For over a century, McMurray Hachery has remained dedicated to preserving rare and exotic poultry breeds. Today we carry over 120 breeds of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, guineas, peafowl, pheasants and other rare and exotic birds.
As part of our dedication to the preservation of these breeds, we are excited to announce that this year we are donating 10% of the proceeds from sales on all Heritage Breed day-old baby chicks for the week of May 19th to the Livestock Conservancy as part of International Heritage Breeds Week (May 19-25, 2019).
What are Heritage Breeds? According to the Livestock Conservancy, heritage breeds are traditional breeds that were raised before industrial agriculture became a mainstream practice. These breeds were carefully selected and bred over time to develop traits that made them well-adapted to local environments and they thrived under farming practices and cultural conditions that are very different from those found in modern agriculture.
The Livestock Conservancy has been working to protect genetic diversity in poultry through conservation and promotion of endangered breeds since the mid 1970s. According to their mission, “these rare breeds represent a unique piece of the earth’s bio-diversity and the loss of these breeds would impoverish agriculture and diminish the human spirit. We have inherited a rich variety of breeds. For the sake of future generations, we must work together to safeguard these treasures.”
The Livestock Conservancy currently lists over three dozen poultry breeds that are in danger of extinction. These breeds are divided into five categories — Critical, Threatened, Watch, Recovering and Study — based on the registered numbers of the breed today. Many of the breeds we carry at McMurray Hatchery are listed in the top four of the five categories.
Help us support their efforts by ordering standard size Heritage Breed day-old baby chicks for the week of May 19th, 2019. Below is a list of the Heritage Breeds available from McMurray Hatchery, organized by priority list category. If you have questions about a breed, or need help placing an order, call our offices at 800-456-3280.
ALBC Priority: Critical
Breeds listed as ‘critical, have fewer than 200 annual registrations in the United States and an estimated global population less than 2,000. Note this is not a complete list of the breeds in this priority level, rather it’s a list of breeds that we carry that are listed in this level. Learn more at LivestockConservancy.org.
ALBC Priority: Threatened
Breeds listed as ‘threatened’ have fewer than 1,000 annual registrations in the United States and estimated global population less than 5,000. Note this is not a complete list of the breeds in this priority level, rather it’s a list of breeds that we carry that are listed in this level. Learn more at LivestockConservancy.org
ALBC Priority: Watch
Breeds listed as ‘watch’ have fewer than 2,500 annual registrations in the United States and estimated global population less than 10,000. Also included are breeds that present genetic or numerical concerns or have a limited geographic distribution. Note this is not a complete list of the breeds in this priority level, rather it’s a list of breeds that we carry that are listed in this level. Learn more at LivestockConservancy.org
ALBC Priority: Recovering
Breeds listed as ‘recovering’ were once listed in another category, and have exceeded ‘watch’ category numbers, but are still in need of monitoring. Note this is not a complete list of the breeds in this priority level, rather it’s a list of breeds that we carry that are listed in this level. Learn more at LivestockConservancy.org
