Standard of Perfection Book Question

[Jmurcks]

I have a question to those who own this book...

Does it go into detail about a certain variety more so than just the information you can find on the internet?
For example, I can find the bantam cochin standard on the internet listed here and there but does the book go into more detail than that?

I hate to buy a really expensive book for only a page or two that I already have copies of... if that makes sense.
I do not plan on raising any other varieties of chickens besides the bantam cochins.

Thanks!

 

[()relics]

It is written, mantained and editted by a commitee working through the APA...A new edition is due out anytime....so my newsletters keep saying. It contains probably the same information that you can find on-line...But I have also read alot on-line that isn't actually in the book...If you are aserious breeder/showman/hobbyist the book would be a good investment.

 

[gootziecat]

I have a very old SOP. So I don't know what all is in the new ones. Mine has artist pictures of the colors and conception of the standard by Diane M. Jacky. Under the description it will tell you the disqualifications, standard wts, and varieties recognized. It has a listing with pertinent information for each color recognized. This incudes disqualifications, defects, and color of the male and female. If you can find that on the internet and don't care about any other breed, then I wouldn't be so quick to spend the money. Having said that, I've referred to mine hundreds of times over the years.

 

[Chris09]

You can get the Black and White Standard of Perfection for $17.00 at most places on line..


Chris

 

[joletabey]

For some reason I think the ABA has their own standard, the SOP has a bantam section, but it basically says "same as LF" and gives weights. I have seen pages from the standard for bantams, and it goes into more detail than the APA's SOP. So do make sure you know which standard you are getting. AND the ABA and the APA are working on joining up as far as the SOP book goes. I am not sure if that is happening for the next edition, which is being finished up as we speak, or not. I will see if I can find out.

 

[Jmurcks]

Thanks everyone!

This is an example of what I find online:
************************
Cochin Breed Characteristics
Bantams - Shape of Female
from the American Bantam Association Standard of Perfection


Origin: Imported to England from China in the 19th Century.

Weight:

Cock: 30 oz
Cockerel: 26 oz Hen: 26 oz
Pullet: 24oz

Shape of Female:

COMB: Single - medium size, straight and upright, set firmly and evenly on head. moderately and evenly serrated, having five regular and distinct points, neatly arched, free from wrinkles or folds.
BEAK: Short, stout at base, curving neatly to point.
FACE: Fine in quality, free from wrinkles folds or bristles.
EYES: Prominent, large in comparison to size of bird.
WATTLES: Small, well rounded,, free from wrinkles or folds.
EAR LOBES: Medium size, elongated oval, fine in texture, free from wrinkles or folds.
HEAD: Short, fairly full in skull, well feathered over eyes, carried so that top of comb will be on a parallel line drawn from top of tail, beak slightly back of line drawn perpendicular with front of breast.
NECK: Short, nicely arched.
HACKLE: Very full, flowing well over cape and shoulders.
BACK: Short, broad from shoulders to cushion, quite rounded its entire length.
CUSHION: Rising very full from back at base of hackle, very large and round; plumage, abundant, flowing over wing tips and into thigh plumage.
TAIL: Short, well spread at base, carried fairly low, well filled underneath with an abundance of soft feathers which are overlapped by tail coverts, the whole forming one unbroken duplex curve with back and cushion.
Main Tail - feathers broad, soft and without hard quills.
Sickles and lesser sickles - broad, soft, rounded, without hard quills.
Coverts - abundant, almost hiding main tail feathers.
WINGS: Small, closely folded, carried very high, above thighs.
Shoulders and fronts - concealed by hackle and breast feathers.
Bows - smooth, exceedingly well rounded.
Coverts - Broad, prominent.
Primaries - Moderate length, concealed by secondaries.
Secondaries - Broad, closely folded, tips concealed by cushion plumage.
BREAST: Carried well forward, extremely full, well rounded, of great breadth and depth.
BODY AND STERN:
Body - medium length, broad, full and well rounded from point of breast to abdomen; abdomen carried well down between the legs, broad and well rounded from breast bone to tail, with great length and abundance of feather.
Stern - very full; fluff, soft and abundant.
LEGS AND TOES:
Legs - short, but not so short as to permit breast feathers to touch the ground where there should be an inch of clearance, stout, parallel to each other without bowing or knock knees, hidden by plentiful fluff, standing out in globular form.
Lower Thighs - moderate length, with abundance of long. soft, outstanding fluff plumage, extending well down the shanks and covering knee or hock joints.
Hocks - covered with soft flexible feathers, curving inward about the hocks, free from vulture-like feathering.
Shanks - short, stout in bone, nicely scaled; plumage long, beginning just below the hocks and covering front and outsides of shanks, from which it should be outstanding, the under part growing out from under thigh plumage and continuing into foot feathering. There should be no marked break in the outlines between the plumage of these section; they should merge naturally into each other and blend together.
Toes - four, straight, well and evenly spread, middle and outer toes completely feathered to ends.

APPEARANCE: Dignified, rather forward and low; head carried on a level with the tail.

DISQUALIFICATIONS:
Vulture Hocks - Bare middle and/or outer toe - Bottoms of feet showing complete absence of yellow in all varieties - Shanks and toes of a color other than hereinafter described under the particular variety.

DEFECTS:
Comb that is oversized, twisted or lopped - High carriage of head - Breast so low that feathers touch the ground - Low wing carriage - Stiffness in tail feathers - High carriage of keel - Crooked breast or keel bone - Overall appearance of being a creeper - Concave surfaces in any section - Lack of down fiber in underfluff - Any semblance of stiltiness
*************************************

What I need more to know more about is the black mottled color. Such as, proper eye color, etc.
That I cannot or have not found online.

I'd buy the book for that (and had no idea they were as cheap as 17 bucks! All the ones I see are around $40 and I didn't want to pay that for something I already had) if I knew the color desc. were in there.
I may hold out until the new one comes out....

 

[Chris09]

Mottled --

Comb,Face,Wattles and Earlobes: Bright Red
Beak: Dusty Yellow
Eyes: Redish Bay
Legs and Toes: Shanks and Toe feathering - average of one feather in two tipped with white.
Shanks and Toes - dusty yellow; bottoms of feet,yellow.
Undercolor of all Sections: Slaty Black


Chris

 

[Jmurcks]

Quote:
Thanks Chris! That is exactly what I was looking for!

 

[blackred]

For the most part the ABA and APA standard are the same, I would say there are about 10% differences(my opinion). The biggest difference is that the ABA has far more recognized varieties, and in some cases breeds than the APA. There is a committee to reconcile the differences and they have made some progress but from what I can tell it is stalled.
Personally I wish the the 2 organizations would get along better but I believe it is going to take a near death experience before that happens.

The APA is out of the 1980 B&W version of the Standard but are considering reissuing it because of its popularity. The size and the art work is superior to any other SOP.

Technically it is against copyright laws to put the APA SOP on the Internet. The APA has to make ends meet somehow so the sales of the SOP is its major fundraiser. Breed clubs that put the Standard on their website are not doing the Fancy any favors. This has been debated many times on here.

Hopefully the APA will debut their new Standard at the APA Nationals in Shawnee in December.

Bob

 

[Jmurcks]

Quote:
I had no idea! Thanks for the info Bob!