These three critically endangered North American chicken breeds are at risk of extinction in the United States and beyond .
TheUnited Nations Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO)estimates that we fall back approximately two domestic brute strain to extinction every single week , with more than 300 strain of poultry , cattle , donkey , goats , knight , hog , rabbit , and sheep disappear in the preceding 15 age .
To help conserve go away breeds , theLivestock Conservancycompiles an annualConservation Priority List , yell attending to the stock facing the theory of experimental extinction in the United States . The argument by which stock are value vary according to the coinage . Thefive chief classificationsare the following .
The chicken breeds currently listed are further divided into three groups : North American breed , breeds imported before 1900 and breed imported after 1900 . Of the breed developed in North America , three chickens are classified as Critical , with fewer than 500 birds remaining in the U.S. and less than 1,000 total in the world . Here are the three breeds .
1. Cubalaya
Developed in Cuba in the 1800s , theCubalayaoriginates from grumpy - breeding Malay and Sumatra chickens with European gamefowl . The ensue fowl was triple purpose : meat , egg and sport .
The Cubalaya is known for its “ lobster tail”—its plentiful tail plume angle downward with an elegant drape . Another remarkable feature film is that the Cubalaya does not develop acantha , quite a positive for both volaille possessor and the stock ’s mickle mates .
Despite its pea comb , the Cubalaya is not inhuman hardy but rather thrives in warm climates . It scrounge actively and is best beseem for costless - run flocks raised on acres of grass .
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The Cubalaya is slow to grow : it reaches adulthood at about 3 years old , although it can reproduce at 6 months of eld . Hens lay close to 150 rounded eggs per yr . Cubalaya skirt are very friendly and will eat from their humans ’ deal from Day one .
They are also curious and fearless , and do not comprehend the danger predatory animal put until instruct by older shuttlecock .
Cubalayas amount in many color varieties , but only three — White , Black and Black - Breasted Red — are recognise by theAmerican Poultry Association ( APA ) . The Black Cubalaya is extinct in the U.S. and found only in Cuba .
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Wheaten Cubalayas , though not officially spot , are very democratic because of their cinnamon people of color and tamed disposition toward humans . They do not get along with other chicken breeds , which seem draw to attacking the Cubalaya ’s ornamental after part . While raised for meat and eggs in Cuba , in the U.S. , the Cubalaya is mainly raised as a show bird or pet .
2. Holland
Despite its name , the Holland chicken was make grow at theRutgers Breeding Farmsin New Jersey . In the thirties , the great unwashed wantedwhite eggs — believed back then to have a ok , more delicate sapidity than brown eggs — but America ’s small farm preferred to grow dual - purpose birds , which typically lay brown eggs . Adobe Stock / Bastiaanimage strain
To satisfy this need , the agricultural scientist at Rutgersdecided to develop a heavyweight , well - fleshed bird that develop bloodless eggs . The base bird used for this undertaking originated in the Netherlands and , after much thwartwise - breeding with White Leghorns , Lamonas , Rhode Island Reds and New Hampshires , the White Holland came to be .
This motley — now sadly extinct — was before long come by the Barred Holland , developed by cross - spawn White Leghorn , Brown Leghorn , Australorp and Barred Plymouth Rock volaille breed . The Holland was recognized by the APAin 1949 .
An illustration of the ideal Black Java rooster in the American Standard of Perfection circa. 1905 Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
TheHolland is the perfect birdfor backyard pot owner . It is cheerful , calm and friendly , and enjoys interact with humans . Like the Orpington , it is cold - hardy but may suffer frostbite on its single coxcomb in extreme weather .
The Holland is low - maintenance , quiet and forage well . Holland hens lie approximately 220 orchis each year ; they also tend to go broody . By raising Holland chickens , flock owner help preserve what is turn over to be America ’s rarest chicken .
3. Java
Like the Holland , the Java chicken got its name from its base rearing stock , believed to have originate near Java in Indonesia .
The Java is America ’s secondly - former chicken stock , developed around or before 1835.The Java was brought to England from America in 1885 , an important fact because some poultry breeders mistakenly claim their doll ’ lineage come straight from the island of Java via England , not knowing ( or intentionally discount ) that the breed originated in the U.S.
This breed attend as a basis bird itself , playing a of the essence office in the maturation of the Jersey Giant , Plymouth Rock and Rhode Island Red . An illustration of the ideal Black Java rooster in the American Standard of Perfection circa . 1905 Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
The Java is an active forager and is best suit for a free - ranging flock , although it stick out lying-in . Java hens go broody and are excellent mother , but the chicks incline to be irritable before settling into the unagitated , friendly temperament for which the strain is known .
Java hens are quite stale - brave and lay well into wintertime . They produce about 180 egg per year and go forward output for years .
Java cock are likewise cold - hardy hardy but their unmarried comb need to be protected from frostbite . Javas run to flock tightly together , but they also get along well with other stock . They come in four color miscellany : the Black and Mottled are recognise by the APA , while the White and Auburn are not . The latter two are being bred by conservation sodbuster hop to get these salmagundi recognized and out of danger of going extinct .
Preserving Critically Endangered Chicken Breeds: Final Thoughts
preserve critically endangered crybaby breeds like the Cubalaya , Holland , and Java is more than a nod to poultry history — it ’s an indispensable footstep in protecting genetic diverseness and building resilient , sustainable flocks for the future . Each of these rarefied stock proffer unique trait , from disposition to foraging power , that make them worthful additions to backyard coops and preservation efforts likewise . By choose to raise and back these inheritance snort , small - scale Farmer and domestic fowl keepers play a lively character in keeping these irreplaceable breeds from disappearing forever .
