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How to Keep a Poultry Show Record

Verified October 2026

The short version

For every bird at every show, record: show name, date, sanction (APA, ABA, both, or breed club) and meet level, the bird's ID, breed, variety, and class (cock, hen, cockerel, pullet), its placing and awards, the number of birds actually judged in its class, and the points the association awards for the win. Then keep three running totals: per bird, per breed-and-variety, and overall. The variety total matters because the APA's Grand Master Exhibitor is at least 200 points in one variety of one breed, while Master Exhibitor (300) and Hall of Fame (1,000) count total points. Those thresholds come from the APA and can change. Once a season, check your totals against the APA's and ABA's published records.

Why keep your own record if the association keeps one

The APA and ABA keep the official tallies, but they can only count what reaches them on the show report. The APA says plainly that exhibitor points are awarded based on the information the show report provides. If the report doesn't make it clear who won a class, division or show championship, those points are not given. The joint APA/ABA report form adds that the club has 30 days to file it, and a report that arrives more than 6 months after the show will not be processed.

Some of it is up to you, too. The APA only gives exhibitor points to current members. It warns that if your membership lapses you lose the points you've earned, and that you have to enter under the exact name on the membership list for points to be credited correctly. If you enter as "J. Smith" at one show and "Smith Poultry" at the next, you can split your own record in two.

The ABA works the same way. Its starred-wins records are uploaded one at a time, and the ABA asks members to email if a win is missing. Your own record is how you notice that a win didn't get counted, and it's the evidence you send when you ask for a correction.

There's also the reason that has nothing to do with titles. Over a few seasons a show record shows you which birds, which matings and which judges' preferences your line keeps winning under. Memory doesn't hold that for long. Poultry Show Central puts it well: even if you think you'll never forget a big win, it helps later to look back at which birds won and how they did.

Step 1: Give every show bird an ID that never changes

A show record is only as good as its bird IDs. Before the season starts, give every bird you might enter a permanent ID, usually its leg band or wing band number, and write that ID on every record. Don't use names alone. "The big Buff cockerel" stops meaning anything after you've hatched three more.

If a band gets replaced, as plastic bands do when they crack or the bird outgrows them, note the old and new number on the bird's record so its history stays linked. See our banding guide for how to set up a numbering system.

Record the bird's breed, variety and sex, and its hatch year if you know it. The hatch year tells you when it moves from cockerel or pullet into the cock or hen class, which you'll need at entry time.

Step 2: At entry, write down exactly what you entered

When you send in the entry form, copy every line into your record right then, before show day. For each bird write down: show name and date, sanction (APA, ABA, double-sanctioned, or a breed-club meet), the meet level if the premium list gives one, and the bird's breed, variety, and class as you entered it.

Meet level matters more than people expect. The APA scales class-champion points by meet type (Club, State, District, Annual), and the joint show report form lists Club/Special, State/Provincial, District, Semi-Annual and Annual meets. A show can host a State or District meet for some breeds and not others, so write down the level that applied to your breed.

Also record the exhibitor name you entered under. Use the same one everywhere, and make it match your membership exactly. After the show, add the coop or entry number from your coop tag or the catalog. It's the fastest way to match your bird to the published results.

Step 3: On show day, record results before you coop out

Walk the aisles after judging and copy down results while they're in front of you. Take a photo of each coop card, too. For each bird, record its placing in its class and every award it won above that, in order, from Best or Reserve of Variety and Breed up through class, division and show champion. Write down the judge's name, and copy any remarks the judge wrote on the card word for word.

Count the competition. The joint APA/ABA report counts birds actually judged, not birds entered, and the APA uses that number to decide whether a class champion earns points. Under APA rules, a class below the minimum size earns no class-champion points unless the bird goes on to win champion or reserve of its division. Write down how many birds were judged in your bird's class (and division, if you won one) from the catalog, the posted results, or the show secretary. Note no-shows if you can; the catalog count can be higher than the number actually judged.

If anything looks wrong, such as your bird listed in the wrong variety or a missing award card, tell the show secretary at the show. Fixing it there is much easier than fixing it after the report has been filed.

Step 4: Record the points awarded. Don't invent them

This is where most homemade show records go wrong. Write down the points the win is worth under the association's published rules, and mark each figure as either your estimate or confirmed (it appeared in the association's published records).

The APA publishes its points system on its website: a table of points by award and meet level, minimum class sizes for qualified class champions, and extra points for division and show championships that add on top of class points. Work from that page. Don't use a number you heard at a show or a table copied from an old yearbook, because the rules get revised. This guide deliberately doesn't repeat the table so it can't go out of date in your records.

The ABA doesn't use points for Master Exhibitor. It counts starred wins, which it defines as best or reserve in a class of 100 or more birds. Keep ABA results as a separate tally of starred wins, not points. Breed clubs often run their own programs with their own rules and thresholds, so give each one its own column and follow that club's published rules.

If you can't tell whether a win earned points, for example because the class count is unknown, record it as unconfirmed. Don't guess high, and don't drop it from the record either.

Step 5: Keep three totals: per bird, per variety, overall

Per bird. Add up each bird's points and wins across its career. That's your evidence when you pick breeders, price a sale bird, or decide which cock to keep. A bird that keeps placing under different judges is telling you something.

Per breed and variety. Total APA points by breed and variety, e.g. White Plymouth Rock Bantam, Black Langshan Large Fowl. The APA's Grand Master Exhibitor recognizes members who reach at least 200 points in one variety of one breed, and its winners list names each title by breed and variety. Points from your Buff Orpingtons don't count toward a Grand Master in Black Orpingtons, so keep varieties separate even within a breed. Keep large fowl and bantam separate as well, since the APA lists them as different entries on the Grand Master list.

Overall. Add up all your APA points for the lifetime titles: Master Exhibitor at 300 total points and Hall of Fame at 1,000 total points, per the APA's points-level award announcements. Keep ABA starred wins as their own count toward the ABA's 20 for Master Exhibitor. Keep a separate running total for each breed-club program you're in.

A note on titles: the APA titles are a ladder of lifetime totals, but Grand Master is a per-variety title, not a step above Hall of Fame. Read the current definitions on the APA's pages, because both the thresholds and how they're applied are set by the association and can change.

Step 6: Reconcile with the official records every season

Once a season, preferably soon after the last show, compare your record with what the associations have published. The APA website lists show reports received and member points by year, and announces new Master Exhibitors, Grand Masters and Hall of Fame members based on points as of December 31. The ABA publishes starred wins per member.

Go show by show. First check that the show's report was received. If it wasn't, ask the show secretary while there's still time, since reports are no longer processed after six months. Then check that your wins appear under your exact membership name, with the right breed, variety and class. Then compare totals. When your estimate and the official figure differ, change your record to the official number and write down why. Don't keep two versions.

If you think the official record is wrong, start with the evidence you saved: the catalog page, the coop-card photo, the posted results and the class count. Contact the show secretary about errors in the report itself, and the association's points contact about how it was counted. The joint report form lists contacts for both the APA and the ABA.

A copy-ready show record template

Use one row per bird per show. These columns work on paper, in a spreadsheet, or in an app:

Show info: Show name · Date · City/State · Sanction (APA / ABA / both / club) · Meet level for your breed · Judge · Exhibitor name entered under.

Bird info: Bird ID (band no.) · Breed · Variety · Size (large fowl / bantam / waterfowl / other) · Class (C / H / K / P, or trio) · Coop or entry number.

Result: Placing in class · Birds judged in class · Higher awards won (BV/RV, BB/RB, class, division, show) · Birds judged in division (if a division award) · Judge's remarks.

Points: APA points (estimated / confirmed) · ABA starred win (yes/no) · Breed-club points · Date confirmed against official records · Notes.

At the end of each season, add a summary sheet with one row per breed and variety: APA points this season, lifetime APA points in that variety, ABA starred wins, and points toward each title. That summary is the page you'll look at most.

Paper, spreadsheet, or app?

Paper is quick to fill in at the show and doesn't need a charged phone. The downside is the totals: every season you add them up again by hand, and a coffee spill can take out a year of results.

A spreadsheet does the totals for you and can be filtered by bird or variety. It usually falls apart in the details: one tab per season, several spellings of the same variety, and nothing tying a show result to the bird's band and pedigree.

An app links each result to the bird itself. Coop Companion's Show plan has a show log where you record each show (with its APA/ABA sanction) and each bird's class, variety, placing and the points you enter, and it totals those points per bird. Each entry is tied to the bird's record, which holds its band number, hatch date and pedigree (sire and dam). To be clear, it adds up the points you type in. It doesn't calculate points from APA or ABA rules, so you still enter points from the association's published table and check them against the official records, as described above. If you only want the template, a spreadsheet with the columns above will do the job.

Frequently asked questions

What should a poultry show record include?
For each bird at each show: show name and date, sanction and meet level, judge, the exhibitor name you entered under, the bird's band ID, breed, variety and class (C/H/K/P), its placing and higher awards, the number of birds actually judged in the class, and the points or starred wins it earned, marked as estimated or confirmed.
How many points do you need for APA Master Exhibitor?
Per the APA's points-level awards, Master Exhibitor is 300 total points and Hall of Fame is 1,000 total points. Grand Master Exhibitor is different: it's at least 200 points in one variety of one breed. These are set by the APA and can change, so check its current pages.
Do APA and ABA points combine?
No. They are separate programs. A double-sanctioned show files one joint report that both associations receive, but the APA counts points toward its titles while the ABA counts starred wins (best or reserve in a class of 100 or more) toward its own Master Exhibitor. Keep them as separate tallies.
How do I calculate my show points?
Use the association's published rules. Don't rely on memory or an old table. The APA publishes its points system online, with points by award and meet level and minimum class sizes. Record the points you believe a win earned, mark them as estimated, and update them to the official figure once the APA publishes it.
What if a show report has my win wrong or missing?
First check that the APA has received the show's report (it lists reports received), and that you entered under your exact membership name. Then contact the show secretary about errors in the report itself, and the association's points contact about how it was counted, with your catalog page, coop-card photo and class count. Act quickly: the joint report form says reports are not processed more than six months after the show.
Do junior exhibitors earn APA points?
Per the APA, junior members earn points for wins in open shows, but no points are given for junior shows. Keep a junior's open-show and junior-show results in the same record, but count only the open-show wins toward APA titles.
How long should I keep show records?
Keep them for good. APA titles are based on lifetime point totals, and ABA Master Exhibitor counts starred wins "over any period of years," so a win from ten years ago can still count toward a title. Your old records are also your only proof if the official record ever needs correcting.

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