Heritage chickens are a special class of purebred chicken with a long, documented history and unique genetic traits. Unlike commercial broiler chickens bred for fast growth and high productivity, heritage chickens are bred for their genetic purity traditional conformation and ability to thrive outdoors. Let’s take a closer look at what makes these birds so special.
Defining Heritage Chickens
The Livestock Conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving rare and endangered livestock breeds, provides an official definition for heritage chickens. According to their criteria, a chicken must meet the following standards to qualify as “heritage”
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Belong to a breed recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA) prior to the mid-20th century. There must be an established lineage tracing back multiple generations.
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Reproduced through natural mating, without artificial insemination. Parent and grandparent stock must also be naturally mated APA standard breeds.
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Have a long, productive outdoor lifespan. Hens should be productive egg layers for 5-7 years, roosters for 3-5 years.
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Grow at a slow-to-moderate rate, reaching market weight in no less than 16 weeks. This allows time for skeletal and organ development.
Origins of Heritage Chickens
Heritage chickens descended from breeds brought to America by early settlers and farmers. These included traditional British European and Asian breeds that were hardy, dual-purpose fowl providing both meat and eggs. Selective breeding over decades and centuries led to birds well-adapted for small-scale, outdoor poultry farming.
According to The Livestock Conservancy, over a dozen heritage chicken breeds were recognized by the APA by the late 19th century. These birds were productive and hardy, thriving in outdoor farm environments across different American climates and regions. They remained the backbone of the poultry industry until commercialization and industrialization in the 20th century.
Why Heritage Chickens Declined
The shift to industrial farming and vertical integration in the poultry industry starting in the 1950s led to the decline of heritage chicken breeds. Large integrated companies like Tyson and Perdue began tightly controlling poultry breeding, raising efficiency at the expense of genetic diversity.
A few high-output, fast-growing hybrid strains tailored to indoor confinement replaced heritage breeds. By the 1970s, a mere handful of hybrids dominated commercial egg and broiler production. Heritage breeds were no longer commercially viable and declined sharply.
According to The Livestock Conservancy’s 2021 census, over a dozen heritage chicken breeds are now endangered or critically endangered. Without active conservation efforts, these genetic resources could be lost forever.
Unique Traits of Heritage Chickens
So what makes heritage chickens special compared to commercial broiler and laying hybrids? Here are some of their notable traits:
Genetic diversity – Heritage breeds have diverse genetics adapted over decades or centuries, unlike commercial chickens with highly specialized genetics for industrial efficiency. This diversity provides greater resilience.
Vigor – Their heritage genetics make them hardy, active foragers that can thrive outdoors and resist disease. Commercial chickens fare poorly outdoors.
Slow growth – Their moderate growth rate results in better skeletal and organ health compared to overgrown commercial broilers.
Natural mating – Heritage breeds reproduce naturally, maintaining genetic integrity over generations rather than requiring artificial breeding techniques.
Long lifespan – Heritage hens have long productive laying lives of 5-7 years, compared to 1-2 years for commercial laying hens.
Flavor – The diverse genetics and active foraging of heritage birds lead to enhanced, richer flavor compared to bland commercial chicken meat. The difference is easily noticeable.
Conservation – Raising heritage breeds helps preserve genetic diversity and important breeds at risk of extinction.
Popular Heritage Chicken Breeds
While heritage chickens comprise many breeds, some of the most common and popular heritage birds include:
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Plymouth Rock – This American breed comes in Barred, White, Silver, and other color varieties. They are good dual-purpose birds with a calm disposition.
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Rhode Island Red – Known for their rich red plumage and excellent egg production. An ideal cold hardy backyard chicken.
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Jersey Giant – A very large bird originating in New Jersey, weighing up to 13 pounds. Prized for meat production.
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Wyandotte – Named after a Native American tribe, this breed comes in stunning color patterns like Golden Laced and Silver Laced. They are cold hardy and lay well.
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Orpington – A British breed known for its soft, puffy plumage and gentle nature. Orpingtons are good layers and come in Buff, Black, Blue, and White varieties.
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Sussex – An old English breed with beautiful speckled plumage. Sussexs have a reputation as excellent foragers.
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Cochin – This Chinese breed stands out for its excessive feathering on the body, feet, and head. Cochins are mostly kept for exhibition.
Heritage chickens represent an important living link to the poultry of America’s agricultural past. Beyond their historic legacy, these purebred fowl possess traits lost to commercial chicken production, like vigor, longevity, and flavor. By seeking out and supporting heritage chicken breeds, we can help ensure these unique birds are preserved for future generations while benefiting from their superior qualities today. Their rarity also makes heritage birds a special addition to any backyard flock.
What are heritage breed chickens?
Traditional varieties of fruit and vegetables that aren’t available at the supermarket, like beefsteak tomatoes and kipfler potatoes, are called heirlooms. These are old-fashioned plant varieties that were popular before industrial-scale farming. You would have found them in your grandparent’s gardens.
Heritage breeds are the livestock equivalent of heirloom vegetables. Heritage breed chickens are the type of chicken that might have been raised by your grandparents. All modern chicken breeds have been created from heritage breeds.
Some heritage breed chickens are still common, like Australorps and Rhode Island Reds. Others, like the Dutch Bantam, are endangered in Australia. Some heritage breeds, such as the Old English Pheasant Fowl, are so rare that they are endangered all over the world.
Although there is no official definition of a heritage breed in Australia, in the USA a heritage breed was established before the mid-20 th century.
The best dual purpose heritage breed chickens
Dual purpose chicken breeds are raised for both meat and eggs. They are the best choice when you want to breed your own chickens and plan to use the excess roosters for meat.
Dual purpose breeds tend not to lay quite as well as the egg laying breeds, and may eat slightly more feed due to their bigger frame. Their size can be a benefit in a free-range situations where predators may be present.
Some of the best dual purpose chicken breeds in Australia are:
- Australorp Initially bred as a dual purpose breed, Australorps lay particularly well for a dual purpose bird and gain weight well.
- New Hampshire Related to the Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire chickens look like a heavier version of a commercial layer. In addition to laying well, they make good table birds. Although very popular overseas, these American imports are somewhat difficult to source in Australia.
- Plymouth Rock Plymouth Rock chickens are worth keeping for their lovely zebra-striped plumage alone. But fortunately, they are also friendly and easy to tame, making them great for beginners and families. Plymouth Rocks are hardy and do well with some room to forage. When purchasing hens or chicks, it is best to enquire with the breeder, as some strains are better layers while others are primarily meat birds that don’t lay as well.
- Rhode Island Reds Rhode Island Reds are one of the most popular dual purpose birds. As well as laying well, they have a large frame.
- Sussex Originally bred as a top-quality broiler, the Sussex still makes an excellent table bird.
- Welsummer Although the hens can be smaller than some of the other dual purpose breeds, the roosters are large enough to make the Welsummer a suitable dual purpose bird.
- Wyandottes Wyandottes are another truly gorgeous bird with laced feathers and a range of different colour varieties. They are generally calm and friendly, but like to be at the top of the pecking order. Wyandottes don’t lay as well as varieties like Rhode Island Reds, but can cope with a smaller yards and make good table birds. They may struggle in hot weather.
HERITAGE Breed Chickens! (And Why They’re SUPERIOR)
FAQ
What is the difference between a heritage chicken and a regular chicken?
Unlike their heavily genetically modified counterparts, heritage breeds have not been bred solely for the purpose of maximizing yield and profit. Instead, heritage birds are selected so they can reproduce naturally, have a stronger immune system, and can thrive outdoors.
Do heritage chickens taste different?
The differences have to do with what breed the chicken is and how it’s raised. There are breeds of chickens that supposedly taste better but don’t do very well in the kind of factory farm environment that most chickens live in, so they have to be raised with more space and are therefore more expensive.
Are heritage chickens good to eat?
The really nice thing about heritage chicken is that they have more flavor. You get chicken that tastes like CHICKEN, without having to inject it with “a solution” to enhance the flavor. The meat is pinker, the fat is yellower. And people say over and over that they taste “better”.
What is the difference between hybrid and heritage chickens?
- Hybrids produce heavy breasts and more meat than a heritage chicken
- The meat tastes more like what most people have become accustomed to
- Grow rapidly.
- They can be very economical to raise
- Baby chicks are inexpensive to purchase
- They are far more sturdy and independent at birth than heritage chickens
What is a heritage chicken breed?
The designation of a Heritage chicken breed has several purposes. The first is to protect the genetic purity of older breeds that have been replaced by modern birds. Modern breeds grow faster, lay more eggs, and have short lifespans. There are many outstanding breeds developed in the past, and it would be a shame to lose them.
Are heritage chickens recognized everywhere?
There are lots of breeds that many consider as Heritage breed chickens, and even a lot of the established Heritage chicken breeds are not recognized everywhere. But this list contains breeds that most countries accept as true Heritage chicken breeds, even they are not officially recognized by a particular country. They are in no particular order.
Are heritage chickens considered classic chickens?
Think of Heritage breeds as Classic chickens. The APA is brutal in its enforcement of recognition. There are lots of breeds, like the Marans, that are recognized as Heritage chicken breeds in other countries, but not in the United States (although that could change shortly…).
What is APA standard breed heritage chicken?
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.
Are heritage chickens good?
Not the best egg-layers, but good enough for most individuals. Not as good for meat as modern ‘broiler’ breeds, but good enough if you just want a fresh chicken for dinner. They are known as Dual Purpose breeds. It would take an entire website to describe every one of the recognized Heritage Chicken Breeds.
Why are heritage breed chickens important?
Heritage breed chickens are important. Here are three reasons why all chicken keepers should care about heritage breeds: Heritage breeds are living history. Many people put decades of work into developing and perfecting the different breeds. If we don’t continue to keep them, this work will be lost.