British Poultry Standards: Complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist Breed Clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain: Fifth Edition, edited by Victoria Roberts.

British Poultry Standards: Complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist Breed Clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain: Fifth Edition, edited by Victoria Roberts. Hardcover book (no dust jacket) with pictorial front cover published by Blackwell Science 1997, 368 pages with colour photographs and a few black and white photographs and illustrations.

“Exhibiting poultry is only part of a long tradition which began in mid-Victorian times, but breeding also serves to maintain the pure breeds, some of which may be necessary for the development and future of commercial hybrid strains. The demand for uniformity in type and coloration of the various breeds led to the authorization of standards of excellence under the guardianship of the Poultry Club of Great Britain. British Poultry Standards is the official reference for all the recognized Poultry Standards in Great Britain; it contains complete specifications together with judging points for all the standardized breeds and varieties.
The new edition - the first since 1982 - has been fully updated, with over 200 colour photographs of current winners. Included are details of a further sixteen breeds of fowl, ducks and geese, and the section on turkeys has been extensively rewritten. The book has been significantly revised to provide clearer definitions of breeds, types and colours for the poultry breeder and conservationist.”

I love a good chicken book and recently I picked up a brood of chicken books that made my feathers stand on end. Yep, there were vintage booklets on various aspects of chicken raising as well as a few booklets on Caponizing... something that I really had no idea about, and now do... but probably didn't really need to know about. Besides the booklets there was also this lovely book on British Chicken Standards, which really has very little to do with a tandoor* and more to do with agricultural shows.

Beautiful photographs and what appears to be detailed information, is contained within the book as well as judging points which is why I don't think these chickens ended up in the Colonels deep fry. Nope, this book is about something other than Schnitzeling or roasting, it's about appreciating the finer aspects of all manner of poultry still living with feathers and innards intact. A bit like pig breeds, many of these chickens are now uncommon and from my limited knowledge of our fancy feathered friends, becoming even more uncommon as the years go by. Thankfully there are people out there who care enough about poultry standards, to write and publish a book such as this... although that was 19 years ago...

*The term tandoor refers to a variety of ovens and Tandoori chicken is a roasted chicken delicacy that originated in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. (Wikipedia)