Definition of Heritage Breeds

[spartacus_63]

When assigning a title for a sub group you must first establish the purpose. What is the purpose of the sub group "Heritage"? Is it to salvage older breeds that have slipped from popularity due to hybrid performance, or to carve a niche in a commodity market.

Without a purpose, any title is subject to interpretation.

This is going to be a long thread I think.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Where does this come from? I can not find this in my APA SOP book.

 

[punky rooster]

Quote:
http://albc-usa.org/heritagechicken/definition.html

 

[centrarchid]

In respect to logic behind item 4.

Organisms that exhibit rapid growth rate tend to do so at the expense of other survival qualities, especially if the selection process for more rapid growth occurs under conditions that minimize stress. Flocks of heritage poultry breeds as I understand were developed when free range rearing prevailed and birds had to invest more in their own survival under more stressful conditions than contemporary production flocks that exhibit much higher production rates per unit time and space invested. Stressful conditions of free range include; temperatures that are not always thermally neutral (hot or cold enough to impose some sort of physiological demand on bird that competes with growth), requirement of mobility to forage beyond the nearest feeder, and ability to process forages that are harder to digest than refined feeds in use today. More recent differences could also include the heritage breeds ability to perform without antibiotics used to suppress bacterial communities in the digestive tract. As time goes by and hatchery production continues you can also expect breeds that originally could rear their own young will lose that ability. Supposedly, heritage breeds continue to be raised under conditions that are consistent with those conditions used during their development. Failure to do so will result in stocks that only look like the heritage breed stocks from which they are derived.

If you are going push for more rapid growth, at some point you will have to coddle the birds and long quality life willl no longer be a priority.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

A "new" breed or variety must breed true 50% of the time to be entered in the SOP. That is where they are getting the term from.

Ex: Blue colored birds.

 

[spartacus_63]

Quote:
http://albc-usa.org/heritagechicken/definition.html

I understand the ALBC's purpose Punky.

 

[punky rooster]

Quote:
http://albc-usa.org/heritagechicken/definition.html

I understand the ALBC's purpose Punky.

There is the purpose of a heritage chicken. they have almost identical definition.

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
Thank you Jim.

The APA has NO policy on heritage chickens at this time. They have a committee studying it, but the APA has never made any statement about heritage poultry.

Walt

 

[Chickielady]

I think the reason the phrase "must be slow growing" is included in the definition is due to the fact that in recent decades, all breeds of chickens in hatcheries were manipulated to reproduce, grow , and /or lay faster, at a younger age, and have bigger and more eggs year round.
This is to forever satisfy the tummies of the ever-growing population, and at the ideal of less or even inferior feeds.
The old breeds, were never manipulated in this manner.
The birds were expected to preform and deal with their own survival in often threatening situations, not at all like we baby our birds today.
Rarely were they fed anything, and if they were it was tablescraps and maybe a few whole grains thrown from an apron.
They had to scracth up their food, bugs and worms would be a much bigger part of their diet than grains of any kind.
Do you think they had less protein than our fed birds of today ?
Maybe not considering that bugs have more protein and the birds of yester years, did not have fish meal or soy additives, so yes, I would say they grew alot slower.
We as humans grew slower and were smaller as well.
Every generation is taller, and bigger as we eliminate disease, and increase the "health" of our feeds.
Illia made the comment a few days ago that got me thinking, who actually has their birds just "living" on the prairie ?

 

[jeremy]

I don't think anyone truly knows the definition of what a "heritage" breed is, or should be. There are many opinions, yes, but in large part there isn't any concrete definition to reference...

I feel widely it's just become another marketing ploy.