American Poultry Association

[2] The first American poultry show was held in 1849, and the APA was later formed in response to the burgeoning need for an overseeing body to set standards for poultry breeds and to administer judging.

[4] The APA continues to publish and expand the Standard, and aims to promote all aspects of poultry fancy by certifying official judges, sponsoring shows, fostering youth participation, and advocating for its members, in both the U.S. and Canada.

Once the APA was formed in 1873, they made it their first order of business to create a standard for American poultry breeds.

It was adopted at the January 15, 1874 meeting in Buffalo, New York, as the official guidebook for poultry judging in North America.

The next edition, in January, 1875, the Standard was expanded to 243 pages, encompassing 79 breeds and varieties.