Ravenwood Acres

Ravenwood Acres is a small scale hobby farm dedicated to raising excellent quality heritage poultry for Canadian climates. We specialize in dual purpose breeds that are cold hardy and good winter layers, but we have a few fun breeds too! Not all our breeds are heritage breeds, but we feel it is important to help maintain and breed heritage chickens to help ensure the viability of the genetic resources for the long-term. Bringing such critical/threatened/watched breeds back into the marketplace is critical in this process. Definition of Heritage Chicken (taken from http://www.albc-usa.org/heritagechicken/) Heritage Chicken must adhere to all the following: 1. APA Standard Breed. Heritage Chicken must be from parent and grandparent stock of breeds recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA) prior to the mid-20th century; whose genetic line can be traced back multiple generations; and with traits that meet the APA Standard of Perfection guidelines for the breed. Heritage Chicken must be produced and sired by an APA Standard breed. Heritage eggs must be laid by an APA Standard breed. 2. Naturally mating. Heritage Chicken must be reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating. Chickens marketed as Heritage must be the result of naturally mating pairs of both grandparent and parent stock. 3. Long, productive outdoor lifespan. Heritage Chicken must have the genetic ability to live a long, vigorous life and thrive in the rigors of pasture-based, outdoor production systems. Breeding hens should be productive for 5-7 years and roosters for 3-5 years. 4. Slow growth rate. Heritage Chicken must have a moderate to slow rate of growth, reaching appropriate market weight for the breed in no less than 16 weeks. This gives the chicken time to develop strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass. - Heritage Chicken must be raised outdoors on pasture to qualify. Why? The natural exposure of chickens to elements and naturally occurring pathogens will ensure that these breeds will retain robust immune systems and healthy constitutions. Additionally, outdoor foraging tests their legs and bodies. If a bird can not walk, actively forage, and naturally mate, it needs to be culled (or removed from the breeding group). - All breeding stock must produce offspring through natural mating to be considered Heritage. Birds conceived through AI may not be labeled and marketed as Heritage, regardless of the purity of their bloodlines. Who polices the term Heritage'? Consumers ultimately assure the authenticity of the Heritage label. By knowing the meaning of the definition and knowing what they are buying, they can protect the meaning of Heritage and its value in the marketplace. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, the Standard Bred Poultry Institute, Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch, and others will continue to educate the public and advocate for the honest use of this term.