Welcome

Welcome to the Breed Savers blog. Unfortunately due to illness, the original intentions for this were unable to be kept. I apologize sincerely to those who were hoping to follow and participate. I am, as of today (March 28, 2011), going to restart this blog with the intent of focusing on Poultry Breeds, some common, some on the verge of extinction. It is my goal that a community of persons concerned with the saving of Heritage Breeds be created in order that resources and information be shared. I hope that links may be established in order that these breeds may be promoted. Although the primary focus will be on breeds currently raised in North America, a look at various poultry breeds from around the world will be included.

What exactly is a Heritage Breed? The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy defines Heritage Chicken Breed in the following manner:

Heritage Chicken must adhere to all the following:

1. APA Standard Breed. Heritage Chicken must be from parent and grandparent stock of breeds recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA) prior to the mid-20th century; whose genetic line can be traced back multiple generations; and with traits that meet the APA Standard of Perfection guidelines for the breed. Heritage Chicken must be produced and sired by an APA Standard breed. Heritage eggs must be laid by an APA Standard breed.
2. Naturally mating. Heritage Chicken must be reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating. Chickens marketed as Heritage must be the result of naturally mating pairs of both grandparent and parent stock.
3. Long, productive outdoor lifespan. Heritage Chicken must have the genetic ability to live a long, vigorous life and thrive in the rigors of pasture-based, outdoor production systems. Breeding hens should be productive for 5-7 years and roosters for 3-5 years.
4. Slow growth rate. Heritage Chicken must have a moderate to slow rate of growth, reaching appropriate market weight for the breed in no less than 16 weeks. This gives the chicken time to develop strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass.

and a Heritage Turkey Breed in the following way:

1. Naturally mating: the Heritage Turkey must be reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating, with expected fertility rates of 70-80%. This means that turkeys marketed as “heritage” must be the result of naturally mating pairs of both grandparent and parent stock.

2. Long productive outdoor lifespan: the Heritage Turkey must have a long productive lifespan. Breeding hens are commonly productive for 5-7 years and breeding toms for 3-5 years. The Heritage Turkey must also have a genetic ability to withstand the environmental rigors of outdoor production systems.

3. Slow growth rate: the Heritage Turkey must have a slow to moderate rate of growth. Today’s heritage turkeys reach a marketable weight in about 28 weeks, giving the birds time to develop a strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass. This growth rate is identical to that of the commercial varieties of the first half of the 20th century.

An interesting side note is that with Heritage Turkeys, the A.L.B.C. does not require the Turkey Variety to be one of those few recognized by the American Poultry Association so long as the variety adheres to the above three points.

Organizations which may be referred to in this blog include:

American Poultry Association (A.P.A.) - http://www.amerpoultryassn.com/

American Bantam Association (A.B.A.) - http://www.bantamclub.com/site/

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (A.L.B.C.) - (http://www.albc-usa.org)

Rare Breeds Canada (R.B.C.) - http://www.rarebreedscanada.ca/

Two other excellent resources are:

FeatherSite - http://www.feathersite.com

and

Kippen Encyclopedia - http://www.kippenencyclopedie.nl