organize the birds. The pattern may not be apparent, but
once you know what you are looking at, it will start to make
sense.
Large
Fowl
or
Bantam?
The
first
thing
you
may
notice
is
that
there
are
very
large
birds
and
very
small
birds.
You
might
even
notice
that
some
look
almost
identical
except
for
the
size.
The
large
birds
are
known
as
large
fowl
or
standard
size.
The
small
birds
are
bantams,
sometimes
called
“banties”.
A
few
types
of
birds
come
only
in
large
fowl
or
bantam,
but
most
can
be
either.
The
relationship
is
similar
to
“toy”
or
miniature
dogs
and
their
“normal”
size
counterparts.
The
goal
is
to
have
virtually
the
same
bird,
except
for
size.
Typically
large
fowl
will
weigh
in
at 9
to
12
pounds
while
a
bantam
will
weigh
2 to
3
pounds.
Large
fowl
are
the
standard
size
for
a
chicken,
but
bantams
are
popular
because
they
are
smaller,
easier
to
handle,
take
up
less
space,
eat
less
food
and
still
provide
many
of
the
benefits
of
owning
chickens.
In
the
show,
large
fowl
and
bantams
will
be
shown
separately.
Class
The
next
thing
you
may
notice
is
that
birds
are
broken
down
into
classes.
For
large
fowl,
the
classes
are
named
after
the
area
of
origin.
You
will
notice
an
American
Class,
Asiatic
Class,
English
Class,
Mediterranean
Class,
Continental
Class
and
an
All
Other
Standard
Breed
Class.
For
bantams,
classes
are
named
after
physical
characteristics.
These
include
Game
Bantams,
Single
Comb
Clean
Legged
(S.C.C.L.),
Rose
Comb
Clean
Legged
(R.C.C.L.),
All
Other
Comb
Clean
Legged
(A.O.C.C.L.),
and
Feather
Legged
Classes.
Every
breed
will
be
listed
in
one
and
only
one
class.
Breed
Within
each
class
will
be
several
breeds.
Each
breed
will
have
specific
characteristic(s)
that
differentiate
it
from
all
other
breeds.
One
example
of a
breed
is
the
Plymouth
Rock.
Breeds
will
differ
in
shape,
feather
characteristics,
comb
and
other
attributes.
Some
breeds
originated
for
meat
production,
some
for
egg
production,
others
originated
from
Asian
or
European
fighting
cock
stocks,
while
a
few
breeds
were
developed
for
ornamental
qualities.
The
Standard
of
Perfection
will
provide
information
on
breeds,
their
characteristics
and
history.
Variety
If
you
look
at a
breed
you
will
find
that
there
are
often
many
color
patterns
represented.
Both
large
and
bantam
Plymouth
Rocks
are
recognized
in
the
Standard
in
Barred,
White,
Buff,
Silver
Penciled,
Partridge,
Columbian,
and
Blue
varieties.
The
black
variety
was
recently
admitted,
but
for
Plymouth
Rock
bantams
only.
Each
of
these
varieties
has
distinctive
traits
that
set
it
apart
from
other
varieties.
You
may
find
some
of
the
same
varieties
appearing
in a
number
of
breeds,
for
example,
there
are
also
Buff
Cochins,
Buff
Cornish
and
Buff
Orpingtons
as
well
as a
few
other
breeds.
The
Standard
of
Perfection
will
list
the
characteristics
of
each
variety.
Gender
&
Age
Within
each
variety,
birds
will
be
divided
based
on
sex
and
age.
A
cock
(C)
is a
male
bird
over
one
year
old
while
a
cockerel
(K)
is a
male
bird
under
one
year
old.
A
hen
(H)
is a
female
over
one
year
old
while
a
pullet
(P)
is a
female
under
one
year
old.
Birds
might
also
be
placed
in a
trio,
which
will
be
either
an
old
trio
(2
hens
and
a
cock)
or a
young
trio
(2
pullets
and
a
cockerel).
Scoring
Birds
Judges
score
birds
using
a
detailed
point
system
that
compares
various
physical
points
on
each
bird.
Certain
characteristics
are
disqualifications
and
preclude
a
bird
from
being
considered
for
placing.
The
closer
a
bird
approaches
the
standard
of
perfection,
the
more
points
they
will
score
and
the
better
their
chances
of
placing.
For
more
information
on
the
point
scale,
see
the
Standard
of
Perfection
published
by
the
APA.
A
copy
should
be
available
at
the
information
desk
at a
show.
Placing
Judges
will
review
the
birds
and
place
the
best
specimens.
The
first
step
is
to
look
at
all
of
the
pullets
of
one
variety
and
rank
from
first
through
third
or
fifth
place.
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