APA Standard of Perfection

American Standard of Perfection 44th Edition

The American Standard of Perfection is a "complete description of all recognized breeds and varieties of domestic poultry." The Standard is the foremost authority to poultry judges, breeders, and exhibitors and a reference for anyone trying to breed quality poultry. Every breed and color recognized by the American Poultry Association is included in this book.

"The Standard" is a wealth of information. There are full-color drawings of both the male and female of many of the breeds and varieties of poultry. Included are technical terms, a collection of black and white figures including combs, feathers, anatomy of poultry, tails, wings, information on disqualifications, and description of colors and patterns.
The book then covers large fowl chickens which are sectioned out by classes based on the part of the world they originated in. Bantams are described next, separated by class, determined by comb type and whether they are feathered or clean-legged. Waterfowl including ducks and geese are covered next, followed by turkeys and guinea fowl.

Each breed listed gives a brief history, economic qualities, disqualifications, standard weights, shapes of the male and female, followed by detailed descriptions of the different varieties. Each body part has a very detailed color and shapes description. Colored illustrations of the different breeds are included throughout. 406 pages, B&W, and color illustrations. 44th Edition