Old breeds and seeds are definitely niche markets for small farmers. How can you help?

The problem started when industrial agricultural adopted the confinement system of livestock production and the Super-Dooper XYZ-3000 All White chicken came into being. The dual-purpose heavy breeds of brown egg layers, and white eggs, too, for that matter, were kept alive by those showing chickens and a few diehard farmers.

Few, if any, production records are kept on these birds anymore, and it is hard to get a good production strain of these chickens.

Every person who raises chickens can help. Keep some production records: How many eggs did your hens lay?; Weigh eggs and get a weight per dozen; What was your hatch rate?; What is your mortality rate (how many died)?; Was it from disease or predators?; Weigh some of your birds before you feed them; What was the rate of gain?; How long to reach butchering size?; If you have more than one breed, separate them and compare which does better.

Even for your own consumption you want high quality production stock. Unless you do some of these things, how will you know?

In years past, the Demings champion strain of single-comb Rhode Island Reds won the Connecticut Ag College egg-laying contest with a hen called Lady Storrs, who laid 227 eggs in one year. The average production for the contest was 186 eggs per year. Which hen’s breeding would you want?

This was in 1913, at the same time HillTop Poultry Yards in Vermont was selling 15 rosecomb Rhode Island Red eggs for $5.

Dr. R.E. Wase was using single-comb Rhode Island Reds in North Carolina, and getting $15-$25 for good hens and $5-$10 a dozen for setting eggs.

The same type of thinking works for heirloom seeds. Yes, the flavor is better, but how about production? With seed potatoes, I have gotten from 5-11 lbs. per pound of seed planted. What plants are more disease resistant? Different varieties might do better on your farm.

In the open-pollinated corn days, show corn could bring as much as $100 per ear.

Purebred breeding stock is a niche market for small farms. Cull vigorosly and sell the best quality. Get a reputation for productive economic traits, and your small farm will prosper.