Faking is Dishonest, whether pulling feathers or coloring them

by Connie Abeln
(Missouri)

I totally disagree with the suggestion of pulling an off-color feather rather than coloring it. Pulling an off-color feather is faking, too.
Here is the definition of faking:

Faking - the dishonest practice of concealing a defect or disqualification from a potential buyer or a show judge

If you are just in it to win it, then go back to the casino. Real breeders have the guts to show their birds as they really are. Sometimes an off-color feather is only a point or two off the final score. A breeder wants to know where their bird actually stands in the overall competition, even with its faults. Breeders go to the judges to help them decide what direction they want the breed to go.
A false win can undermine the breed, particularly if the faker is selling their birds as winners to other breeders.

So often, people who fake are showing themselves not to be true breeders, but just competitors. Let them compete somewhere else, where their competitive nature doesn't potentially ruin the genome of a breed.