| Judging Muscovies James Konecny |
APPROACHING THE CLASS: When it comes time to approach the Muscovy
classes, I find it necessary to do a walk-through before each bird is evaluated and
judged. The class needs time to stand up and show what they got, or in other
circumstances some birds may need to calm down and relax a bit. This process
also gives a judge a chance to get familiar for what's ahead, and see what birds
stand out. A good clerk should also inform the judge of numbers in the class and
if any birds are located in another place that may be missed out because they
were cooped in another row with another breed.
A good class of ducks can be ruined by poor cooping conditions. Birds being
judged at different levels are a good example. Birds on the floor, with the
exception of geese and turkeys, are at an extreme disadvantage. A judge needs
to physically get down on the floor with the bird. Looking down at them or even
squatting to see them tells me the birds were not evaluated correctly. Colored
birds need to be where the light hits them correctly. In many cases a colored bird
can appear silhouetted due to exterior lighting and color is very difficult to
evaluate. I do realize that placing classes where the lighting would compliment
them would require a team of lighting engineers and could probably take a setup
crew months to plan out. That's why we judges need to handle the colored birds,
when these circumstances are present. Take a walk with the bird and examine the
color under better lighting. I personally check them in sunlight. The color flaws
pop out at you.
THE JUDGEMENT: First, I have to say I believe in placing all birds, even if you
have a class of 30 black Muscovy hens. An exhibitor has paid an entry fee, and
felt the bird they were showing was worth bringing to the show, they deserve to
have the bird judged. I always like to comment on the coop tags. In many shows
I've judged a bird that placed 5th. The bird didn't win because of circumstances
of the day. I know the bird is probably the best in the class. This is where
condition plays to win when all other factors are added in. A small comment on
the coop tag explaining the placing helps the exhibitor and competitors realize
why the judge did what he did. I will not cover the knowledge of a judge's
experience with Muscovies. Judges should follow the standard and evaluate
every bird shown.
After the Muscovies have been judged and all Best and Reserve of varieties have
been chosen, it's time to choose Best and Reserve of breed. Again, good
condition is a key factor. All contenders should be handled and critiqued
thoroughly. It happens to many times that a white or black bird is chosen. The
Black Muscovy is a beautiful looking duck and looks good on championship row.
It should not be that easy of a choice for a judge. Each color should compete
without any favoritism. Muscovies often get overlooked when it is time for the
judge to choose champion duck or champion waterfowl. Some judges refuse to
handle the bird. We all know a Muscovy can be a monster in the hands of an
amateur. Due to low representation at some shows, a good bird can get lost
because of the larger representation of other classes at the same show. I have
to really credit the Muscovy club for drawing some large numbers to the shows.
When a Muscovy is considered to go up for champion duck, there is a good
chance its competition is going to be a Call or Indie. I've seen this happen at
several shows, and the Muscovy usually loses out. Some of the arguments I've
come up against:
First, I'll argue the point that we have a Bantam duck vs. a large duck. The large
duck has 2 added features that the Bantam duck doesn't: crest and caruncling.
The larger ducks also display more space and probably have fewer frayed
feathers from its handling in the process of transport from home to Champion
row. Any reputable judge should not penalize the bird if overall appearance and
feather luster is equally matched by its components. Again, using the crest as
argument is irrelevant because most judges don't even deduct or add points for
crests on a Muscovy. The caruncling is the deciding argument. When the bird is
magnificent overall, the caruncling is what's left. It is the toughest argument
besides size that I've encountered in Muscovies. I have my taste and opinion on
the subject. It is good to see Muscovies climbing back in popularity and quality
that should make them contenders for Champion Row.
This article was written and printed in the Fall of 2000. The article has already
been read by others, and a couple of years have passed. As a breeder,
exhibitor, & judge, I'm still learning. I was questioned on several topics mentioned
in the article. The question most asked was about the handling of Muscovies.
This is not a required practice! If the classes are large and deep in quality,
handling may be necessary for proper evaluation. Another comment was about
Muscovies having a crest. I guess that is just a technical fact. As mentioned in
the original article, it would be irrelevant to use the crest for argument of
placements.
One very important fact that I missed in the original article, was to turn the bird to
view each side. Just because the bird looks good on one side, doesn't mean that
it will on the other. It is very important that this be done, as we are looking for
balance of caruncling and overall appearance. As some closing thoughts on
Muscovies, I would like to shed some light on new concerns.
Some may agree, or disagree on the comment that Muscovies have definitely
'arrived' and are now respectively reaping the awards of "Best Heavy Duck," and
even several "Super Show Champions." Congratulations to all the beautiful
Muscovies, to all of the dedicated breeders that have brought them up the ranks,
and to the Judges who put them there.
classes, I find it necessary to do a walk-through before each bird is evaluated and
judged. The class needs time to stand up and show what they got, or in other
circumstances some birds may need to calm down and relax a bit. This process
also gives a judge a chance to get familiar for what's ahead, and see what birds
stand out. A good clerk should also inform the judge of numbers in the class and
if any birds are located in another place that may be missed out because they
were cooped in another row with another breed.
A good class of ducks can be ruined by poor cooping conditions. Birds being
judged at different levels are a good example. Birds on the floor, with the
exception of geese and turkeys, are at an extreme disadvantage. A judge needs
to physically get down on the floor with the bird. Looking down at them or even
squatting to see them tells me the birds were not evaluated correctly. Colored
birds need to be where the light hits them correctly. In many cases a colored bird
can appear silhouetted due to exterior lighting and color is very difficult to
evaluate. I do realize that placing classes where the lighting would compliment
them would require a team of lighting engineers and could probably take a setup
crew months to plan out. That's why we judges need to handle the colored birds,
when these circumstances are present. Take a walk with the bird and examine the
color under better lighting. I personally check them in sunlight. The color flaws
pop out at you.
THE JUDGEMENT: First, I have to say I believe in placing all birds, even if you
have a class of 30 black Muscovy hens. An exhibitor has paid an entry fee, and
felt the bird they were showing was worth bringing to the show, they deserve to
have the bird judged. I always like to comment on the coop tags. In many shows
I've judged a bird that placed 5th. The bird didn't win because of circumstances
of the day. I know the bird is probably the best in the class. This is where
condition plays to win when all other factors are added in. A small comment on
the coop tag explaining the placing helps the exhibitor and competitors realize
why the judge did what he did. I will not cover the knowledge of a judge's
experience with Muscovies. Judges should follow the standard and evaluate
every bird shown.
After the Muscovies have been judged and all Best and Reserve of varieties have
been chosen, it's time to choose Best and Reserve of breed. Again, good
condition is a key factor. All contenders should be handled and critiqued
thoroughly. It happens to many times that a white or black bird is chosen. The
Black Muscovy is a beautiful looking duck and looks good on championship row.
It should not be that easy of a choice for a judge. Each color should compete
without any favoritism. Muscovies often get overlooked when it is time for the
judge to choose champion duck or champion waterfowl. Some judges refuse to
handle the bird. We all know a Muscovy can be a monster in the hands of an
amateur. Due to low representation at some shows, a good bird can get lost
because of the larger representation of other classes at the same show. I have
to really credit the Muscovy club for drawing some large numbers to the shows.
When a Muscovy is considered to go up for champion duck, there is a good
chance its competition is going to be a Call or Indie. I've seen this happen at
several shows, and the Muscovy usually loses out. Some of the arguments I've
come up against:
- The caruncling is too much or too little
- Caruncling is out of balance
- Caruncling shows too much dark pigmentation
- Blindness caused by caruncling
- Smooth or damaged caruncling
First, I'll argue the point that we have a Bantam duck vs. a large duck. The large
duck has 2 added features that the Bantam duck doesn't: crest and caruncling.
The larger ducks also display more space and probably have fewer frayed
feathers from its handling in the process of transport from home to Champion
row. Any reputable judge should not penalize the bird if overall appearance and
feather luster is equally matched by its components. Again, using the crest as
argument is irrelevant because most judges don't even deduct or add points for
crests on a Muscovy. The caruncling is the deciding argument. When the bird is
magnificent overall, the caruncling is what's left. It is the toughest argument
besides size that I've encountered in Muscovies. I have my taste and opinion on
the subject. It is good to see Muscovies climbing back in popularity and quality
that should make them contenders for Champion Row.
This article was written and printed in the Fall of 2000. The article has already
been read by others, and a couple of years have passed. As a breeder,
exhibitor, & judge, I'm still learning. I was questioned on several topics mentioned
in the article. The question most asked was about the handling of Muscovies.
This is not a required practice! If the classes are large and deep in quality,
handling may be necessary for proper evaluation. Another comment was about
Muscovies having a crest. I guess that is just a technical fact. As mentioned in
the original article, it would be irrelevant to use the crest for argument of
placements.
One very important fact that I missed in the original article, was to turn the bird to
view each side. Just because the bird looks good on one side, doesn't mean that
it will on the other. It is very important that this be done, as we are looking for
balance of caruncling and overall appearance. As some closing thoughts on
Muscovies, I would like to shed some light on new concerns.
- Many larger Muscovy males look huge over a back view, although when
checking the depth they are very shallow birds. - Larger old hens show very loose underlines. I actually have seen one old
female disqualified- 'keel'. This should be overlooked, as a productive female
has tremendous weight fluctuations. Cutting for this defect should only be
considered to break a tie decision. - Black in Bean of White males - very common disqualification.
- Double cooping of males is a must. A great male single cooped in
competition often gets overlooked. - A young Muscovy really has a disadvantage over older birds.
Some may agree, or disagree on the comment that Muscovies have definitely
'arrived' and are now respectively reaping the awards of "Best Heavy Duck," and
even several "Super Show Champions." Congratulations to all the beautiful
Muscovies, to all of the dedicated breeders that have brought them up the ranks,
and to the Judges who put them there.
Copyright © 2005 Witt Farms. All rights
reserved.
reserved.