Help in culling

[Mike Hawkins]

Doing a final cut. Need to know from some of you Judges and or experts.

Should males be culled if they have black in their hackle??? How many points do they lose if they do have black in hackle and it's not a disqualification???

Is floppy combs a disqualification in a hen???

[Mike Hawkins]

Guess I should have said I have RIR bantams.

[Hummer]

Hello Mike, I'll attempt to fumble through and answer for you. Black (not glossy, deep red) or unevenness of color would be handled like a defect in Reds. If it is limited to the neck it isn't as bad as it typically will bleed into other sections as well. All the red sections of Red should be a deep red and the black limited to the specified sections (wing color, main tail, sickles and secondary sickles). Now, in a strong class of Reds a judge will have to start looking more closely at the fine points of color to start making some cuts such as the black or uneven color in the red sections, weak or excessive wing color, smut in the undercolor and even slate in the undercolor. Those fine points of the color are a benefit the judge gets to see up close and personal and the sideline judges tend to forget when they make their assessments :). So, if you have plenty to cull from and needed to cull some out that would be one place to start. After raising bantam Reds myself I can tell you generally have plenty to choose from!!! LOL. One thing about Red bantams is you do have to hold on to them a little longer before the final cut to assess the color pattern than you would a bantam White Rock or White Leghorn.

Combs on single combed females are pretty well defined. For a non-lopped single comb breed (like Reds) a female with a large, 'floppy' comb should not be disqualified if she is in production. If it is large enough and lopped to the point that it is below the horizon of the base of the comb it would be handled as a disqualification. For lopped comb single comb breeds (such as Leghorns and Spanish) then a lopped comb is preferred. Even some allowance in made for lopped combs of New Hamps and Pyncheon females in production. Personally, I like to see Red females (especially pullets) with nice perky combs :).

Hope it helps,

Hummer

[Mike Hawkins]

Helps a lot, thanks Hummer, you usuall come through.