Introduction to Heritage Breeds

       Introduction to Heritage Breeds                                                                      

     By The Livestock Conservancy

An essential part of any successful breeding program is a working knowledge of basic breeding principles. While some breeding principles are specific to a given specie or breed, many can be applied to all species. The book was written by several members of the Livestock Conservancy staff including a DVM and includes information on all common types of livestock as well as sections on all types of poultry. Heritage breeds are the foundation of most of the modern breeds of livestock and poultry and in many cases are critically in danger of disappearing even though they may possess valuable qualities useful for family farms and backyard flocks today. In addition, their genetic material often has proven essential for those attempting to improve existing breeds of livestock and poultry or to create new breeds to address specific purposes or needs. Virtually all the existing breeds and varieties of poultry were developed through crosses with other breeds. I have no reason to believe that that process will not continue in the future.

In my experience, most people working with any type of livestock or poultry have at least a mild interest in other types. For those people, An introduction to Heritage Breeds will provide hours of informative and entertaining reading.

Lou Horton