Chicken has featured in American dinner tables since the Spanish explorers set foot on the continent. Unfortunately, these exotic breeds of poultry have undergone much alteration due to genetic manipulations in an effort to maximize production. Today, many unscrupulous traders will attempt to sell certain locally bred fowl as heritage chickens.
a body such as American Livestock Breed Conservancy was formed by people who thought it wise to revert back to heritage livestock breeds. The post world war II era is cited as the beginning of the end for indigenous species. At around this time, man had gained some knowledge on the working of reproductive systems of most domestic animals. Selective breeding geared towards quantity production is held liable for the drastically reduced population of heritage poultry.
These almost extinct birds were slow growing, naturally mating and possessed very good genetic traits. They enjoyed a longer productive lifespan, hens laying for up to the seventh year while roosters were active for around five years. Most birds reared today cannot retain productivity in the span of a single generation and have to be sold off.
In the past poultry were usually reared in free range environments. This exposed them to all forms of pests and diseases and natural selection ensured that only the fittest survived. With time the genetic diversity of these species increased and with it came better chances of survival. Despite this, important traits were preserved in favor of weak varieties. Most of these breeds are facing extinction and efforts must be made to save them.
Most commercial varieties bear genetic repetition due to a combination of gene alteration and selective breeding. The loss of variety in any genetic pool expose the organisms to epidemics, and the risk of extinction is always looming. The appointed agencies have set out to identify indigenous birds as the first step towards the planned conservation.
The organizations are preaching the assurance of better returns to any farmers who will opt to take part in their program. Their eggs are tastier and food selling joints will be very much willing to give a better price on them. Their meat is darker and carries a natural chicken flavor and its demand will shoot up at whatever point they are introduced. Growing consumption is identified as the only way of restoring these birds to their former glory.
To control the activities of unscrupulous traders out to dupe the masses, the American Poultry Association was set up to ascertain the quality of the produce. They train farmers on the best production techniques, besides supplying them with pure bred stock when they start out. The most successful species so far are the Plymouth rock, dark Brahma and Cornish.
Traditional heritage chickens were broadly classified into four categories based on the ages at which birds were butchered. Broilers were the youngest of the flock, followed by fryers, roasters and fowl respectively. Unfortunately, the fast growth rate exhibited by commercial species today makes it impossible to apply the above classifications. On the contrary, indigenous varieties grow slowly and are thus able to pack in a great flavor.
a body such as American Livestock Breed Conservancy was formed by people who thought it wise to revert back to heritage livestock breeds. The post world war II era is cited as the beginning of the end for indigenous species. At around this time, man had gained some knowledge on the working of reproductive systems of most domestic animals. Selective breeding geared towards quantity production is held liable for the drastically reduced population of heritage poultry.
These almost extinct birds were slow growing, naturally mating and possessed very good genetic traits. They enjoyed a longer productive lifespan, hens laying for up to the seventh year while roosters were active for around five years. Most birds reared today cannot retain productivity in the span of a single generation and have to be sold off.
In the past poultry were usually reared in free range environments. This exposed them to all forms of pests and diseases and natural selection ensured that only the fittest survived. With time the genetic diversity of these species increased and with it came better chances of survival. Despite this, important traits were preserved in favor of weak varieties. Most of these breeds are facing extinction and efforts must be made to save them.
Most commercial varieties bear genetic repetition due to a combination of gene alteration and selective breeding. The loss of variety in any genetic pool expose the organisms to epidemics, and the risk of extinction is always looming. The appointed agencies have set out to identify indigenous birds as the first step towards the planned conservation.
The organizations are preaching the assurance of better returns to any farmers who will opt to take part in their program. Their eggs are tastier and food selling joints will be very much willing to give a better price on them. Their meat is darker and carries a natural chicken flavor and its demand will shoot up at whatever point they are introduced. Growing consumption is identified as the only way of restoring these birds to their former glory.
To control the activities of unscrupulous traders out to dupe the masses, the American Poultry Association was set up to ascertain the quality of the produce. They train farmers on the best production techniques, besides supplying them with pure bred stock when they start out. The most successful species so far are the Plymouth rock, dark Brahma and Cornish.
Traditional heritage chickens were broadly classified into four categories based on the ages at which birds were butchered. Broilers were the youngest of the flock, followed by fryers, roasters and fowl respectively. Unfortunately, the fast growth rate exhibited by commercial species today makes it impossible to apply the above classifications. On the contrary, indigenous varieties grow slowly and are thus able to pack in a great flavor.
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The web pages at www.whynotfarm.net provide information about heritage chickens and their benefits. You can learn more details when you click on the link at http://www.whynotfarm.net now.
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