What do Princess LayA, Blade Egger, Julia Ceasar and Henakin Skywalker have in common? They are some of the highly original names given to the very special chickens of the Heritage Chicken Program (HCP) at the U of A!
What is a heritage chicken for hen’s sake?
Well, it’s best to go back a bit in history to fully explain not only what a heritage chicken is but how a flock of them ended up at the U of A.
In 1986, the Rare Poultry Conservancy Program began at the university, involving six breeds of chickens that played a part in the evolution of the poultry industry. These breeds include the Barred Plymouth Rock, Brown Leghorn, White Leghorn, New Hampshire, Light Sussex and the Rhode Island Red.
These rare breed and random bred strains were partly obtained from Agriculture Canada Research Station in Ontario, Dr. Crawford’s experimental flocks at the University of Saskatchewan and two lines from Don Shaver strains that have 50 generations of pedigree breeding.
Why would the university house and conserve these genetic lines and rare breeds?
These birds are like living museums. They remind us of the roots of farming and we can take stock of where we have come from and through their preservation, create a much more diverse poultry population. There has been serious loss of heritage genetics throughout Canada and the US and over 60% of chicken breeds are either extinct or in critical or endangered condition.
However, although the U of A is one of the only institutions in the world where these important lines can be found, the care and housing of the rare birds was creating a financial strain and a solution needed to be found.
Along came Agnes Kulinski, then business manager of the Poultry Research Centre (PRC), who hatched the brilliant idea of engaging public support for the rare bird program. Supporters would play a crucial role in genetic preservation and at the same time gain insight into the life cycle of a chicken, biosecurity, welfare practices, food safety and farm standards.
The Heritage Chicken Program was launched in 2013 and has been wildly successful, growing from 175 supporters to the current 500.
How does one go about adopting a heritage chicken?
Supporters register and pay $150 that goes directly towards the feeding, housing and maintenance of all the birds. In return, they receive one dozen eggs every two weeks from the heritage hens over a period of nine months as well as informative newsletters with pictures, egg recipes, fun facts and reports on the birds themselves as they progress from chicks to fully formed adults.
They also have the opportunity to create an original name for their heritage chicken that appears on their official adoption certificate.
Eggscellent Names
Foghorn Leghorn continues to pop up as a favourite as well as Henrietta, Daisy, Lola and Susie. Clever word-plays on celebrities include Amelia Eggheart, Margaret Hatcher, Yolko Ono, Sarah McClucklin, Audrey Henburn and Cluckleberry Finn. Brilliant young minds have also devised the monikers Buckeye, Clucky, Chickie Doodle, Egg-O, Scramble, Ruby Sassypants and the ever popular Henny Penny!
Registrations have closed for the 2019 Heritage Chicken Program but people can sign up for the 2020 notification list by visiting the Heritage Chicken website. Browse the site to learn more about the program and the birds, the chick adoption program and much more.Heritage Chicken website. Browse the site to learn more about the program and the birds, the chick adoption program and much more.
The HCP is a partnership between the U of A and the PRC, Egg Farmers of Alberta, Peavey Mart and the public. For more information, contact the HCP at heritagechickens@ualberta.ca.heritagechickens@ualberta.ca.
Dawn Hage — Heritage Chicken Program Coordinator 2018/19 and Animal Technician, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences
Dawn Hage, MMus, TESOL, worked as a professional trumpet player and teacher for over a decade until moving to SS Island in 1993. On SS she raised three kids, directed the community band and wrote for the local paper all while raising 4H heritage chickens in her backyard! She returned to Edmonton in 2017 and found the perfect roost as Heritage Chicken Program Coordinator, a job she loves!
All images courtesy of Dawn Hage and the Heritage Chicken Program.