Heritage Chicken Breeds Worth Saving

A heritage breed is one that predates the industrial hybrid: it mates naturally, lives a long productive life, and grows at a natural rate. Dozens are now rarer than they have ever been, kept alive mostly by small flocks. The Livestock Conservancy tracks them on a ladder from Critical (fewer than a thousand birds, seven or fewer primary breeders) up through Threatened and Watch to Recovering.

These 49 breeds carry a conservation status. Some — Dominique, Buckeye, Delaware, Chantecler — are recognizable American breeds a hatchery can still supply; others are down to a handful of breeders. Choosing one of these for a backyard flock is the rare conservation act that costs nothing extra: the way you save a heritage chicken is by keeping and breeding it. They are also the birds behind our heritage-breed prints.