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Showing the non-standard colours is not easy, and not for the faint
hearted! You get alot of negative comments from top breeders, and judges alike, but we have stuck at it. We also support a
standard colour, as this promotes a little more support from the breed club. The way we see it, is it was the Jubilee which
brought us into keeping Orpingtons, and surely we aren't the only ones who like a bit of variety and colour!? It is also important
to keep these colours in the public eye, hopefully attracting more breeders and exhibitors.
The standard colours for Orpingtons are, Black, Blue, White and Buff. (Although the
Buff has it's own separate breed club.)
Any thing else is a non-standard. And there are quite a few, and the list is growing!
So this should tell the Orpington breed club something! People like variety! There are a few members who don't, but we have
had tremendous support from those who do. And rather than be negative, i think the members who don't have to admit, that although
alot of non-standard breeders come and go, there are the ones like us, who 'ain't going anywhere!! Nothing anyone has said
to us will change our minds, but we do agree that the colours we breed need improvement. ALOT of improvement! But the only
way to check our progress is to turn up at shows with our best examples, take the critisism on the chin, and keep trying!
Ask the judge questions, and recognise our faults, if you can do this, and still keep your interest in the non-standards going,
you're half way there!
The class for the non-standard is known by a couple of terms, the AOC-or any other
colour class, or simply non-standard male-or female. If you're lucky, the class will be divided into male and female but generally,
they are lumped together, which we fought and successfully changed for the two main shows, the National, and the Federation.
Although at the Fed, they lumped bantam and large together, they were separated into male and female class'. We are keeping
the pressure on the club to keep them separate, but can only do this by showing our birds, greater numbers are called for,
so we urge folks who keep any non-standard Orpingtons to show them, get them out there, if they are of good type, and a good
example of the breed, SHOW THEM!!!!!
The one thing over the years that really makes us angry where showing is concerned,
is where people come up to us and say, ' mmm, we have better than those at home' My answer to all those people would be, 'What
are they doing at home then!? Why haven't you got them here, and why aren't you showing them!?' Anyone can say they have better
at home, Prove it! Bring them and show them, we relish the competition, and would love to compete against more birds.
The 'glass ceilings' in showing for non-standards, can be a little off-putting, in
this i mean, you can't win a Best in Show with a non-standard, you can only win your AOC class, but there are trophy's now,
which another n/s breeder and ourselves have made available at the major club show for the non-standards, so there is a better
reward for showing them, and an incentive for improving them.
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