Choose Heritage 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. Before the industrialisation of food production, these hardy, long-lived breeds were traditionally raised by farmers until being sidelined by the introduction of intensive factory farmed, rapid growing commercial hybrids, and many of our heirloom breeds are in danger of extinction.
Don't be tempted into buying commercial hybrid Shavers, Hylines or battery rescues. Their egg laying life is limited and they generally have short life spans and many detrimental health issues.
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, Australorp (Australian Orpington), 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.
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, genetic dead ends or past their best. Many backyard breeders are breeding from poor quality birds in appalling conditions 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, susceptible to illness, or are not up to expectations in some other way.
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. 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.
Below are some of the breeds we keep for our pleasure, as an example of some of the many beautiful Heritage breeds available in New Zealand, however we are no longer breeding poultry for sale.
Don't be tempted into buying commercial hybrid Shavers, Hylines or battery rescues. Their egg laying life is limited and they generally have short life spans and many detrimental health issues.
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, Australorp (Australian Orpington), 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.
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, genetic dead ends or past their best. Many backyard breeders are breeding from poor quality birds in appalling conditions 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, susceptible to illness, or are not up to expectations in some other way.
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. 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.
Below are some of the breeds we keep for our pleasure, as an example of some of the many beautiful Heritage breeds available in New Zealand, however we are no longer breeding poultry for sale.