What does breeding true Heritage chickens means?

[crash0330]

Ok so I have a question for all the breeders out there.
So I've been reading a lot here about heritage breeds like Barred rocks RIRs New Hampshires and all those other breeds, I know people try to perfectionate their birds so they look like the breed real thing. My question araises as I was listening to a radio show about chickens the other day and a Poultry Judge came on the radio and said that a lot of people shoot for breeding their birds to the SOP as far as how the bird looks, but often overlook at other factors that the original chickens had like for example the ability to lay certain amount of eggs per year.
So my question is do breeders when perfectioning certain breed to be how the heritage birds were, do they also shoot for retaining all those other traits like egg laying just like the heritage birds from long ago?
Thanks in advance

 

[Illia]

Far as I know, yes. But, to each their own. To me another thing that is very important is genetic vigor and flock resistance as well as keeping in broodiness and old behavior, but not everyone does that.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Sure. The number of eggs, weight gain (feed conversion), temperament, health, foraging ability, mothering (if a breed characteristic), are all considered when selecting the birds to retain as breeding stock.

 

[kstaven]

Quote:
Agreed. Without this it is not really breeding for totally true to type when discussing it as a heritage breed, it is just a look alike.