The different species of poultry are the “kinds” of poultry, such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guineas, and pigeons. Each kind of poultry is divided into classes which have essentially the same physical characteristics, such as fryers or hens. These physical characteristics are associated with the age and sex of the bird. The class, if questionable, can best be determined when the bird is prepared into ready-to-cook form, by complete examination of the physical characteristics. This must be done before evaluating the quality factors. The classes are generally used in all segments of the poultry industry.