What is a Heritage Chicken? A Closer Look at These Unique Birds

You may have heard people talking about heritage breed chickens. But what is a heritage breed? Surely a chicken is a chicken.

Find out how heritage breeds are different from other chickens and why it’s important for people who keep chickens in their yards to keep raising heritage breed hens.

Heritage chickens are a special type of purebred chicken that has a long history that has been written down and has its own genetic traits. Heritage chickens are bred for their genetic purity, traditional shape, and ability to thrive outdoors. This is different from commercial broiler chickens, which are bred for fast growth and high productivity. Let’s look more closely at what makes these birds so unique.

Defining Heritage Chickens

The Livestock Conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving rare and endangered livestock breeds, provides an official definition for heritage chickens. According to their criteria, a chicken must meet the following standards to qualify as “heritage”

Be a breed that the American Poultry Association (APA) recognized before the middle of the 20th century There must be an established lineage tracing back multiple generations.
Reproduced through natural mating, without artificial insemination. Standard APA breeds must also be used for both parents and grandparents.
Have a long, productive outdoor lifespan. Hens should lay eggs for 5 to 7 years, and roosters for 3 to 5 years.
Grow at a slow-to-moderate rate, reaching market weight in no less than 16 weeks. This allows time for skeletal and organ development.

Origins of Heritage Chickens

Heritage chickens descended from breeds brought to America by early settlers and farmers. These included traditional British European and Asian breeds that were hardy, dual-purpose fowl providing both meat and eggs. Selective breeding over decades and centuries led to birds well-adapted for small-scale, outdoor poultry farming.

According to The Livestock Conservancy, over a dozen heritage chicken breeds were recognized by the APA by the late 19th century. These birds were productive and hardy, thriving in outdoor farm environments across different American climates and regions. They remained the backbone of the poultry industry until commercialization and industrialization in the 20th century.

Why Heritage Chickens Declined

The shift to industrial farming and vertical integration in the poultry industry starting in the 1950s led to the decline of heritage chicken breeds. Large integrated companies like Tyson and Perdue began tightly controlling poultry breeding, raising efficiency at the expense of genetic diversity.

A few high-output, fast-growing hybrid strains tailored to indoor confinement replaced heritage breeds. By the 1970s, a mere handful of hybrids dominated commercial egg and broiler production. Heritage breeds were no longer commercially viable and declined sharply.

According to The Livestock Conservancy’s 2021 census, over a dozen heritage chicken breeds are now endangered or critically endangered. Without active conservation efforts, these genetic resources could be lost forever.

Unique Traits of Heritage Chickens

So what makes heritage chickens special compared to commercial broiler and laying hybrids? Here are some of their notable traits:

Genetic diversity – Heritage breeds have diverse genetics adapted over decades or centuries, unlike commercial chickens with highly specialized genetics for industrial efficiency. This diversity provides greater resilience.

Vigor – Their heritage genetics make them hardy, active foragers that can thrive outdoors and resist disease. Commercial chickens fare poorly outdoors.

Slow growth – Their moderate growth rate results in better skeletal and organ health compared to overgrown commercial broilers.

Natural mating – Heritage breeds reproduce naturally, maintaining genetic integrity over generations rather than requiring artificial breeding techniques.

Long lifespan – Heritage hens have long productive laying lives of 5-7 years, compared to 1-2 years for commercial laying hens.

Flavor – The diverse genetics and active foraging of heritage birds lead to enhanced, richer flavor compared to bland commercial chicken meat. The difference is easily noticeable.

Conservation – Raising heritage breeds helps preserve genetic diversity and important breeds at risk of extinction.

Popular Heritage Chicken Breeds

While heritage chickens comprise many breeds, some of the most common and popular heritage birds include:

Plymouth Rock – This American breed comes in Barred, White, Silver, and other color varieties. They are good dual-purpose birds with a calm disposition.
Rhode Island Red – Known for their rich red plumage and excellent egg production. An ideal cold hardy backyard chicken.
Jersey Giant – A very large bird originating in New Jersey, weighing up to 13 pounds. Prized for meat production.
Wyandotte – Named after a Native American tribe, this breed comes in stunning color patterns like Golden Laced and Silver Laced. They are cold hardy and lay well.
Orpington – A British breed known for its soft, puffy plumage and gentle nature. Orpingtons are good layers and come in Buff, Black, Blue, and White varieties.
Sussex – An old English breed with beautiful speckled plumage. Sussexs have a reputation as excellent foragers.
Cochin – This Chinese breed stands out for its excessive feathering on the body, feet, and head. Cochins are mostly kept for exhibition.

Heritage chickens represent an important living link to the poultry of America’s agricultural past. Beyond their historic legacy, these purebred fowl possess traits lost to commercial chicken production, like vigor, longevity, and flavor. By seeking out and supporting heritage chicken breeds, we can help ensure these unique birds are preserved for future generations while benefiting from their superior qualities today. Their rarity also makes heritage birds a special addition to any backyard flock.

what is heritage chicken

What are heritage breed chickens?

Heirlooms are old-fashioned fruit and vegetable varieties like beefsteak tomatoes and kipfler potatoes that you can’t find at the store. These are old-fashioned plant varieties that were popular before industrial-scale farming. You would have found them in your grandparent’s gardens.

Heritage breeds are the livestock equivalent of heirloom vegetables. Heritage breed chickens are the type of chicken that might have been raised by your grandparents. All modern chicken breeds have been created from heritage breeds.

Some heritage breed chickens are still common, like Australorps and Rhode Island Reds. Others, like the Dutch Bantam, are endangered in Australia. Some heritage breeds, like the Old English Pheasant Fowl, are so rare that they are in danger of going extinct all over the world.

In Australia, there is no official definition of a heritage breed. In the USA, however, a heritage breed was recognized before the middle of the 20th century.

The best dual purpose heritage breed chickens

Dual purpose chicken breeds are raised for both meat and eggs. They are the best choice when you want to breed your own chickens and plan to use the excess roosters for meat.

Dual purpose breeds tend not to lay quite as well as the egg laying breeds, and may eat slightly more feed due to their bigger frame. Their size can be a benefit in a free-range situations where predators may be present.

Some of the best dual purpose chicken breeds in Australia are:

Australian Australorps were first bred to be dual-purpose birds. They lay a lot of eggs and put on a lot of weight.
The New Hampshire chicken looks like a heavier version of a commercial layer. It is related to the Rhode Island Red chicken. In addition to laying well, they make good table birds. Even though these American imports are very popular in other countries, they can be hard to find in Australia.
That beautiful zebra-striped feathers is reason enough to keep a Plymouth Rock chicken. They are, however, friendly and easy to train, which makes them great for families and people who are just starting out. Plymouth Rocks are tough and do well with a lot of space to roam. If you want to buy hens or chicks, you should ask the breeder about them first. Some strains are better at laying eggs, while others are mostly meat birds that don’t lay as well.
Rhode Island Reds: The Rhode Island Red is one of the most popular birds that can do more than one thing. As well as laying well, they have a large frame.
The Sussex was first bred to be a great broiler, but it still makes a great table bird.
It’s possible for Welsummer hens to be smaller than those of some other dual-purpose breeds, but the roosters are big enough to make the breed a good choice for both.
Wyandottes: Wyandottes are another truly beautiful bird. Their feathers are laced and come in many colors. Most of the time, they are calm and friendly, but they like being first. Rhode Island Reds and Wyandottes lay more eggs, but Wyandottes can live in smaller yards and make good table birds. They may struggle in hot weather.

HERITAGE Breed Chickens! (And Why They’re SUPERIOR)

FAQ

What is the difference between a heritage chicken and a regular chicken?

Unlike their heavily genetically modified counterparts, heritage breeds have not been bred with the sole goal of making the most money and yield. Instead, heritage birds are selected so they can reproduce naturally, have a stronger immune system, and can thrive outdoors.

Do heritage chickens taste different?

The differences have to do with what breed the chicken is and how it’s raised. There are breeds of chickens that supposedly taste better but don’t do very well in the kind of factory farm environment that most chickens live in, so they have to be raised with more space and are therefore more expensive.

Are heritage chickens good to eat?

The really nice thing about heritage chicken is that they have more flavor. You can get chicken that tastes like chicken without having to add something to it to make it taste better. The meat is pinker, the fat is yellower. And people say over and over that they taste “better”.

What is the difference between hybrid and heritage chickens?

The benefitsHybrids produce heavy breasts and more meat than a heritage chickenThe meat tastes more like what most people have become accustomed toGrow rapidly. They can be very economical to raiseBaby chicks are inexpensive to purchaseThey are far more sturdy and independent at birth than heritage chickens.

What is a heritage chicken breed?

The designation of a Heritage chicken breed has several purposes. The first is to protect the genetic purity of older breeds that have been replaced by modern birds. Modern breeds grow faster, lay more eggs, and have short lifespans. There are many outstanding breeds developed in the past, and it would be a shame to lose them.

Are heritage chickens recognized everywhere?

A lot of different breeds are thought to be Heritage breed chickens, and even some of the well-known Heritage breeds are not accepted everywhere. But this list has breeds that most countries agree are real Heritage chicken breeds, even if they aren’t officially recognized by a country. They are in no particular order.

Are heritage chickens considered classic chickens?

Think of Heritage breeds as Classic chickens. The APA is brutal in its enforcement of recognition. There are lots of breeds, like the Marans, that are recognized as Heritage chicken breeds in other countries, but not in the United States (although that could change shortly…).

What is APA standard breed heritage chicken?

APA Standard Breed Heritage Chicken must be from parent and grandparent stock of breeds recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA) prior to the mid-20th century; whose genetic line can be traced back multiple generations; and with traits that meet the APA Standard of Perfection guidelines for the breed.

Are heritage chickens good?

Not the best egg-layers, but good enough for most individuals. Not as good for meat as modern ‘broiler’ breeds, but good enough if you just want a fresh chicken for dinner. They are known as Dual Purpose breeds. It would take an entire website to describe every one of the recognized Heritage Chicken Breeds.

Why are heritage breed chickens important?

Heritage breed chickens are important. Here are three reasons why all chicken keepers should care about heritage breeds: Heritage breeds are living history. Many people put decades of work into developing and perfecting the different breeds. If we don’t continue to keep them, this work will be lost.