The University of Alberta Poultry Research Centre (PRC) hatches a plan to save their heritage breeds.
In a biologically secure lab on the University of Alberta south campus live about 15,000 birds. They are a flock of heritage chickens; barred Plymouth Rock, New Hampshire, white leghorn, brown leg
horn and light Sussex. They live in pens on the floor and pretty much do what chickens do — roost, scratch, lay eggs. Their purpose is twofold — to provide a genetic bank and to allow researchers to compare productivity to modern chickens. It’s an important collection — all are listed as endangered or at risk.
Frank Robinson came to the University of Alberta from the University of Saskatchewan in 1986. “There had been an excellent poultry research program run by Drs Robblee and Clandinin until 1980, when they retired. They were nutritionists and productive researchers,” says Dr. Robinson, dean of students, vice provost and professor of poultry production and physiology.
“I reinvigorated the program they had started. The University of Saskatchewan Poultry Centre was facing budget cuts, so we were able to have some of their birds. There are lots of pretty chickens, but I wanted breeds that had contributed to Alberta’s poultry industry over the past 100 years. The base of our collection is those U of Saskatchewan birds. We’re tying to maintain what we have — we randomly choose roosters and hens for breeding to keep all the variability.
“I think of our antique birds as an insurance policy for the chicken industry,” says Dr. Robinson. “Consumers don’t realize the vulnerabilities in the food system. We have a very small genetic base in poultry; once that’s lost, it’s extinction. You want to save old cars? Get a quonset in Wetaskiwin and you’re all set. Old cars don’t need to be fed,” says Dr. Robinson.
Heritage breeds are the birds introduced to Canada over a hundred years ago. Modern poultry meat and egg breeds have been selectively cross-bred for certain attributes: fast growth, heavy slaughter weight or high egg production. But, we forget that old birds, what Dr. Robinson refers to as antique birds, carry traits that might be extremely useful, particularly if for some catastrophic reason we have to start breeding chickens all over again. Other forms of genetic preservation, cryogenics for example, are simply not as effective as live preservation. Think of these PRC chickens as living history.
But it all comes at a price — with budget cuts and dwindling funding the Poultry Research Centre had to come up with a way to make their project either more meaningful to funders, or to pay for itself.
“We are keeping birds for the purpose of genetic preservation,” says Dr. Martin Zuidhof, academic lead of PRC. “We believe it’s a noble cause, but it’s not directly related to deliverables to the poultry industry. If we can help others believe it’s a noble cause, genetic conservation pays for itself.”
Agnes Kulinski, the business director of the PRC, did a research study on possible scenarios to help these birds do just that. She hatched the idea to market the eggs.
Where will we be able to purchase these wonderful eggs?
one of the prettiest — North American chickens, first exhibited as an all-American breed in 1969. A dual purpose (egg and meat) breed, producing a brown egg.
The plan is still in its early stages with roll-out scheduled for late spring. “We’re looking at an adoption program — adopt a heritage bird, we’ll raise your chicken, you’ll receive eggs — we’re working out the details,” says Agnes. “We expect the fee to be in the $100-$150 range per year. We’re also working on a national strategy for preserving the birds.”
That would work out to about $3 per week. Not bad for pristine heritage eggs and an investment in a noble cause.
“Maybe we can market those eggs instead of just having inefficient old chickens,” says Dr. Robinson.
What’s his favourite chicken? “Light Sussex. They are not really very good for anything. They are a big bird and they lay small eggs. I had 25 of them when I was a kid delivering eggs to every old lady around the neighbourhood.” For more information on the heritage chicken program, email uofaheritagechicken@gmail.com
Mary Bailey is editor of The Tomato.