{"id":111784,"date":"2023-08-16T07:00:04","date_gmt":"2023-08-16T11:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/?p=111784"},"modified":"2023-08-09T12:07:38","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T16:07:38","slug":"rare-breed-chickens-satisfy-numerous-poultry-raising-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/rare-breed-chickens-satisfy-numerous-poultry-raising-needs\/","title":{"rendered":"Rare Breed Chickens Satisfy Numerous Poultry-Raising Needs"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a bucolic scene. A green pasture dotted with a rainbow of happy poultry<\/a><\/strong> scratching the ground and pecking for food to their hearts\u2019 content. The hens chatter contentedly, and roosters crow<\/a><\/strong> when the mood strikes. The chickens might be jet black, brown, buff, gray, bronzish-red or a mix of other feather colors and patterns. But all are striking in appearance and fascinating to watch. <\/span><\/p>\n

A basket full of naturally tinted eggs<\/a><\/strong>\u2014brown, cream, green, blue and white\u2014attracts neighbors to the farm for their weekly dozen. A local farm-to-table restaurant buys all the meat\u2014prized for its flavor\u2014that the farmer has for sale.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The poultry mentioned in this scenario could all be rare breed chickens on the Conservation <\/span>Priority List of The Livestock Conservancy<\/a><\/strong>, a national organization with a specific mission: \u201cTo protect America\u2019s endangered livestock and poultry breeds from extinction.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the commercial poultry world, white is the color of choice whether they\u2019re laying hens or broilers, ducks, geese or turkeys. Yet, for poultry enthusiasts, many other breeds to choose from exist, offering varied options in color and form and valuable genetics in danger of being lost.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Value of Diversity<\/b><\/h2>\n

Today\u2019s animal agriculture is dominated by just a few breeds in each livestock species, admittedly because those outshine the rest in efficiency of meat, milk or egg production. In dairy cattle, the black and white Holstein cow stands easily above the rest in volume of milk produced.<\/p>\n

But according to Chad Dechow and Wansheng Liu, researchers at Penn State\u2019s College of Agricultural Sciences, nearly all of today\u2019s Holstein male pedigrees trace back to two bulls from the 1960s. What if something goes awry with those bloodlines?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A similar dilemma faces some breeds of poultry, beef cattle, sheep and goats, swine and even equines. A May 2019 United Nations Biodiversity Convention review estimated that 30 percent of the world\u2019s livestock breeds were in danger of extinction and that six breeds were lost every month. The same report stated that 75 percent of the world\u2019s food supply comes from only 12 plants and five animal species, illustrating how loss of biodiversity could intensify human food insecurity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEach breed represents a piece of genetic diversity for the species,\u201d says Jeannette Beranger, senior program manager at The <\/span>Livestock Conservancy and a poultry fancier working to preserve the Cr\u00e9vecoeur chicken breed. \u201cWhen we lose a breed on our Conservation Priority List, we lose diversity we can\u2019t get back because animals that were used to create the breed no longer exist.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"rare
Courtesy of Greenfire Farms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beranger says that the traits carried on those genes can be in the form of mothering ability, fertility, disease resistance, flavor and so much more. Conserving these genetics ensures they will be available should they be needed later. As American agriculturist and U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security Cary Fowler put it: \u201cWe can\u2019t simply look in a crystal ball and see what genes we will need in the future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

David Adkins, the American Poultry Association se<\/span>cretary, licensed poultry judge and breeder of White-Faced Black Spanish chickens (which are TLC listed as \u201cthreatened\u201d), agrees. \u201cOne problem you have when there are so few birds of a particular breed is trying to maintain a big enough gene pool that they don\u2019t become so inbred that they basically stop being able to reproduce. <\/span><\/p>\n

“They may still lay eggs, but the fertility goes to nothing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Read more: Consider these 4 critically endangered chickens for your flock.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Sorting the Terminology<\/b><\/h2>\n

When researching, it\u2019s important to understand how the words \u201crare,\u201d \u201cstandard-bred\u201d and \u201cheritage\u201d are applied when it comes to describing poultry breeds.<\/p>\n

Rare breed chickens are simply that: breeds that are scarce or endangered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The APA calls their recognized purebreds \u201cstandard-breds,\u201d which means they\u2019re bred to a standard of perfection, a written description of the ideal male and female of each individual breed. APA standard-breds include many breeds with a long history of being bred in America, whether they were developed here or imported many years ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With a few exceptions, most of the endangered poultry breeds on the TLC\u2019s Conservation Priority List are also breeds recognized by the A<\/span>PA. Beranger explains that some TLC-listed \u201clandrace\u201d breeds (regionally developed and adapted to the conditions of that area) aren\u2019t APA-accepted to date. Cotton Patch geese are an example.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The word \u201cheritage\u201d is often associated with rare breed chickens and livestock and may be confusing. Synonyms and definitions of the word include: <\/span><\/p>\n