Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The ALBC does not refer to specific breeds in its definitions.
Heritage Chickens
As with turkeys, stories abound concerning the near extinction of many chicken breeds
and varieties. In the 1940s and 1950s, poultry publications listed page after page of vari-
ous breed clubs and sources of stock for breeders. The rural United States was filled with
laying houses on nearly every farm. Not all of these farms contained the same breed or
variety, and crosses and short-lived hybrid broilers were yet to be created. Farmers took
pride in their flocks and worked with a particular strain or breed to develop and perfect
it.
Egg production was continuously improved, and natural range systems utilized.
Feeding and production systems were more farm- and local-based and less reliant upon
expensive production systems. Buildings were functional, and each farm had its own
style and way of doing business. The facilities were simpler and required few outside
inputs, including labor from off the farm.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH COMMERCIAL WHITES?
Many do not understand why the modern white turkey is not a superior bird for the
table and to raise. It is definitely larger and easier to control. The weight they put on
makes them unable to fly and therefore quite tender. They have a large percentage
of white meat and the dark meat is not nearly as dark as that of birds that exercise.
Easier to control, more meat, less dark meat, broader breasted — all would seem to
make the modern white an ideal bird. So what's the big problem? One word: flavor.
Other issues for the commercial whites are lower tolerance for weather and feed
changes, lower disease resistance, and a genetic predisposition to heart defects. They
are best adapted for confinement raising with limited access to the outdoors. To keep
disease in check, commercial whites should never, ever be raised near other poultry.
