CHAPTER XXV 

 JUDGING POULTRY AND POULTRY PRODUCTS 



The poultry judge who understands his work must be 

 familiar with many details. There is in this country an 

 organization known as the American Poultry Association. 

 This devotes much attention to the establishment of stand- 

 ards of perfection for the various breeds and varieties of 

 fowls, and provides rules and methods for judging fowls. 

 A book published by the association, known as the " Standard 

 of Perfection," is the American authority for judges and stu- 

 dents to follow. No poultry show could be properly con- 

 ducted without the judge being guided by this standard. 

 No breed of fowls can be considered established until offi- 

 cially recognized and described by the American Poultry 

 Association. 



The parts of the fowl passed on by the judge have certain 

 outlines, colors, and other markings as applied to each 

 breed. The feathers differ in size and form in a striking way, 

 according to their location on the body. The illustration 

 of a male bird on page 341 shows, through a numbering 

 system, the location of the parts and feathers. 



The head of the fowl is one of the striking breed features. 

 It is topped with a comb, which is larger on the cocks than 

 on the hens. A very common form is single, upright or 

 lopped, the top being serrated, or separated into points sug- 

 gesting the teeth of a saw. Leghorn and Plymouth Rock 

 varieties have this form. The rose comb is wide and low, 

 consisting of many knobs crowded together, the rear part 

 tapering more or less to a smooth point. This comb occurs 



