Welcome to Sunset Croft Heritage Poultry.
Specialists in Old Fashioned Heavy Breeds.
There is a growing interest in Heritage Poultry - those Old Fashioned breeds that have served us for generations with their egg laying abilities, meat for the table, disease resistance, longevity and purebred history. They were traditionally raised by farmers until being sidelined by the introduction of intensive factory farmed commercial hybrids, and many of our heirloom breeds are in danger of disappearing.
The vast majority of Heritage Poultry are named after the place or town of origin of that particular fowl, such as the Orpington, Dorking, Sussex, Rhode Island Red, Ancona, Houdan, Leghorn (Livorno), Faverolles, New Hampshire, Plymouth Rock, to name a few.
Heritage Breeds are those with long histories and are purebred and they breed true. They have a slow rate of growth, which allows development of a strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building body mass. The advantage of Old Fashioned breeds is their hardiness and longevity, often living beyond ten years and laying for much of that time.
The vast majority of Heritage Poultry are named after the place or town of origin of that particular fowl, such as the Orpington, Dorking, Sussex, Rhode Island Red, Ancona, Houdan, Leghorn (Livorno), Faverolles, New Hampshire, Plymouth Rock, to name a few.
Heritage Breeds are those with long histories and are purebred and they breed true. They have a slow rate of growth, which allows development of a strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building body mass. The advantage of Old Fashioned breeds is their hardiness and longevity, often living beyond ten years and laying for much of that time.
At Sunset Croft Heritage Poultry, we are passionate about the Heavy Breeds in particular and for us, there is much nostalgic satisfaction in keeping these heirloom fowl, knowing we are doing our part to cultivate and therefore ensure the continuity of these precious birds through good breeding practices.
We are dedicated to uphold our reputation as breeders of quality Old Fashioned poultry. Through selective breeding of our purebred bloodlines, we have developed utility breeds of optimum performance, beauty, temperament, health and vigour, while maintaining their dual purpose qualities.
We are dedicated to uphold our reputation as breeders of quality Old Fashioned poultry. Through selective breeding of our purebred bloodlines, we have developed utility breeds of optimum performance, beauty, temperament, health and vigour, while maintaining their dual purpose qualities.
Be wary of buying from what we call "Backyard Flockers" - those who keep a hodgepodge of varieties of unknown or dubious pedigree, claiming to be purebred Heritage Breeds and selling them cheaply (or even over-priced) at markets, agricultural shows and on Trade Me. These birds are often duds, crossbreeds or past their best. Many backyard breeders are breeding from poor quality birds and selling to unsuspecting buyers and are doing our Heritage Breeds a great disservice for generations to come. "Purebred" does not necessarily mean quality and buying chickens or fertile eggs from unknown sources, you may end up with birds from stocks that are poor layers or are not up to expectations in some other way. This is why it is so important to us that we breed from the best possible stock and maintain our good lines. The poultry we breed and supply is of excellent quality and our reputation depends on satisfied customers. We have high standards in animal welfare and maintaining a clean, healthy environment for all our livestock is a priority. Our birds have daily access to grassy paddocks planted in Heritage fruit trees and provided with plenty of stimulation to avoid boredom and behaviour problems.
In New Zealand, we have such a limited variety of these precious Old Fashioned breeds and with such strict government regulations to safeguard our borders from biological risk, it is impossible to import new stocks from overseas. Because of New Zealand's isolation, and the fact that several of the most devastating poultry diseases have never been found here, the importation of poultry is strictly regulated. It is therefore crucial to protect and preserve these Heritage Breeds we do have for future generations to benefit from and enjoy. By bringing back into our gardens and farm yards these reliable old breeds that have endured and fed our families for centuries, their future can be safeguarded.
We hope that your visit to our site will provide you with helpful information to assist you in making the right poultry choices for your situation and influence your decision to embrace the wonderful Heritage Breeds and all they have to offer. We also hope it will be a place you return to again and again as an informative resource to find answers to many of your poultry issues.
In New Zealand, we have such a limited variety of these precious Old Fashioned breeds and with such strict government regulations to safeguard our borders from biological risk, it is impossible to import new stocks from overseas. Because of New Zealand's isolation, and the fact that several of the most devastating poultry diseases have never been found here, the importation of poultry is strictly regulated. It is therefore crucial to protect and preserve these Heritage Breeds we do have for future generations to benefit from and enjoy. By bringing back into our gardens and farm yards these reliable old breeds that have endured and fed our families for centuries, their future can be safeguarded.
We hope that your visit to our site will provide you with helpful information to assist you in making the right poultry choices for your situation and influence your decision to embrace the wonderful Heritage Breeds and all they have to offer. We also hope it will be a place you return to again and again as an informative resource to find answers to many of your poultry issues.