American Standard of Perfection

The cover of the 1930 edition

The American Standard of Perfection is the official breed standard for the poultry fancy in North America. First published in 1874 by the American Poultry Association, the Standard of Perfection (commonly referred to as "the Standard") classifies and describes the standard physical appearance, coloring and temperament for all recognized breeds of poultry, including chickens, ducks, turkeys, and geese. The current edition was published in 2010.

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. There are 19 classes of poultry recognized by the American Poultry Association. Eleven of these classes are devoted to chickens, of which six are classes of large breeds and five are bantam classes. There are four classes of ducks and three classes of geese, both divided by weight. All breeds of turkeys are grouped into one class.

List of American Poultry Association Classes

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

Bantam: Single Comb Clean Legged (SCCL), Rose Comb Clean Legged (RCCL), All Other Comb Clean Legged (AOCCL), Feather Legged, and Game Bantam

Ducks: Heavy, Medium, Light, and Bantam

Geese: Heavy, Medium, and Light

Turkeys: Judged as one class.

Guinea Fowl: Judged as one class.

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. 210 MAS MoCA Way, North Adams MA 01247: Storey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58017-667-5.
• Heinricks, Christine (2007). How To Raise Chickens. Suite 200, 380 Jackson St, St Paul MN 55101: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-2828-6.
• Percy, Pam (2002). The Complete Chicken. Suite 200, 380 Jackson St, St Paul MN 55101: 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. 85 Second Street San Francisco CA 94105: Chronicle Books LLC. ISBN 0-8118-3137-X.

External links

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