Texas

[magpiesing]

Are these two different breeds...pic not that great...sorry. Are the darker birds RIR? They are also bigger and heavier than the PR.

 

[magpiesing]

I looked (quickly) but couldn't find anything that specifically said they were a heritage breed, however, they have been accepted since 1930 into the British Standard, according to Wiki.

My experience has been limited on the hens because (as I said earlier) they tend to fall into calamities. I have had nice terracotta speckled eggs from the old birds I used to have. This new pullet I have lays medium sized eggs but she is only 8.5 months old. As for being broody, I don't recall if my first wellies were broody, and this one has not yet showed signs of broodiness.

I've had excellent results with a Australorp broody and terrible results with a young black cooper broody. Currently, I have an EE sitting tightly on (olive egger) eggs and I think she'll be a good mama. Several of my EE's go broody.

Australorp is my dream chicken...LOL Next spring when we have had time to build more pens and are successful raising the 10 we have I'm going to find someone near me that breeds them and get chicks and barred rocks...that what my DH wants the most.

 

[Heidisgran]

Quote: http://www.ehow.com/info_8487047_list-heritage-chicken-breeds.html

 

[Heidisgran]

Quote: http://www.ehow.com/info_8487047_list-heritage-chicken-breeds.html
it's a heritage breed in it's country of origin

 

[magpiesing]

The bigger red hens also lay much darker eggs, almost a brick brown where the other's eggs are much paler almost a creamy tan.

 

[Heidisgran]

The bigger red hens also lay much darker eggs, almost a brick brown where the other's eggs are much paler almost a creamy tan.

I don't know for sure...the lighter ones could be new Hampshire reds?? they are lighter red than rir

 

[bnjrob]

I looked (quickly) but couldn't find anything that specifically said they were a heritage breed, however, they have been accepted since 1930 into the British Standard, according to Wiki.

My experience has been limited on the hens because (as I said earlier) they tend to fall into calamities. I have had nice terracotta speckled eggs from the old birds I used to have. This new pullet I have lays medium sized eggs but she is only 8.5 months old. As for being broody, I don't recall if my first wellies were broody, and this one has not yet showed signs of broodiness.

I've had excellent results with a Australorp broody and terrible results with a young black cooper broody. Currently, I have an EE sitting tightly on (olive egger) eggs and I think she'll be a good mama. Several of my EE's go broody.

OK, so I looked up in my SOP and both large fowl and bantam Welsummers are accepted into the SOP. But as far as a "heritage" breed - that kinda depends on who you talk to. I didn't see a date as to when they were put into the SOP but I'm sure their breed club would know.

There are different definition of "heritage". The term "heritage" can mean a lot of things depending on which definition you are using and who is using the term. And we've had some lively "discussions" on this term on some of the serious breeder threads. Rachael touched on some of the things that are usually seen in heritage breeds.

"Heritage" is a term most often used as a marketing tool to make money. That is why you will see hatcheries saying they have "heritage" breeds. Yes, they have breeds that are technically "old" breeds - Rhode Island Reds, Javas, etc. - as opposed to an Ameraucana that is a "new" breed. Technically these hatchery birds originally came from heritage stock. But because hatcheries breed for QUANTITY of birds instead of doing small, selective breedings to breed for QUALITY, their birds really are not heritage birds. There is more to a chicken breed than just what color the feathers are. And when you are not doing specific selective breeding, you can lose a lot of the other characteristics that most people don't notice. BEcause feather color is the first thing that everyone sees.

The Livestock Conservancy has been one of the main groups to define what "heritage" means. And as Rachael mentioned, heritage breeds generally lay for longer periods of time, but they don't always lay every day, year round, consistently like many hatchery birds. This is because the hatcheries are breeding the birds that lay the most eggs the most often. They can turn just about any breed into an egg laying machine.

There is another term that often goes along with "heritage" and that's "standard bred". Standard bred means that the breeder is following the guideline set for in the APA's Standard of Perfection (SOP) for that breed. They are looking at more characteristics than just feather color, and breeding for traits with the goal of getting the "ideal" bird for their breed. Of course there is no such thing as a perfect bird, but having the SOP as a guideline helps breeders to keep the best genetics and traits alive for the future.

There is a somewhat fluid cut-off date that people go by for identifying "heritage" birds. Generally it is breeds that were admitted into the SOP no later than the early 20th century. Some say as late as 1950, others feel that that the term applies to birds that were accepted earlier - around the 1920s-1930s.

To some people the term "heritage" is the same as "standard bred" and anything that is not bred toward meeting the SOP, even if the parents came from an SOP breeder, is no longer considered heritage and falls to the ranks of a hatchery bird.

Other people make a complete distinction from "heritage" and "standard bred" and that any breed that was accepted into the SOP during the "correct" time period is a heritage bird, even if it was not bred to the SOP.

Confused now? There is no absolute definition for the term "heritage" and it is still being fought over by both serious breeders and non-serious breeders. You have a 50/50 chance of offending someone by using the term "heritage", depending on which camp they are in.

I do like what the Livestock Conservancy has set forth as guidelines for being "heritage" because they do want chickens to be able to reproduce by themselves, and to have a longer period of utility (egg laying) than these hatchery egg laying machines that stop laying after just a few years. Sometimes breeders that think they are breeding to the SOP can get so focused on the feather color and arrangement of a chicken's feathers, that they don't look at what is underneath - the structure of the bird - and their birds can start losing some of their more utilitarian traits. The Livestock Conservancy is concerned with good birds, but they also help people learn about examining their birds for egg laying ability and meat production - something that some show breeders don't focus on. To me, this is more in keeping what the original old time chicken keepers wanted - they couldn't afford to have a pretty bird if it didn't feed the family either through meat or eggs.

Here's the link to the Livestock Conservancy's take on the term "heritage" http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage

There's a ton to learn and as in many other things that have to do with chickens - there are a lot of opinions on what is and is not a heritage chicken. So far I have not seen any Chicken Police out there arresting people for using the term "heritage" in a way that they don't like.

 

[magpiesing]

I don't know for sure...the lighter ones could be new Hampshire reds?? they are lighter red than rir

Really?? ok that would be cool. I'll try to get some better pics tomorrow when they are in the yard. I'd really like to know what we have. DH thinks the lighter color birds are just younger but that all 12 hens are the same breed...I don't think so...I think we have two kinds of birds. The bigger red birds have no white on them their tails are dark almost black. I have one that is almost blonde thought she might have some orphington in her.

 

[magpiesing]

OK, so I looked up in my SOP and both large fowl and bantam Welsummers are accepted into the SOP. But as far as a "heritage" breed - that kinda depends on who you talk to. I didn't see a date as to when they were put into the SOP but I'm sure their breed club would know.

There are different definition of "heritage". The term "heritage" can mean a lot of things depending on which definition you are using and who is using the term. And we've had some lively "discussions" on this term on some of the serious breeder threads. Rachael touched on some of the things that are usually seen in heritage breeds.

"Heritage" is a term most often used as a marketing tool to make money. That is why you will see hatcheries saying they have "heritage" breeds. Yes, they have breeds that are technically "old" breeds - Rhode Island Reds, Javas, etc. - as opposed to an Ameraucana that is a "new" breed. Technically these hatchery birds originally came from heritage stock. But because hatcheries breed for QUANTITY of birds instead of doing small, selective breedings to breed for QUALITY, their birds really are not heritage birds. There is more to a chicken breed than just what color the feathers are. And when you are not doing specific selective breeding, you can lose a lot of the other characteristics that most people don't notice. BEcause feather color is the first thing that everyone sees.


Here's the link to the Livestock Conservancy's take on the term "heritage" http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage

There's a ton to learn and as in many other things that have to do with chickens - there are a lot of opinions on what is and is not a heritage chicken. So far I have not seen any Chicken Police out there arresting people for using the term "heritage" in a way that they don't like.

Thank you, I have a better understanding. I kinda thought the term would mean an older established breed that reproduces true. I guess I'm in between. I want birds that lay eggs pretty consistently but would also like some hens that will brood and raise chicks. Any chick that comes from my birds now are "mutts" because my roo is a mix breed. I just hope since I got three pullets from the last hatch that they will be good layers in a few months. They are almost 6 months old. And make a good batch of dumplings later in life.

 

[RachaelS]

Here's the link to the Livestock Conservancy's take on the term "heritage" http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage

There's a ton to learn and as in many other things that have to do with chickens - there are a lot of opinions on what is and is not a heritage chicken. So far I have not seen any Chicken Police out there arresting people for using the term "heritage" in a way that they don't like.

Excellent post! Very informative! "Chicken Police"