Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The Buckeye is one of several heritage breeds that were nearly lost, until efforts by the
Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities and the American Livestock Breeds
Conservancy brought them back.
Many popular midcentury breeds nearly became extinct in the late 1980s and early
1990s. Buckeyes, Javas, and Chanteclers all had large populations in earlier times and
suddenly fell out of favor, dropping down to very low numbers. In many cases, at their
low point, fewer than 100 birds of each heritage breed were left in the country.
Once this was brought to the attention of the public by groups such as the SPPA and
ALBC, people suddenly realized these breeds had great traits, such as winter hardiness,
flavorful meat, winter egg production, and the ability to survive using pasture-based sys-
tems. Many of the traits missing or not dominant in the modern broilers and hybrid lay-
ers are found in some of these heritage breeds. Again, just at the brink of extinction,
people realized that preserving these valuable genes was necessary.
If the genes of heritage birds are lost we may not be able to relocate them in a smaller,
less diversified gene pool. We should never eliminate genetic material haphazardly. We
never know today what we may need tomorrow. Although many people may feel the
ideal bird is today's broiler, there is growing interest in others, and a keen understanding
that what we've done to these birds is problematic. Fast growth rate is okay, but slowly
people are relearning that there's more to food than “super” size. With groups such as
the Slow Food Movement promoting flavor, history, and culture as reasons to consume,
a resurgence of interest in birds that deliver these qualities has created a market for her-
itage breeds.
