Humans have been eating eggs for thousands of years. There is archaeological evidence dating back to the Neolithic Age; and records from China and Egypt show that domesticated fowl were laying eggs for human consumption around 1400 B.C.
Until the middle of the 20th Century, most eggs came from local farms, specializing in just one or two breeds. Today, most Americans eat eggs from just a few highly specialized breeds.
Heirloom chicken breeds are those raised by farmers before the rise of industrialized agriculture. They were bred to be well-suited to local environmental conditions.
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In addition to laying eggs with different colored shells, many of these heirloom eggs had rich, distinctive flavors.
Heirloom breeds are an important genetic resource
When heirloom breeds become extinct, their unique genes are lost forever. They can't be used to maintain desirable traits in current breeds like longevity, tolerance to extreme temperatures, ability to forage, predator avoidance and flavor. Farmers preserve valuable genetic diversity by raising heirloom chickens, which are well suited for cage-free environments without antibiotics.
Heirloom breeds also provide a strong link to our agricultural past. Raised by our predecessors, these breeds are irreplaceable pieces of human history. Preserving them is an important part of maintaining our agricultural tradition.
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