If you need to breed...go for it...Chickens aren't like elephants...21 days and you have a whole hew generation.What do you much more knowledgeable folks think of my chances of having a decent result from breeding a nice heritage roo to a hatchery hen? Due to recent issues, traveling long distances are out of the question and no one I can locate close by has any heritage Aussie stock. I hate to resort to mailorder but it's better, I hope, than not having any Aussies at all.
Breed your heritage cock to the hen, then breed him to his best pullets. By then, you should be able to get more heritage birds to mess with. Unless you are deep into showing, what difference does it make? JMHO