In most phases of the breeding problem the poultry man is an onlooker merely; but by selection he becomes an active agent, and his acts are powerful for the good or evil in controlling the destiny of the breed or variety which we handle. To a large extent he supplants natures selection, and if he is to succeed he must be well grounded in four fundamentals when he thus takes a hand in the course of nature.

1. He must have a clear idea of what he wishes to accomplish and persistently adhere to the one ideal.
2. He must be informed as to the history of the breed he handles and of the variations, which are most likely to occur.
3. He must know the general principles involved in selection in order to know the forces with which he deals and what is likely to happen when he interferes.
4. He must know how far he may depart from sound practice on account of economic or other considerations.

Common sense would dictate that ideals in selection should place utilitarian value first and processing this, to add other minor refinements with caution, and not lose sight of the primary purpose. Too many refinements or fads will greatly complicate problems and endanger the original ideal.

In the effort to secure such refinements, we must not overlook the importance of fertility, hatchability, vigor or longevity. The “shy breeder” never will advance you far, even though possessed of superlative excellencies in all other ways, for first must come the power of prolific production.

The more the matter is studied the more you will find that the excellence of a flock is advanced or sustained, not by the general mass, but by a few exceptional breeders. This exceptional breeder is often not the exceptional bird in appearance or performance, It is only by making test matings and pedigreeing the progeny that you can spot these super birds.

Now for the immediate problem in hand; the selection of young birds as they reach the frying or broiling stage.

At this time most birds will be enough mature that we can judge them with reasonable accuracy, and since we can make a good profit from them when sold as fries, it would seem good policy to be rather rigid in requirements. Naturally we can and should be more exacting with the cockerels but it would be poor policy to keep a pullet unless it fairly well fills the requirements as outlined below.

1. Any which are subnormal on feathering; any with split; twisted or dropped flights or any other defect which goes with weak wing.
2. Any which do not show evidence of good nutrition by being well fleshed and pigmented.
3. Any who do not move with poise and quickness and are well balanced upon their feet.
4. Any bird whose head inclines to the crow head; too long and slender with beak sagging in front of the eye. Heads should be blocky, broad, and carried well behind the eye; beak stocky, curved and husky; eye large, bright and intelligent.
5. Any whose body is not solid, broad backed, with good length and depth. Keep should be medium to long, and preferably straight.

Having made your first selection, you will have more room for the ones that are left. Give them good range with lots of green stuff, feed a ration with not more than one part of protein to seven parts of carbohydrates, and at six months of age they should be a joy to the eye. Send broilers to market as soon as they are saleable.

Since chicks make the most rapid growth during the first few weeks of their lives, it costs more and takes longer to put on weight after they have reached a pound in weight. Chicks increase the weight 54% the first week, 65% the second, 55% the third week, 44% the fourth week, 32% the fifth week, 28% the sixth week, 20% the seventh, and 16% the eighth week.

Separate pullets and cockerels as soon as the sexes can be told apart. Male chicks are likely to be larger, stronger, and more vigorous than the females so the pullets have less opportunity to grow when brooded with them. Separation should of the chickens should be made to insure a more rapid and uniform growth of both pullets and cockerels. It reduces the size of the flocks and gives more feeding and drinking space for the birds left. Keep the cockerels which develop fastest as breeding males.

The purpose of marketing Heritage Chickens is to maintain, improve, and expand populations of high quality chickens for the production of meat and eggs that conform to the American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection for poultry breeds from genetic populations established prior to the mid-20th century. Chickens must meet all of the following criteria to be marketed as Heritage.

Definition

Heritage Chicken must adhere to the following:

1. 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. Heritage Chicken must be produced and sired by an APA Standard breed. Heritage eggs must be laid by an APA Standard breed.
2. Naturally mating.
   Heritage Chicken must be reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating. Chickens marketed as “heritage” must be the result of naturally mating pairs of both grandparent and parent stock.
3. Long productive outdoor lifespan.
   Heritage Chicken must have the genetic ability to live a long, vigorous life and thrive in the rigors of pasture-based, outdoor production systems. Breeding hens should be productive for 5-7 years and roosters for 3-5 years.
4. Slow growth rate.
   Heritage Chicken must have a moderate to slow rate of growth, reaching appropriate market weight for the breed in no less than 14 weeks. This gives the chicken time to develop strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass.

Chickens marketed as “heritage” must include the variety and breed name on the label.

Terms like “heirloom,” “antique,” “old-fashioned,” and “old timey” imply “heritage” and are understood to be synonymous with the definition provided here.

Abbreviated Definition

A Heritage Egg can only be produced by an American Poultry Association Standard breed. A Heritage Chicken is hatched from a heritage egg sired by an American Poultry Association Standard breed established prior to the mid-20th century, is slow growing, naturally mated with a long productive outdoor life.

Prepared and endorsed by the following:

Frank Reese, Reese Turkeys, Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch, Standard Bred Poultry Institute, and American Poultry Association;
Marjorie Bender, Research & Technical Program Director, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy;
D. Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, PhD., Technical Advisor, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, and Professor, Veterinary Pathology and Genetics, Virginia Tech;
Don Schrider, Communications Director, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy;
Don Bixby, Technical Program Manager, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy;
R. Scott Beyer, PhD, Associate Professor, Poultry Nutrition Management, Kansas State University;
Danny Williamson, Windmill Farm, Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch, and American Poultry Association;
Anne Fanatico, PhD, Poultry Program Specialist, National Center for Appropriate Technology;
Kenneth E. Anderson, Professor, Poultry Extension Specialist, North Carolina State University; and
Anne Malleau, BSc. Agr, MSc., MBA Agr, Director of Research and Education, Animal Compassion FoundationTM;
Barbara Bowman, Boss Dog Marketing, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy Board of Directors, Slow Food USA

The Heritage Poultry Conservancy talked turkeys with Frank and asked about his views regarding the history of heritage poultry and the future of the industry.

HPC: When did you first become interested in raising poultry?

Frank Reese: I have raised poultry all my life. As a young person, I started taking care of poultry and showing poultry at the age of 5. Being one of the younger kids in my family I was put in charge of the chickens and all the poultry. I was in 4-H for 10 years and always had poultry as a project. I showed chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese.

HPC: At what point in your work with poultry did you become concerned about heritage breeds and why?

Frank Reese: About 15 years ago I began to notice that all the old breeders that I got my poultry from where dying at an alarming rate. As my mentors passed away I would go and collect their birds and try to continue their lines of birds.

HPC: Why should the average consumer of poultry be concerned about the preservation of heritage breeds?

Frank Reese: Because they are our history and what fed this country for many years back when there was diversity on our farms and in what we ate. It is important to keep biodiversity in our poultry and not just have one line of chickens being raised world wide. We need to return to birds that for years have been raised on farms and have adapted to the environment; birds that are not part of the factory systems. These birds can reproduce on their own and feed a family and others.

In your opinion what can the consumer do to help support heritage poultry?

That best thing they can do is buy the birds and eat them again. So the farmers can make a living and the birds will not be lost to time.

Do you believe there is a role for heritage poultry as a viable source of eggs and meat?

These birds where the source of meat and eggs for this country and the world for 100s of years. But we must go back to the original breeding stock of the 1930’s and 1940’s and raise them as they once where. The birds that are still marketable for meat and eggs and that still meet all the steps necessary to be true heritage birds. Poultry that meet all the American Poultry Association’s definitions of heritage poultry. If we do, then the birds will produce top marketing meat and eggs.

How is processed heritage poultry being marketed, sold and distributed in the U.S. today?

I know of no one else doing this but Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch. We are raising, hatching, breeding and processing heritage poultry at a USDA plant with the APA seal of approval.

Currently, who are the strongest advocates for the preservation of heritage breeds?

The American Poultry Association and ALBC (American Livestock Breeds Conservancy). The main organization is the APA since they wrote the book on what is standard bred poultry and has been around for over 140 years. Calling this bird’s heritage is very new, about 10 years old but they where called standard bred for 140 years. Standard bred means pure bred.

Do you think heritage breeds can play a role in helping to feed third world and developing countries? If so, why?

Yes, because they can reproduce themselves and survive on very simple diets. The females still have the instinct to breed, nest and hatch their own without man’s intervention. Most people do not know that all the chickens they are buying are dead end animals. They are all hybrids that the farmer can not reproduce. So he must always go back to the factory hatching systems to get birds. You can call them organic, free ranged, pastured, all natural and Amish raised but they are still hybrid dead end birds. In a third world these hybrid birds could not survive in harsh environments and places where there is no electricity and poor grain supplies.

Would you consider heritage poultry a way to help the small American farmer survive? If so, how?

YES! I am working now with many farmers in Kansas who have lost all their income from poultry because the factory one system of raising poultry is taking over all production. Most all the farms that once raised poultry for meat and eggs have been closed down and this has happen all over the USA. Many of these farmers want to raise poultry again but we must help them find an independent market again.

Do you believe that heritage poultry can be raised in a way that the birds remain viable, productive, and meet their intended purpose and at the same time be outstanding representatives in the show ring?

There must be both good show birds and market birds. There should be no difference. It is not ‘either or’, but ‘both and’. The standard for poultry written by the American Poultry Association was written to improve production of poultry in the country not to win shows. We must bring that back again and find a place for them in our markets. We must put these birds back to work if we are going to save them. They must be able to be profitable for the farmers who are raising them.

What do you consider the greatest threat to maintaining genetically viable flocks of heritage poultry?

Keeping the numbers high and the flock over a number of farmers. Finding those men and women who still know how to select or breed good quality heritage birds. Not only are we losing heritage birds at a rapid rate but we are losing the men and women who know how to breed these birds for quality and market ability. Many of the old lines of birds are down to very dangerous levels.

If you could change the current way in which poultry is bred, raised & processed in this country, what would it be?

It would be to bring back the infrastructure that once was in this country that allowed people to raise birds for their local market. That we celebrate diversity in our poultry in the market place and on our farms. That one size does not fit all. That we wish to raise birds for market ability, diversity in taste and flavor, with high immune systems and give back the power to the family farm again. That the beauty and aesthetic of the animals we raise is still important to the farmer and the consumers. That we not give one cent to the corporate factory farm system. That means we do not buy or eat their hybrid genetically engineered birds. That we all must be willing to pay a little more to buy poultry that is humanely raised, not dead end, diverse and TRULY sustainable in the full sense.

One of the best qualities about poultry is how adaptable they are. Since there are breeds both big and small, you can select birds to match the scale of your setting. When I lived in town, I raised some bantam chickens (pint sized poultry) and housed them in my tool shed with an outdoor run. Sometimes when I was working outside, I’d let them out of the pen so they could hunt and scratch for bugs in my fenced yard. They were entertaining to watch and I often called them my “moving lawn ornaments.” Now that I have a place in the country with plenty of elbow room I have increased the size and scale of my poultry operation. I raise both heritage and modern breeds of birds including Jersey Giant and Barred Plymouth Rock chickens as well as two Bantam varieties: Rumpless Araucana and White Cochins. I also have Sebastopol and Toulouse geese and a sizeable flock of Blue Slate turkeys.

With the increased number of birds, I wanted to find a way to provide them fresh grass so they wouldn’t overgraze their penned areas. Anyone who has raised domesticated fowl quickly learns that if they are fenced in the same spot for more than a few weeks, they nibble away all the vegetation and the ground becomes bare and unsightly. So I decided that it would be better for the health of the birds and the look of my property to make their coups portable and move them around the pastures. The birds could enjoy fresh food and add some extra fertilizer along the way, and the areas around the buildings wouldn’t become muddy and worn. So I went to work and designed a variety of moveable buildings, adapting each one to the type of bird it would house.

When I constructed the portable pen for my blue slate turkeys, I built it on skids, like a sled so it could be pulled around with a tractor. It also has 3 separate compartments to selectively house breeding pairs. The turkeys were recognized by the American Poultry Association in 1874, so they’ve been around for quite a while. Many heritage varieties of domestic fowl like slate turkeys are not commercially raised, so their numbers have dwindled. The repeated inbreeding of blue slate turkeys has weakened the vitality of their genes, resulting in birth defects. I want to help preserve and strengthen the breed to their former health. To do this I’ll have to step outside the gene pool and cross a true blue with other types of slate turkeys, which include black and splash turkeys. The project is going well and the resulting crosses are healthy and strong.

Since its inception in 1873, the American Poultry Association has been dedicated to the to the development, improvement and promotion of standard-bred poultry of all categorizes. Without this guidance and promotion there is no telling what position in economic importance commercial poultry would occupy today, but it is a certainty that it would be decades behind its present prominence.

To fully comprehend this, we must go back 100 years or more and study the position then held by poultry on the average farm. A vast majority of the farm flocks at that time were made up of a hodge-podge of cross-bred and mongrel fowls whose unhappy lot it was to fend for themselves, roost where they could, eat what scraps they could scratch up plus such table scraps as might be thrown out the kitchen door by the thrifty farmer’s wife. In return, they were expected to lay 40 to 50 eggs a year and provide a Sunday dinner when the parson came to call.

Now a fancier is born, not made, even in those bleak and bygone days there was a small nucleus of men and women who enjoyed and loved purebred chickens and who found sufficient reward in breeding for the betterment of their flock, according to their judgment, whether that betterment took the form of fancy feather, conformation or egg or table qualities. This group of early and independent fanciers was given a tremendous boost when the Port of Shanghai was first opened to international trade in 1843 and the sea captains brought back the earliest specimens of the raw, undeveloped Shanghai that was to be made by selective breeding into the Brahma, the Cochin and the Langshan of today.

It was with this thought in mind that the American Poultry Association was formed and convened at Buffalo, New York, for its first general meeting in 1873. In 1874 the First Standard of Excellence was published and made available to the public and from that day up to the present tremendous progress has been made.

To what degree that progress has benefitted mankind in general, is not for me to decide, but that, after the first 25 or 30 years, it was detrimental to the breeder-exhibitor, the so-called fancier, is a certainty. In the beginning, it is true, the successful breeder profited greatly, for it was to him the utility interests turned for seed-stock. It was during this period on up to the second decade of the 20th century that North America and England accomplished the closest approach to truly dual-purpose fowl and by dual-purpose I do not mean egg and meat birds but rather birds bred to the Standard of Perfection and at the same time bred for production. Of course, there were plenty of breeders who were interested only in exhibition, but there was a ready market for their surplus stock among the utility men and hatchery producers who found it necessary to tap such sources in order to maintain standard qualities in their stock.

As the poultry industry became more specialized, however, it became increasingly apparent the paths must diverge. At first the leading hatcheries, egg farms, and broiler plants stuck to the breeds and varieties recognized by the Standard but with less and less attention paid to standard qualities so that, finally, only specimens with blatant disqualifications were barred from the breeding program and the only desideratum was production.

Sometime during the latter part of the third decade of the twentieth century, a few of the big hatcheries experimented with cross-breeding. While cross-breeding had been practiced by the fancy since its inception and was, indeed, responsible for nearly all of the recognized breeds and varieties, it had heretofore, been used judiciously and with a purpose. Once that purpose had been accomplished and the desired points achieved, the crosses were discarded in favor of line-breeding and inbreeding.

Just who pioneered cross-breeds for production flocks, I do not know. One of the early promoters was the Hall Brothers plant. They produced a Rock x Red crossbred that they labeled “Hall cross” primarily as a sex-linked meat-chicken although they also boomed the laying qualities of the pullets. The pullets did lay well but had a strong tendency to persistent broodiness. Now ever since the acceptance of the first Standard of Excellence, cross-bred or mongrel flocks had been looked upon as a bad investment that could not compete with purebred poultry that had been bred along production lines. To counteract public opinion, it was necessary for the commercial breeders to come up with some sort of a gimmick and this they did with a vengeance. In order to ally the feeling against cross-bred or so called mongrel stock, somebody came up with the idea of hybrid vigor. From that point on, there were no more cross-breeds. Overnight they had become “hybrids.” Now a Rock-Red or a Rock-Cornish or any other of the various crosses used is no more hybrid than you or I. A true hybrid is a mule and sterile. The utility cross-bred fancy, however, that it was soon applied to crosses of two highly inbred lines within a breed. The progeny of the cross of two highly inbred lines within a breed. The progeny of the cross of these two inbred lines was advertised as having “hybrid vigor.”

As a result of all this touting and experimentation, the vast majority of commercial flocks today consist of what is, in the final analysis, mongrel stock. That is, if bred together or, indeed, if bred at all, they will not produce their kind. Whether “hybrid” vigor is real or fancied I cannot say, although it seems reasonable to assume that vigor, like any other trait, can be bred for and developed in a pure breed more surely and to a great degree than would result from crossing. However, it is a fact that there is a limit to the number of points that can be developed through selective breeding and it is because of this that the utility interests have abandoned all effort to produce standard bred fowl and have concentrated on utility features.

During the turn of events above described, the poultry industry grew from a small side-line to a substantial business and, finally, to a mammoth industry. Up to the second world-was 1000 laying hens was felt to be the greatest number that could be successfully managed by one man. Feeding , watering, handling the poultry and eggs and taking care of sanitation were all done by hand. It was also a fact that a small family could subsist in a modest way on the income from a successfully managed flock of 1000 laying hens.

After the war, as the economic picture changed, flocks grew larger and the margin of profit grew smaller. It was not long before it was not feasible to maintain a small farm flock until today one can drive over hundred of miles of rich farmlands without seeing a single flock. The Rocks, the Wyandotte, the Reds, that used to present a leasing sight as they scratched about in nearly every farmyard are but a nostalgic memory.

With this change came mechanization and integrated flocks (I used to think an interested flock was one made up of a mixture of Leghorns and Minorcas) and giant plants that housed (albeit under conditions that would make the average fancier shudder) form one to five hundred thousand layers and broiler plants that start a million or more chicks a year. The poultry industry, obviously, had become “Big Business” and a successful operation would require an initial investment of several hundred thousand dollars. This glutting of the market, despite our mushrooming census, has so decimated the margin of profit that any operation other than one of vast scope is not practical from a profit standpoint.

Since beginning, there has always been a wide divergence of opinion between the practical and what might be termed the aesthetic poultryman. The utility interest little patience with that element that preferred fancy feathers to high production, and those breeding primarily for exhibition were inclined to look down their noses at those who would line-breed birds of less than mediocre confirmation and feather. The bitterness between the two factions grew as the commercial interests increased in power until by the early nineteen-thirties it reached it apex. This was at the time when interest was centered on the “300 egg hen”. The big commercial breeders were directing their efforts towards this end with no regard for egg-size, body-weight, vitality or any other of the many features necessary for a successful operation. Up to this period, the egg-laying contests had been based primarily on the number of breeders would up with a three to three and a half pound Leghorn short on twenty to twenty-two ounce eggs. This situation brought about the Tom Barron strain of English Leghorn, bred for body-weight and large eggs and increased the popularity of the Red Island Red both in the laying contest and on the egg-production strains with remarkable freedom from broodiness and as soon as the laying contests inaugurated a point system wherein quality and size counted, the Rhode Island Red pretty well dominated the top placements.

With the advent of the mammoth egg farms and broiler plants, disease became more and more of a problem. So long as poultry raising had been confined to the fancier, back-lotter and the comparatively small farm flock, disease had been more of a preventable nuisance than a catastrophe. Roup and coccidiosis were perhaps the could be avoided by dry clean draft-free quarters and plenty of fresh air. Also both of these ailments would respond to proper treatment. Now, however, with thousands upon thousands of birds kept together in crowded conditions, multitude of new afflictions sprang up. Leukosis, Tracheitis, Newcastle Disease, Pullorum and a host of other ailments appeared and were immediately named. This was the beginning and the cause of the experiments with cross-breeding with its resultant so-called “hybrid” vigor.

Never sympathetic or tolerant towards exhibitors and exhibitions, the commercial interests have singled out the fancy as a target and are making a strong effort to place much of the blame for spreading disease on the doorstep of the exhibitors. While this claim si completely unfounded and obviously unfair, human nature is such that, once the seed was planted, it took root and is, today, an accepted fact amongst the commercial breeders. In the first place, there is never under any circumstance, contact between exhibition and commercial poultry. Your commercial poultryman would no more consider attending a show, let alone exhibiting, than would a fancier consider taking a valued breeder into the disease-ridden atmosphere of any one of the vast commercial enterprises.

Secondly, and of equal importance , is the fact that rarely, if ever, does any disease more exotic than chronic bronchitis, fowl-pox and other comparatively controllable disease strike the small flock. Were it not for the mammoth commercial plants, the exotic, virulent and decimating disease would be unknown not could they occur under conditions other than those due to the crowded conditions other than those due to the crowded conditions and intense confinement brought about by the over-population of the commercial plants.

Unfortunately, the fancy finds itself in a very difficult position. Forced to be on the defensive by powerful interests, with a strong political bloc, unlimited resources and the sympathy of the uneducated public, we must rely on individual effort and common sense to keep the all but strangling restrictions to a minimum. We can look for no help and no sympathy from the other side for, to them our activities are frivolous and have been by them albeit unjustly, adjudged a threat to their very livelihood.

I have often heard it said and seen it printed that the commercial poultryman is interested in the welfare of the fancier since the industry considers this a necessary source of supply of seed-stock. I do not, personally, believe one word of this nor do I consider it a possibility in the foreseeable future. Such pure-breeds as are necessary to maintain the present system of cross-breeding are raised aplenty. With the lack of demand for heavy roasters, the emphasis on quick growth and quick feathering and the necessity to produce layers that, de-beaked and de-combed can for a short while, produce flavorless eggs under adverse condition, while confined six deep in a 12″ x 12″ x 30″ laying cage, we have little to offer.

It is true that the exhibition stock of good quality is made up of beautiful fowls with conformation approximating the ideal necessary to perform those duties for which they are intended and with color and pattern that lease the eye and bring joy to the soul. It is further true that, for an average family, such a flock will supply a sufficient amount of richly flavored eggs and meat superior by far to the mass-produced pale eggs and rubber chicken one finds in the supermarkets. However today’s taste seems geared to quantity rather than quality. We must never relent in our efforts to maintain a tenable position for the fancy. Conform where we must and practice the strictest hygiene. Remember it’s the same the whole world over.

Today’s industrial poultry is extremely profitable and highly prolific in producing products. But today’s industrial poultry accomplish this by use of very specific and controlled diets within a form of culture that minimizes climatic differences – in other words they have been selected to perform within a controlled environment with a high-nutrition diet and no environmental challenges. Separating industrial poultry from the form of culture for which they have been developed would be akin to using a racecar to commute to work – certainly a racecar is fast, however it has no brake lights or turn signals, its tires are not meant for rain or snow, and does not run on regular unleaded fuel. In short, driving a racecar for commuting would be expensive and dangerous.

Shortly after the end of World War II, society’s obsession with “modern”, “scientific”, and “the future” gave rise to a new system of poultry culture – intensive confinement. This system works under the premise that when diet and environment are controlled, rate of production need be the only important quality of selection in breeding stock. While the controlled environment allowed selection to focus on the best producers, it also removed day-to-day health challenges, which resulted in negative selection for superior immune function. In fact, recent studies by North Carolina State University indicate that extremely fast growing poultry have thinner gastro-intestinal tracts which allow faster nutrient uptake but which are also more prone to infection. This research agrees with research conducted between 1900-1950, which found poor immune function in extremely fast growing poultry. Separating today’s industry poultry from an intensive confinement system can be expected to yield challenging results.

Until the period around 1950, heritage poultry breeds were the commercial poultry in America. These breeds were often developed to perform under regional challenges, such as cold or hot weather, and many had feather patterns and colors which were advantageous for predator avoidance. Historic research documents differences between breeds in their ability to withstand the diseases prevalent in their regions of their origin. Heritage poultry breeds, unlike their industrial counterparts, were also selected to forage. In a recent American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) study, a heritage breed was found to actually consume enough forage within a 3/4 acre area that the area did not need mowing during the course of growout – industrial CornRock crosses maintained in an identical area required three mowings of the forage.

There is much to indicate that heritage poultry may offer higher levels of nutrition to consumers. Mother Earth News has conducted research, which indicate that hens with access to pasture produce eggs with much higher levels of a number of nutrients than industrial eggs. ALBC staff has noted great differences in the amount of gelatin produced when making soup from heritage versus industrial poultry – the heritage poultry producing noticeably larger amounts of gelatin. Research from the University of Arkansas reveals that slower growing poultry (heritage poultry) produce more protein and a-tocopherol, developed more yellow color in meat and skin, retained less water in their meat, and have half the fat of fast growing poultry (industrial).

Heritage poultry were the poultry breeds developed for outdoor/pastured production systems and for many reasons should be considered to perform such a role again.

The Heritage Poultry Conservancy asked Danny a few questions about his experiences raising heritage poultry, the future of the industry and life as an APA licensed judge.

HPC: Danny, when did you first become interested in raising poultry?

Danny Williamson: I grew up on a farm and we always had chickens for eggs and for meat purposes. Slaughter day was a big event, my grandmother would come out and we would all sit around and pluck chickens. . . it was sort of a social gathering. I grew up with 4-H and always showed a steer and my chickens along with numerous other projects at the county fair.

HPC: Who were some of your early mentors? How did they help and encourage you and your interest?

Danny Williamson: What I didn’t realize growing up was that my mother would be a big mentor to me. She taught me how to cut up a chicken and the importance of being able to raise your own food. Frank Reese and Norman Kardosh were my big mentors on the turkey front, they taught me a wealth of information. Norman could be pretty hard on me at times but I realize he was doing it for the love of the turkeys. Frank and Norman got me my first black turkeys. I remember picking them out and Norman said I should try a different variety but I told him I wanted the blacks so he got them for me.

HPC: We understand that you are really into Standard Dark Brahmas. Why are you so passionate about this breed? Are their other breeds of Heritage chickens you are currently focused on?

Danny Williamson: I really love the Dark Brahmas because of their disposition. They are curious about what is going on when you come in the pen and they will run up to you to see what’s going on. The color pattern on the Dark Brahma’s is probably my favorite color pattern the black and white in contrast with each other just makes the feathers pop. It is a difficult color pattern to get right and I think that is another reason I enjoy them because I enjoy a challenge. I am also currently working with the Dark Cornish and the White Laced Red Cornish.

When did you become an APA licensed judge? Why did you decide to become a judge?

I became an APA licensed judge in 2002. I think the reason I became a judge was that is was a way for me to get to handle birds in the show and I didn’t have to walk around and ask the exhibitors. While I judge I get to see all kinds of things that you don’t get to see form the outside of the cage. I see good things and I see bad things and that actually helps me in my breeding programs for my birds.

What exactly is an APA licensed judge? How is one trained and certified?

An APA licensed judge goes through an apprentice program where they have to clerk under other APA licensed judges, the whole concept of this is to be able to ask the judge questions and have the judge question you about the birds, it is a learning process. Then after the apprenticeship program is passed you take a test that tests your knowledge about all the birds, including ducks, geese, chickens and turkeys. An APA judge is someone who goes through the training to understand all the different breed characteristics and traits to be able to compare one bird against another.

You have a reputation for your work with Heritage breed of turkeys. When and how did this interest develop?

My interest with the Heritage Turkeys started when I met Frank Reese. He was raising turkeys and going to poultry shows and that brought back some of my childhood memories when I was in 4-H. Over the years I have just come to enjoy the curiosity of the turkeys

In your work with Heritage turkeys have you used particular genetic lines developed by other breeders in the past? If so who’s, and why their birds in particular.

I really haven’t used another black genetic line of turkeys because there really are not any other genetic lines of blacks. The only other genetics I have put into my black flock would be the Kardosh bronze line. I did this in the early years since I did not have very many black turkeys to start out with I wanted to give them a genetic breath of fresh air so they gene pool would not get to stagnet.

Having been interested in poultry most of your life what changes have you observed with regard to heritage breeds? Are we loosing heritage flocks? If so, what factors are contributing to their loss?

When I first started working with Frank 13 years ago, there was no such definition of Heritage Birds. As I got deeper into the poultry world I noticed that there were just not that many “backyard” flocks any more, no one cared about them. There has been a slow awareness over the past five years with people starting to understand the importance of these genetic lines. The problem is they go to commercial hatcheries who hatch for quantity instead of quality and the end up raising inferior genetic lines which really does not help out the cause. The best thing for people to do is become aware that the APA is there for a reason, they are a great resource to find breeders and talk to other people who have the same interest.

Today, do you believe there is a difference between birds of ’show quality’ and birds of utility? If so, why?

Yes there is a difference and that is actually a sad thing, there should not be a difference. People are starting to raise these birds by artificial insemination, which actually strips the bird of vigor. People are putting too much emphasis on getting a bird that will win a show instead of getting a bird that can reproduce. It doesn’t do any good to have a bird that can win a show but can’t reproduce.

Can a strain of Heritage Poultry be equally vigorous and productive and at the same time be a contender in top poultry shows?

Yes, take for example my Dark Brahmas. When I first started raising them everyone said that I would have to A.I. them, but I never would and today I have birds that reproduce without the help of me. As a judge we need to remember that these birds actually served as a means of survival for our parents, grandparents and great grandparents and that they should still serve that purpose.

Currently at APA shows do you believe the APA and judges place enough emphasis on utility and production? Please explain.

There are some great judges out there that do place the emphasis on what the bird was bred for, but there are also judges that judge on looks alone . . . the bigger the better, the problem with that is they pick these huge Cornish males that can’t even mount the hen because they have such short legs and big breast.

Why should the American public be interested in purchasing Heritage Poultry breeds at their local grocery store?

I know it might sound strange but if people will eat these birds it will actually help the genetics. As a breeder I go through and pick out the best of the best of the young birds to hold back for breeders to improve the quality of bird, then I have all these extra birds that I need to get rid of. They may not be good enough genetics to use in my breeding program but they will taste the same, so the more chickens I can sell in the store the more chickens I can raise to introduce back into my breeding program, this also helps me spread out the gene pool more, thus giving the breed more vigor.

Are Heritage breeds and strains of poultry of higher quality with regard to flavor, texture, etc. as compared to industrially grown birds? Do chefs find these birds more desirable? If so why?

A Heritage bird will have a much darker meat, even the white meat will be darker, and they will have a much richer flavor. The meat will have texture to it, you actually have to chew the meat and as you chew the more flavor you get from the meat. Some chefs love Heritage birds because they actually taste like chicken or turkey, but some chefs love the industry bird simply because it has little flavor and they can flavor the bird to taste like whatever flavor they want. There is also a difference in size, because Heritage birds grow slower some birds grow at a different rate than others so you end up with different sizes of birds for the same growing period, industry birds all grow at the same rate, therefore you get uniformity.