It has been my observation that not all breeders are able to perceive the complete Jacobin. Breeding certain features alone and leaving out even seemingly minor details in your show jacobins will cost you dearly. The standard tells us what we must do. It is up to you as a breeder to figure out how to do it. We each have our own ideas about how to create superior Jacobins through our breeding programs, but if you cannot picture the perfect Jacobin in your mind as the standard describes it then you do not have a hope of breeding such a bird.
I have heard breeders refer to a certain winning Jacobin that they have seen or bred and use that bird as the ideal and try to reproduce it. This is a mistake. An ideal Jacobin has never been bred. The breed is constantly progressing and as we move forward we creep closer to that elusive ideal. Using a bird bred in the past as an ideal will only hold you back. You must have an ideal in your mind which is what the standard is describing. You must always look for and see the faults in every Champion or superior specimen you raise and strive to improve upon it.
Where I live I had very little exposure to other Jacobin breeders and their Jacobins. It was very difficult at times because I had no other birds to compare my own to - all I had was the standard. No matter how good of a bird I raised the one in my mind was always better. It was like competing against a ghost and to this day I feel it has been a blessing in disguise. It has kept me on my toes and constantly challenged me to breed a better Jacobin.
It did however take exposure to the teaching of good breeders to understand what each feature should look like on the ideal Jacobin. Even though I do not feel the Ideal Jacobin has ever been bred, there are Jacobins with ideal features. By having these ideal features pointed out to you by successful breeders and then having the ability to combine these ideal features onto one ideal Jacobin in your mind, you will be on the right track.
When I started breeding Jacobins I was in a hurry to breed a champion. The only way I could see to do it and do it quickly was to use birds with extreme features to speed up the process. I was having dinner at a show with Ed Bachmann and Drew Lobenstien and I was telling them how I was using birds of extreme type to improve my stock. Ed said this was not the way to do it. Ed told me that he never used birds of extremes in his breeding program. His approach was to breed balanced Jacobins to balanced Jacobins and slowly build them better from these. After many years of breeding Jacobins I now feel there is a great deal of merit to Ed’s approach to breeding balanced birds. I think the lesson is not to try to accomplish too much too fast or your breeding program will be unpredictable. I will still use a bird with an extreme feature if I need that feature, however I will use that bird only once and I will never line breed that bird but rather blend its offspring into my more balanced birds.
I have seen some Jacobins from well known breeders which these breeders feel are great birds. These Jacobins were actually lacking many important features. It would appear that in these cases the breeder was so wrapped up in what his personal preference was that he is overlooking what the standard calls for. We as breeders must always refresh ourselves by reviewing the standard and getting constructive criticism from other breeders about our birds. Do not allow yourself to get overly self confident or close minded. There have been times over the years that I have focused on a certain feature in my own stud not realizing I was overlooking something else in the process. On many occasions it took the constructive criticism of another breeder or judge to get me on track again. I can be stubborn at times and at first criticism can be hard to take but I am the type of person who will think about it afterwards and usually make the necessary changes in my mating to compensate.
I remember one time voicing my opinion on the importance of having a judge who could point out features, good and bad, on a Jacobin when judging. I feel it is essential that all judges do this and always try to educate those watching. The other very prominent breeder I was talking to shrugged me off and said that he and most other established breeders at Jacobin meets already know this stuff and don’t need to be told. I say that is nonsense. I have not yet seen an ideal Jacobin bred and from what I have seen there are a great many breeders, both established and novice who need some pointers. So my advice to anyone watching a good judge in action is to stop and pay attention to the finer details. Anyone can breed a feature - it takes a great deal more perspective and patience to breed many good features on a single bird.
Clint Robertson Email: clint@jacobins.ca
