American Standard of Perfection

The cover of the 1930 edition

The American Standard of Perfection is the official book of breed standards for the poultry fancy in North America. The first edition was published in 1874. It classifies and describes the standard physical appearance, coloring and temperament for all breeds of poultry – including chickens, ducks, turkeys, and geese – that are recognized in the United States.

Use

The Standard is used by American Poultry Association judges at sanctioned poultry shows to judge poultry, and by those who participate in the competitive showing of selectively bred birds that conform to the standard, which led to the term "standard bred" poultry.

The first edition of the book listed 41 breeds, and today's versions have nearly 60.

Classes

Nineteen classes of poultry are recognized by the American Poultry Association. Eleven are for chickens, of which six are for standard fowl and five for bantams. There are four classes of ducks and three classes of geese, each divided by weight. Turkeys and guinea fowl each form a single class.

• Standard fowl: American, Asiatic, Continental, English, Mediterranean and All Other Standard Breeds

• Bantam: single comb clean legged, rose comb clean legged, all other comb clean legged, feather legged, game bantam

• Ducks: heavy, medium, light, bantam

• Geese: heavy, medium, light.

See also

• List of chicken breeds
• List of goose breeds
• List of duck breeds
• List of turkey breeds

References

• Ekarius, Carol (2007). Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58017-667-5.
• Heinricks, Christine (2007). How To Raise Chickens. St Paul MN: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-2828-6.
• Percy, Pam (2002). The Complete Chicken. St Paul MN: Voyageur Press. ISBN 0-89658-731-2.
• Rossier, Jay (2002). Living with Chickens. Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-59228-013-7.
• Staples, Tamara (2001). The Fairest Fowl. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC. ISBN 0-8118-3137-X.

External links

• The American Standard of Perfection, full 1905 version from Google Books