Chickens are quite different from dogs. Dogs track heritage through stud books, AKC registration records, etc. Dog shows are also conducted to judge dogs and breeders, owners and handlers do compete for prestige.
There are no stud books nor AKC type registration papers in the poultry world, but breeders, judges, owners and fanciers use a Standard of Perfection for each breed. This Standard was accepted and ratified through a process of breeders working toward the creation of a breed. Some breeds were accepted over a century ago. The Standard is detailed in its description and breeders breed the birds to that Standard.
This isn't a sterile environment however. The American Poultry Association has chapters through the land and those chapters and/or breed clubs conduct poultry shows to which folks bring their birds. This competitive showing has a strong educational component. Hundreds of people attend and walk the aisles admiring, comparing and contrasting the birds in their own eye. Thus, there is as much art as science in poultry breeding. The birds are judged by their phenotype, a word that asks whether a bird presented, let's say as a Barred Rock, truly represents the Standard accepted for the Rock. Perhaps as many as a dozen or more Barred Rock were entered and the trained and licensed judge determines which of the birds best represent the Standard, most closely shows those admirable traits associated with the breed for it's rooster, pullet, cockerel, etc.
The Standard of Perfection is published by the American Poultry Association.
