These are the comments and results of Day Seven of the March Madness poultry judging. For previous pairings, instructions, and a copy of the bracket, please see our other "blog" posts. All of the participant comments are available on our FB page and previous posts here.
NOTICE: These are the final results for the first round of eliminations. The brackets ill be due tomorrow (3/21/2024) at 22:00 (10 PM) EST. You can submit your brackets via chat or email (pipsnchicks@gmail.com) alone with your chosen winner, name, and explanations.
Breanna's Comments:
I'm very, very happy to finally get these posted. I've been (im)patiently waiting for messages for the past few days and am so glad to hear back from Mr. Decker.
This pairing feels like ages ago but had some really interesting insight. Cayugas are very hard to get in a photograph because their color is so dark it contrasts with everything around it. Therefore, it is often hard to judge things like sheen color, feather condition, proper width, and depth from the photo. However, you can get a very good idea of their overall shape from the outlines.
Here, it was pretty clear that initially, Romeo would take the cake. He has a much more full and wide back, and overall shape compared to Juliet, who just doesn't have the size to her. However, Emmy pointed out a white spot on his back that, if it was a white feather, would be a disqualification in the showroom. It was interesting to read all of the comments, and corrections that came from that, as a disqualification means that it cannot be placed at all, even above a bird with far lesser type.
Austin was able to clear up the issue by showing multiple other photos without a white feather, which were forwarded to the judge.
Top Participant Evaluations:
"I really wish there were better pictures. With Romeo, the cage bars are in the way and his color is somehow less vibrant than that of the female which to me says poor lighting is more than a defect in the bird himself. Juliet has excellent coloring. Even if Romeo actually does have poor coloring I would still choose him as the superior type. His carriage is slightly elevated and his body is well rounded. His head is oval yet moderately trim. Meanwhile, Juliet is too upright and somehow manages to have a too-trim body and yet an overlarge head. Her wings are set too low and her body too narrow, leading to a weirdly humped back. Both ducks are of good length." Edit with the secondary photo: "Romeo is a spectacular bird, he could win this whole bracket."
-Jada Spiegel
"I’m going to pick Romeo. It’s hard to tell much from this picture but his size is more correct. Cayugas are a medium duck and Juliet looks too slim in this picture (could just be her stance). Romeo’s head is nice as well but that’s all I can tell from this picture. Color is good for both. I can see the green sheen in Juliet and a purple sheen in Romeo.
Edit: Emmy pointed out a white feather which I thought it was a shaving at first. This is a DQ so despite a better Cayuga in shape. The female will have to be picked.
Edit number 2: It is a Romeo win all the way. Very nice male Cayuga and the coloring looks better in the updated picture. Thanks for the update Austin!"
-Nadia Konesko
"The male has better body width and more correct body slope. The female is too upright and looks to be thin in body depth. Very hard to judge color from photos of a Cayuga in my opinion. Even poor lighting in a showroom can make them hard to judge in person."
-Ken Miskimon Jr.
"Wow these r harder to see being black...just judging by shape the male has a much better body shape for a medium duck..the female looks more like a light-class body type...but the male does have the white feathering which is a dq...so the vote has to go for the female if one needs to be picked..though it doesn't appear to be a great representation of the breed shape and depth-wise. The female has a good feather color and head shape but needs a deeper body overall.
EDIT:
Pips 'n Chicks I would like to change my vote with the new pic of the male. He definitely has a better body shape than the female..still lacks a little in-depth overall but is closer to the standard than the female. I think the female's head shape looks a little better than the male's but her body type looks more like a light-class duck as well as her stance almost gives her a runner-type vibe. The female has a better sheen color on her too but the male overall wins as the better representation of a Cayuga."
-Emmy Lineweaver
Breeder Comments:
N/A
Judge's Evaluations:
"Romeo takes first, while Juliet takes second." Judge Brian Decker
Comments