Common Poultry Abbreviations

Common Poultry Abbreviations

From the day I first started keeping chickens, I’ve constantly run across abbreviations used by other poultry keepers that “everybody else” seems to know. Poultry shows are particularly fond of abbreviations. Additional poultry abbreviations are used by members of the various breed clubs to designate varieties of their chosen breed. Poultry health literature contributes an entirely different set of acronyms. And new ones keep popping up on the many online poultry forums. To add to the confusion, some abbreviations have more than one meaning, depending on who’s talking.

Below are some of the more common poultry abbreviations you are likely to run across in various publications, websites, and forums. They are offered here not to encourage you to contribute to the confusion by using them yourself but to help you sort them out when you do run across them.

Major Organizations

ABA – American Bantam Association
APA – American Poultry Association
NPIP – National Poultry Improvement Plan
RBC – Rare Breeds Canada
SPPA – Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities
TLC – The Livestock Conservancy

Breeds and Varieties

AG – American Game
AGB – American Game bantam
Amer – Ameraucana
Andy – Andalusian
BB -Buff Brahma
BBB – Broad Breasted Bronze (turkey)
BBW – Broad Breasted White (turkey)
BCM – Black copper Marans
BJG – Black Jersey Giant
BO – Buff Orpington
BR/BPR – Barred Plymouth Rock
BR – Bourbon Red (turkey)
BSL – Black Sex Link
CLB – Cream Legbar
CM – Cuckoo Marans
CW – Columbian Wyandotte
CXCornish cross
DB – Dark Brahma
EE – Easter Egger
FAV – Faverolle
GCM – Golden Cuckoo Marans
GF – Guinea fowl
GLC – Gold laced Cochin
GLW – Gold laced Wyandotte
GPH – Gold penciled Hamburg
GSL  – Gold Sex Link
JG  – Jersey Giant
ISA  – Hubbard ISA Browns (Institut de Sélection Animale)
LB – Light Brahma
LS – Light Sussex
MG – Modern Game
NH – New Hampshire
NN – Naked Neck
OEG – Old English Game
OEGB – Old English Game bantam
Orp – Orpington
PR – Production Red
RIR – Rhode Island Red
RP – Royal Palm (turkey)
RSL – Red Sex Link
ScovyMuscovy (duck)
SF – Salmon Faverolle
SL – Sex Link
SLW – Silver Laced Wyandotte
Spitz/Spitzy – Spitzhauben Appenzeller
SSH – Silver Spangled Hamburg
SS – Speckled Sussex
WCBP – White Crested Black Polish
WCP – White Crested Polish
WFBS – White Faced Black Spanish
WL – White Leghorn

Variety Features

BBR – black breasted red
BL – blue laced
BLR – blue laced red
BT – black tailed
CF – clean faced
CL – clean legged
DT – double tufted
FL – feather legged
GL – gold laced
GDW – golden duck wing
GP – gold penciled
PC – pea comb
RC – rose comb
SC – single comb
SDW – silver duck wing
SL – silver laced
SP – silver penciled
SPL – splash
ST – single tufted

Poultry Show Acronyms

Amer – American
AOB – All Other Breeds; Any Other Breed
AOC – All Other Colors; Any Other Color
AOCCL – All Other Comb Clean Legged
AOSB – All Other Standard Breeds
AOV – All Other Varieties; Any Other Variety
BB/BOB – Best of Breed
BV/BOV – Best of Variety
B/BF/BT/BTM – bantam (bantam fowl)
C, H, K, P – cock, hen, cockerel, pullet
CF – Champion Feather Legged
Ch – Champion
Cont – Continental
DQ – Disqualified
GC – Grand Champion
LF – large fowl
Med – Mediterranean
OT – Old Trio
PR – pair
RCCL – Rose Comb Clean Legged
Res – Reserve
RB/ROB – Reserve of Breed
RF – Reserve Feather Legged
RV/ROV – Reserve of Variety
SCCL – Single Comb Clean Legged
YT – Young Trio
WF – waterfowl

Management Terms

ACV – apple cider vinegar
AI – artificial insemination
BF – believed fertile
BQ – breeder quality
BOSS – black oil sunflower seed
DE – diatomaceous earth
DL/DLM – deep litter (method)
DO – day-old
FS – for sale
INF – infertile
LFS – local feed store
NFS – not for sale
NSQ – not show quality
POL – point of lay
PQ – pet quality
Roo – rooster
SQ – show quality
WTB – wanted to buy

Health Issues

AA – avian arizonosis
AC – avian chlamydiosis
ADS – acute death sydrome
AE – avian encephalomyelitis (epidemic tremor)
AI – avian influenza
AIS – avian intestinal spirochetosis
AT – avian tuberculosis
BWD – bacillary white diarrhea (pullorum)
CEO – chicken embryo origin (vaccine)
CRD – chronic respiratory disease
DIS – dead in shell
EL – epididymal lithiasis
END – exotic Newcastle disease
FC – fowl cholera (acute)
FT – fowl typhoid
GD – gangrenous dermatitis
HPAI – high-pathogenicity avian influenza
IB – infectious bronchitis
IBD – infectious bursal disease
IC – infectious coryza
ILT – infectious laryngotracheitis
IM – intramuscular (injection)
IV – intravenous (injection)
LL – lymphoid leukosis
LP – localized pasteurellosis  (chronic fowl cholera)
LPAI – low-patahogenicity avian influenza
LT – laryngotracheitis
MD – Marek’s disease
MG – Mycoplasma gallisepticum (chronic respiratory disease)
MS – Mycoplasma synoviae (infectious synovitis)
ND – Newcastle disease
NE – necrotic enteritis
NFM – northern fowl mite
NVND – neurotropic velogenic Newcastle disease
ORT – ornithobacteriosis
PD – pullorum disease
PPLO – pleuropneumonia-like organism (chronic respiratory disease)
SDS – sudden death syndrome
SQ – subcutaneous (injection)
TCO – tissue culture origin (vaccine)
UE – ulcerative enteritis
VND – velogenic Newcastle disease
VVND – viscerotropic velogenic Newcastle disease

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