Becoming A Judge

Becoming a Judge

By Ron Hunt

The first and most important task is to have a mental picture of the standard outline in your mind’s eye. This enables you to superimpose the standard outline over each of the exhibits presented to you to adjudicate. This takes time and practice and is the first essential, as this is the ideal.

Secondly, read and learn the written description of each variety, noting the differences or lines of demarcation between similar varieties so you know if and when to wrong-class an exhibit.

When asked to judge a show, reply promptly. Do not have the Show Secretary waiting a week for your reply. Remember, this person may have to chase up a replacement if you are unable to judge on that day.

Upon arriving at the venue, advise the Show Manager that you are ready to start. Do not stand outside talking, as show officials are often very busy people.

Walk around the exhibits and make a mental note of any bird that catches your eye. It may not look as good when placed on the judge’s stand. If this happens, try to allow a little more time for that bird to settle.

Stand back from the exhibits about four or five spaces to allow the class to settle. Do not rush up to the cages and begin poking them with your judging stick immediately they are placed in front of you, as this will only serve to unsettle the entire class.

Now your judging begins. Your task is to compare each exhibit with its opposition, using the standard outline in your mind’s eye to determine which one is closest to the outline in the Standard.

Start at the cere and run your eye up and over the outline of the head, following down to the tail. Do the same with the front line. When doing this, look for lack of frontal rise, flatness over the top, no back skull, nipped necks, roach backs, dropped tails and any other faults you have been trained to look for.

Do not forget the front line. At the end of this exercise, you may find you have one to five birds on equal standing, so you now have to assess colour and markings to divide the top birds.

Remember, a Clearwing should look like a Clearwing, an Opaline like an Opaline, and so on.

Now comes the task of placing them in order of merit from left to right. This is when you check toenails, beak mites, correct ringing, and other details.

Once you have moved them into order of merit, remember that you are going to disturb them, so be tolerant of any birds that start to fidget. Your first assessment is generally the way to go, so do not start second-guessing yourself.

If you find the first or any other bird has a missing toe, incorrect ring, or similar fault, simply pull it out of the line and move every bird up one place.

Stand back and satisfy yourself that the order of merit is correct. Mark the cage sticker with the placings you have decided upon, fill in the judge’s slips, and be ready for your next class.

Be prepared to judge other sections or work in a group to decide major awards or colour specials.

JUDGING

By Kevin Kelly

Essentially the judge should be an intermediary between the present and the future, because his decisions shape the trends for better or for poorer. Should these trends lead to undesirable results, there will be deterioration instead of an ever closer approach to breed ideals.

The judge is a sounding board, a calculator of degrees of excellence, an instrument for computing worth. With each assignment he can give something of enduring value toward breed improvement.

As such, the judge must understand every element of balance and structure, be cognizant of future ideal ambitions within the fancy, and be able to see and evaluate each of those small nuances of quality which establishes the superiority of one budgerigar over another of apparently like excellence.

A judge must also possess that special gift that brings clarity and sureness to decision.

The budgerigar judge wields great influence upon the type and quality of the future. Both judge and show lend interest and an important and entertaining reason for the breeder’s endeavour.

Kevin Kelly