Splash in the Standard?

[Guest]

I just want to add something to the discussion about splash being accepted by the APA.

One of our members of our Marans Chicken Club was recently appointed to the APA board, and he said, that there is no splash recognized in any breed and never will be because the pattern is too random, at least that is what I think he said the reason was.  Anyway, it has to do with splash birds not having a uniform pattern and the part about no spalshes being accepted is correct.

Does anyone know of any breed with splash accepted?

Sterling

[Guest]

He is right, there are no splashes accepted in any breed, nor any mention that I know of in the APA standard of perfection, but I believe someone told me there is a descripition of the color in the Bantam Standard. I have heard the same argument for not allowing the color pattern to be admitted to the standard, because they will throw different consistancys of splash. Some very light shades, some very dark shades, and some that are have both very light and very dark shades. Anycombination is possible with the breeding of splash. I guess the reason is that there is no certian ideal of color to breed to.

[Guest]

The comments about splash make perfect sense to me. Especially about the randomness of color patterns. I don\'t know if it would be possible to predictively get the same color pattern consistantly.
Anyone working on a Red Pyle variety? I considering working with a fellow member on that one.
On a side note, I have a white leghorn/white ameraucana hen who lays a blue egg without the slightest hint of green in it and without any washing out of the blue color. As John mentioned though, it would be hard to get the yellow skin bred out as she has it, along with yellow in her beak and green shanks. Otherwise she fits the breed standard in appearance.

[Guest]

Yes, the APA SOP lists splash, and describes it, but doesn\'t accept it.

Sterling

[bryngyld]

I don\'t see an insurmountable problem in describing or faulting the splash color to make a standard.  

Off colors would be a fault.  No chips of blue might be a fault.  Black chips might be a fault.  You could make an arbitrary decision about acceptable percentages of white or gray or blue or black.  Color isn\'t the whole bird, anyway.  

If anyone seeing a splash can recognize it as a splash, we should be able to describe it in a standard.