"? Is that healthy? Or normal? I know its a really stupid question, but I want to know. Thanks!

 

[duckyfromoz]

With your interest in so many different breeds it may be worth your while tracking down a copy of the American standards so that you can actually see what each breed is supposed to be like.

Take Indian Runners for example - when judged stance, shape of the body, placement of legs, legnth of neck in relation to body height, roundness of body without being to bulky across the sholuders or hollowed out in the back , shape of head and bill - eye placement are only some characteristics looked at even before you get to the colour and plumage of a coloured duck. Then there is a whole range of things looked at dependant on what colour the bird is- whether it is a solid colour- pied or something like a trout with multiple coulourings.

A white duck with some black spots is not neccesarily an ancona- neither are all white ducks with orange bills and feet a Pekin. Have a look for some pictures comparing different breeds.

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Ducks/Pekins/BRKPekin.html


This is specifically Pekins- there is a photo with a British exhibition quality pekin with the blue background about 4 pictures down, compare that to pekins I see in a show pen here in Australia

http://www.akersflock.com/breeds.asp?id=30

Now compare them both to the hatchery quality bird most common in the USA

http://www.metzerfarms.com/BirdInformation.cfm?Breed=Pekin&BirdType=Duck&ID=P&CustID=472426

Shape and size and weight give an outwards appearance of the duck being a particular breed- but genetics also plays a big part. Knowing how a duck is bred is also important.

To be a good example of the breed the bird must at least resemble closely what the standards say are the true characteristics. If not then it is just a " utilty " bird that has most likely been a result of much cross breeding in past generations for flock vigor and inprovement of egg laying capabilities or larger frame for meat birds, but still retaining some of the general charactistics.

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

Yes there is a big difference in those pekins. Thank you duckfromoz, this really did help, and I will do some research. Thanks again! I need to see what the standard is for welsh harlequins is here.

 

[mandelyn]

In terms of the SOP, like with any animal, there is a guide on what it should look like. Every little detail, from eye color to how the bill ties into the head, to how balanced the body is from front to back to how the wings set on the bird and everything in between. At a show, the duck that best represents those traits for the breed as a total package is the winner. When breeding, first you need breeding goals. Then you select the ducks that best represent your goals. Each generation, you breed only those who best reflect what you're looking for.

The difference between pet quality, breeder quality, and show quality is basically how the bird is compared to how it should be. Breeding show quality to show quality helps but you need to know your breed and what you should be breeding for to reach certain goals. Like with call ducks... that short little nub bill gives hatching a difficulty. So you take your best show drake and breed him to a female that has a slightly longer bill. If you keep breeding the bill smaller and rounder each time, eventually you'll end up with ducklings that can't hatch themselves. So a you need breeder quality duck for breeding, to potentially make show ducks. The duck herself may not show well, but her offspring should. Thus making her breeder quality.

A pet quality call duck, will have a bill as long as a mallard and some other flaws that would eliminate it from showing, and it will take several generations to improve on the type, so the pet quality duck can't really be called breeder quality since it's so far removed from where it should be in terms of the SOP.

Then to make it even more fun, it's all open to interpretation and personal opinion. What wins at one show can lose at another, and someone's $40 pair of breeder quality ducks might be $10 pet quality culls to someone else.

 

[goosedragon]

To sum up, the 'standard' or SOP is Titled “The Standard of Perfection” and often these Perfect birds are no longer suitable to do what they were originally bred for! Kind of like the difference between a champion Working dog and a champion Show dog.

 

[chrislemurs]

have a pic

 

[Oregon Blues]

Wow gee.... my Champion show dogs all worked at their original purpose and did a great job of it.

The champion Deerhounds and Champion Salukis all coursed live game. The Ch German Shepherds herded sheep, guarded the farm, protected the kids, pointed and fetched birds, and had obedience titles. The Ch Welsh Springer hunted pheasants and did a bang-up job of it. The Champion Papillons have obedience titles and MACH agility titles, and some of them are walking 5 miles a day with their families; and they are all great at sitting on laps which was their original purpose.