Mystery shrouds the origins of the Cayuga duck. Among the many legends, one claims the breed came from a pair of wild ducks in New York. Another claims the Cayuga derives from the ancient Black duck of Lancashire in the United Kingdom. Whatever the case, the duck gets its name from a Native American tribe […]
Raising chickens for meat involves first deciding which to choose: Cornish broilers or a heritage breed. The fundamental difference is the amount of time needed to grow them from hatch to harvest. The quicker they grow to the target weight of about six pounds, the cheaper they are to raise and the more tender the […]
The Royal Palm is a lightweight turkey with stunning white plumage trimmed in black. Turkeys with a similar color pattern have been raised in Europe since the 1700s, known there variously as black-laced white, pied, or Crollwitzer. The first turkeys in the United States with the palm color pattern appeared in the 1920s in […]
In comparison to other poultry species, little is known about how turkeys were originally domesticated. What is known is that wild turkeys are indigenous to the Americas and were kept by Native Americans centuries before the arrival of Europeans. Various tribes ate turkey eggs, as well as enjoying turkey meat, both cooked fresh and dried […]
A picture-perfect Pilgrim-era turkey, the Narragansett was developed by early settlers as a cross between Norfolk Black turkeys brought from Europe and local wild turkeys. Having its origins in Rhode Island, the turkey was named after the state’s Narragansett Bay. It was once a common feature in farmyards, but eventually lost favor to more cost-effective […]
The heritage Chantecler chicken is a dual-purpose breed suitable for the backyard production of both meat and eggs. It is the only breed of chicken originating in Canada, developed to withstand the rigors of bitter cold winters. The Chantecler hen has a gentle temperament, lays brown-shell eggs, and tends toward broodiness as she […]
International Heritage Breeds Week is celebrated each year during the third week in May. So what exactly are heritage poultry breeds? According to The Livestock Conservancy, heritage chicken and turkey breeds share the following characteristics: They can reproduce through natural mating. They have the genetic ability to live long and vigorous lives. They […]
Chicken keepers who overlook the importance of the rooster-to-hen ratio may wonder why their flocks experience problems. Too many roosters lead to fighting, stressed and over-mated hens, lower egg production, and poor fertility. Surprisingly, too few roosters create some of the same issues. Let’s look at why getting this balance right matters so much. The […]