GUIDE TO CLASSIFYING YORKSHIRES, by Brian Keenan!

  A great article from Brian Keenan,published on December 1999!!! A big help for all the novice breeders!!!
Source of this excellent article and many many others is Mr Keenan's  page  http://www.yccuk.com/briankeenan



Article
The Yorkshire Canary classification has been simplified. Brian Keenan has produced this guide to classifying Yorkshires for exhibition purposes. Separate classes are provided for every colour variant of the Yorkshire canary, which are grouped by both colour and markings to promote even competition. Three main categories are provided for Clear birds, Green Marked birds, and Cinnamon marked birds. Birds in all these sections may be colour fed at the discretion of the owner, enhancing the birds natural colour to a deep orange ground colour (yellow feathered birds), or through beige to a rich salmon colour (buff feathered birds).
Separate classes are provided for White or allied coloured birds - including both fawn and blue marked birds (the equivalent of cinnamon and green markings on normal, yellow ground-coloured birds).
Finally, separate classes are provided for non-colour fed self or foul green birds, which can vary from a brownish green to a rich grass green colour, dependant upon the feather type.
Birds in the white classes and non colour-fed green classes must not be colour-fed.

WHERE TO BEGIN.

To the experienced eye, classifying birds is second nature - our minds answering all questions subconsciously, as soon as we look into the nest pan! To the novice, a more methodical approach is explained below. The initial step is designed to separate out the 'wheat from the chaff'.

Is the bird yellow or white ground - whites are only exhibited in white ground classes, and so can be immediately separated out, as far as the classification is concerned.

Concentrating on the remaining yellow ground-coloured birds, (99% of all modern Yorkshires are yellow ground birds), the initial question is:

Does the bird display any cinnamon feathering anywhere on its body, which is visible when the bird is standing in its natural position in the show cage? Answering yes immediately qualifies that bird for the cinnamon section of the classification - and no other!

A final major qualifier sorts out the remainder of the stock -

Does the bird have any green markings, and if so, do these touch up to ONE technical point, or MORE THAN ONE point? Birds with no marks, and those with marks touching only ONE technical point, compete in the clear section, leaving all other birds (those marked on two or more technical points), to compete in the green marked section.

Only one question remains, and that concerns self and foul green marked birds:

Is it a self or foul green, or is'nt it? A self bird is all dark - whilst a foul bird carries light feathers in the tail or flights of one wing only (not both wings and not tail and wing flights together).

Having determined whether any self or foul green birds exist, the question of whether to colour feed them, making them eligible for either the non-fed classes, or remaining in the green variegated classes, is one for personal preference, and needs to be taken by the fancier prior to the commencement of the moult to enable colour feeding decisions to be made.

Is the bird Yellow or White ground colour?	White Ground	White Classes
Yellow Ground
Does it have any visible Cinnamon feather?	Yes	Cinnamon Classes
No
Is the bird carrying any green marks?	No	Clear Classes
Yes
Is it marked on more than ONE technical point?	No	Clear Classes
Yes
Is the bird a Self or a Foul?	No	Green Marked Classes
Yes
Is it Colour-fed?	Yes	Green Marked Classes
No
Only one category left!		Non-Fed Green Classes

SUMMARY.

The above diagram should provide an 'at a glance' guide to correctly classifying your birds - remembering that the whole show schedule is based upon the system of six technical points, that is marks on (touching) the eyes, the wing flights (primaries and / or secondaries), and either outer side of the tail. Once the Yorkshire is entered into the correct class, its markings count for nothing at all - it is judged solely on type, in competition with its classmates for the coveted first prize. Winning birds will go forward to be judged against other prizewinners within their section, for example each of the eight clear bird class winners will compete for the best clear bird in the Champion section, and similarly in the Novice section. This process is repeated for all sections to determine the best of colour winners, which will ultimately compete for the title of Best Yorkshire in the show.
At the YCC show, which is the major show in the Yorkshire calendar, in addition to the best of colour awards, the Best Seven birds in the show are also selected - which may be of any colour, and may include birds which have been placed second or lower in exceptionally strong classes - but more of that in later articles.