Books on Standard of Perfection

[bkvaneperen]

Hi,
My daughter, a 4-Her is trying to get better birds. We were told that the Standard of Perfection book is the best one out there from the American Poultry Association. Are there any other reliable books out there? Please and thank you.

 

[Fred's Hens]

The book is worth owning as it is the poultry "bible". Highly recommend. It can be purchased, online, at the APA site only.

That said, a mentor in the breed(s) of choice is indispensable. Once the breed is decided upon, there is a club to join. All clubs are not created equal as they are but voluntary organization run by the membership. Some clubs do an outstanding job with their junior division. These can be incredibly helpful, educational and instructional.

Social media is huge these days and most clubs have a presence. Again, the quality will vary greatly. Human eyesight, mentoring, tutoring, and conversation is necessary. It just doesn't lend itself to "book learning" alone. Read all you can, but junior poultry programs run by the clubs and by YEPA, the Youth Exhibition Poultry Association, and other youth oriented portions of most poultry shows, (see poultryshowcentral.com) will propel a junior to full participation in this hobby.

Best regards to you and your junior poultry person.

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
My daughter, a 4-Her is trying to get better birds. We were told that the Standard of Perfection book is the best one out there from the American Poultry Association. Are there any other reliable books out there? Please and thank you.

Other than the SOP, my other must have, go to books are here: http://www.chickencolours.com I have the Chicken Colours book and anxiously looking forward to the Chicken Extremes book. ( this book is about all the genetics of chickens except for the plumage). These books are encyclopedia on their subjects. Easy to read, written for the lay person. The Colours book has a color atlas in the back of all chicken colors, pics, captioned by their genetic formulas. Brilliant. Yes, I know these 2 Van Dort books are expensive. Other than the SOP, my extensive research concludes they are also the very best on the market for what your daughter wants to learn.
Also your daughter will need a book on her chosen breed written by a classic breeder of that breed. Cheaper to buy the Van Dort books from Europe than the US distributor. The Van Dort books are very much in demand and if your daughter ever gets out of poultry you should be able to resell the books for almost as much as you paid for them.
I think your daughter will have a fine start with these 4 books.
Oh and do not pay for reprinted books for sale on the Net. If you find one you want, let me know. Most of them are still available to read for free online. I can find them for you.
Do not let anyone sucker you into buying an old reprinted copy of the SOP online. The APA never relinquished its hold on the SOP copyright. So all of these reprints are being done illegally. Plus they are very old books and the Standards for some of the breeds plus management info probably changed over time.
Best,
Karen in western PA, USA