Heritage Chickens
Crumbs from a Poor Man’s Table, Joseph Clark, 1868
Chickens have been an integral part of the culture of the Eastern Shore for centuries. From scrambled eggs to
church barbecues, American families have depended on chickens for eggs and meat as far back as the
seventeenth century. But as populations and markets grew after World War II, a greater demand for food
prompted the development of breeds intended to maximize the production of meat and eggs and minimize land
use. Many heritage breeds are nearing extinction, but a current resurgence of interest in heritage fowl (including
turkeys) may allow these older farm breeds to enjoy a revival.
In an effort to secure the term heritage in the agricultural marketplaces, the American Livestock Breeds
Conservancy (ALBC) has defined heritage chickens as standard breeds that are naturally mating, long-lived,
and slow growing. They must reproduce without the assistance of artificial insemination. Hens should actively
reproduce for 5-7 years and roosters for 3-5 years - unheard of in commercial production, where hens and
roosters are used for breeding for a single generation before being dispatched. Finally, heritage chickens take
16-18 weeks to mature, compared to 6 weeks for industrial breeds. The ALBC seeks to raise awareness for
endangered breeds, to support their long-term conservation, to support efforts to recover these breeds to historic
levels of productivity and to re-introduce these culinary and cultural treasures into the marketplace.
Heritage chickens come from long lines of historically useful and productive birds. As late as the mid-1950s,
chickens like the Barred Plymouth Rock, the Jersey Giant and the Buckeye were found in butcher shops and on
dinner tables. Diversity in poultry breeds is critical for the long-term survival of the species. “We put our
domestic food system at risk if we put all our eggs in one basket (no pun intended),” says Marjorie Bender,
Technical Program Director for the ALBC. “If our food system only relies on a single industrialized breed and
something happens to that breed, we need the diverse genetics of other breeds to fall back on.”
Heritage Breeds
Reflecting their diversity, most heritage breeds are named after the geographic area in which they were first
developed. Three examples of heritage chicken breeds are the Rhode Island Red (nonindustrial strains), the
Plymouth Rock, and the Wyandotte.
Rhode Island Red Hen
Plymouth Rock Rooster
Wyandotte Hen
The Rhode Island Red was originally bred in Adamsville, a village of Little Compton, Rhode Island. The breed
was developed by crossing Red Malay Game, Leghorn and Asiatic stock. There are single comb and rose comb
varieties, and whichever of the two came first remains a subject of great debate. The breed was developed in
response to demand for a chicken that could be used for both eggs and meat. The commercial industry took
particular interest in the Rhode Island Red, and industrial strains have since been developed. Their demeanors
are typically described as stubborn, but they have been known to be very affectionate, making good pets.
The Plymouth Rock chicken has an undetermined history, but it was probably developed in the nineteenth
century in the United States. There are conflicting theories about who created the first Plymouth Rocks, which
breeds were used in their creation, and what year the breed was presented. Through World War II, this breed
was the most common farm chicken in the United States. They are a favorite among fanciers and Plymouth
Rock types may be barred, buff, white, partridge, silver penciled, Columbian, blue, and black. The chicken can
be rose or single comb and are usually medium to large sized birds. They are docile, tame, and active, laying
light brown eggs year round.
The Wyandotte breed was first presented in the 1870s with the Silver Laced Wyandotte. Most of the types
originated in New York, with the exception of the Golden Laced from Wisconsin. These birds are medium sized
with rose comb and clean eggs. Eight colors (along with mixed variations) are recognized: golden laced, silver
laced, white, black, buff, Columbian, partridge, and silver penciled. The breed is known to be docile, friendly,
and vocal.
The Red Jungle Fowl
The red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) is a tropical member of the pheasant family. It is thought to be ancestral to
the domestic chicken, with some hybridization with the grey jungle fowl. The red jungle fowl was first
domesticated several thousand years ago in Asia, and the domestic form is kept globally as a very productive
food source of both meat and eggs. The range of the wild form stretches from Tamil Nadu, South India,
eastwards across southern China and into Malaysia, The Philippines and Indonesia. Purebred red jungle fowl
are thought to be facing a serious threat of extinction because of hybridization at the edge of forests where
domesticated free ranging chickens are common.
Lady Eglantine
White Leghorn Hen
White Leghorn Hen Courtesy of Los Angeles Times
Originating from Italy, the White Leghorn is named after an Anglicization of the Italian city of Livorno.
(Seasoned pros pronounce it “leggern.”) The chickens produce clean, white eggs, and can produce an average of
almost three hundred eggs per year. Consequently, the breed has been used more than any other breed by the
commercial egg industry.
One important White Leghorn is Lady Eglantine, once an Eastern Shore celebrity who broke the world record
for egg-laying prior to 1915. She laid 287 eggs in three hundred and thirty days at the Delaware College
Agricultural Experiment Station. This brought Lady Eglantine wide recognition and her eggs were highly
prized, selling at ten dollars each.
Lady Eglantine’s taxidermy mount is currently on display at the Museum of Rural Life in Denton, Maryland.
Poultry Shows and Fairs
Poultry shows and fairs are designed to allow poultry enthusiasts to engage with other members of the
community, educate breeders and public, present new ideas and products, and interest young future breeders in
taking up poultry.
The Role of Chicken in Local Food Traditions
Poultry consumption in the U.S. has increased from the 1900s, when chicken was eaten only on Sundays to
making poultry an everyday item today. On the Eastern Shore, chicken is a staple of church suppers and
everyday tables, as Delmarva is the home of three large and several smaller companies that employ more than
100,000 workers.
The Delmarva Chicken Festival is an annual event sponsored by Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc started in 1948
with the purpose of publicizing the Delmarva Peninsula with an emphasis on its major agricultural enterprise.
The two-day event, hosted in various locations on Delmarva, features trade shows, arts and crafts, a carnival,
entertainment, and, of course, food. Nearly three tons of chicken are cooked each year in the world's largest
frying pan, which made its debut at the second festival in 1950. The first and original pan was used and made
by the Mumford Sheet Metal Company in Selbyville, Delaware. It was ten feet in diameter and had an eight
foot handle, weighed 650 pounds and could hold 800 chicken quarters.
In an initiative by the Delmarva Folklife Project, entitled “From Bridge to Boardwalk: An Audio Journey
Across Maryland’s Eastern Shore,” the authors note, “Recently diners have been drawn to Easton, St. Michaels,
Chestertown, Cambridge and Oxford in search of dishes prepared by trained chefs. But that doesn’t mean the
end is near for down home Eastern Shore cooking. Any traveler on Route 50 has noticed the roadside chicken
barbecues run by fire companies, church groups, and schools. Set up on weekends to tempt the beach-bound
tourist, they serve as both fundraisers and social gatherings.”
Free Range and Backyard Chicken Farming
More than 50 billion chickens are reared annually for both meat and eggs. The vast majority of poultry are
raised using intensive farming techniques, with large numbers of animals on limitd land, requiring large
amounts of food water, and medicine to keep the animals healthy in cramped conditions. An alternative is free
range farming, which allows animals to roam outdoors. Many smaller-scale farmers raise chickens with almost
total outdoor freedom, but the USDA requirements for access to the outdoors are not clearly defined for
chickens labeled as “free range.”
Chickens in battery cages
Opponents of intensive farming argue that it harms the environment, creates human health risks and is
inhumane. Advocates of intensive farming say that their highly efficient systems save land and food resources
due to increased productivity, stating that the animals are looked after in state-of-the-art, environmentally
controlled facilities.
Renae Schilling of Dover, Delaware with one of her backyard chickens
Due in part to the conditions on intensive poultry farms and recent recalls of large quantities of eggs, there is a
growing movement for free-range farms and for families to keep small-scale flocks or “backyard chickens.”
This involves keeping small numbers of hens (usually no more than a dozen), in suburban or urban residential
areas to control bugs, utilize chicken waste as fertilizer in small gardens, and of course for the high-quality eggs
and meat that are produced. Certain breeds, including bantam varieties, are generally docile and are
recommended as good pets for children, who find their behavior and care entertaining and educational.