POULTRY JUDGING 173 



who gains knowledge by a careful study of his own 

 fowls in comparing them with the decisions of the 

 judge, which are shown in detail on the cards, which 

 go to the exhibitors. Comparison judging, however, is 

 equally beneficial, provided the exhibitor is present and 

 can understand the reasons for the various awards and 

 rejections. Comparison judging becomes of more gen- 

 eral use in neighborhoods where poultry shows have 

 been held annually for a considerable length of time. 

 Score-card judging is in more common use in localities 

 where the practice of holding poultry shows is in its 

 infancy. More shows are judged by score cards through- 

 out the United States and Canada than are judged by 

 comparison. Comparison judging is really an advanced 

 system of judging that can be employed by those who 

 are familiar with the distinctions considered of the 

 greatest importance. 



SCORE CARDS 



A copy of the official score card of the American 

 Poultry Association is shown in Fig. 1. The only 

 change neded to make this score card local is to print at 

 the top in place of "Fancier's Poultry Association," the 

 name of the local association using it. This card gives 

 a list of the parts of a fowl in respect to which it is 

 to be scored, and a space is provided for noting the 

 score for each part. A definite number of points is 

 assigned to each part, the total number of points indi- 

 cating perfection in all parts being 100. The figures 

 scored after each part indicate the degree to which it 

 approaches perfection according to standard require- 

 ments, and the total score shows how closely a fowl ap- 

 proaches perfection in all respects, which is 100 points. 

 This method is a mathematical analysis of the defects 

 found in a fowl, and enables a judge to make a discount 

 for each. 



The score card was designed for judging poultry at 

 exhibitions. The object was not only to decide the 



