Heritage Chicken Taste Chart
Black Minorca
The Minorca is a Mediterranean breed originated in Spain. They are one of the largest of the Mediterranean breeds, and are known to be great foragers and egg layers. Because of there large size they have historically been raised for their meat.
Minorcas are noted for being savory in flavor with a mineral qualities to both the light and dark meat, and a firm toothsome texture.
White Leghorn
The Leghorn is also a Mediterranean breed, tracing its history back to Tuscany, Italy. Leghorns are one of the smallest Mediterranean breeds, but are excellent egg layers. Noted for hardiness and vigor; Leghorns will produces more eggs with less food than any other breed.
Leghorn meat exhibits many qualities of its smaller more delicate size and can be described as bright with sweet and citrus notes and a clean finish.
Golden Penciled Hamburg
The Hamburg chicken is a very old breed of poultry. Althought they get their name from the German city, the breed is in fact of Dutch origin. The penciled variety came from Holland via Hamburg, Germany, but owe their present shape and many of their color characteristics to early English breeders. All six standard varieties were admitted to the American Standard of Perfection in 1874.
Hamburgs are known for being prolific egg layers, and were nicknamed the “Dutch Everyday Layer”. They meat is rich and deep in flavor, often compared to turkey with notes of clover and Irish butter.
Barred Rock
The Barred Rock, a variety of the Plymouth Rock (or simply “Rock”), originated in the United States and was admitted to the APA Standard in 1874. They possess a long, broad back, a moderately deep, full breast, and yellow skin. Developed in New England in the middle of the 19th century, the Barred Rock was first exhibited as a breed in 1869. This breed is considered a dual-purpose fowl, meaning that it is valued both for its meat and for the hens’ egg-laying ability. The breed gained popularity very rapidly due to its hardiness, docility, broodiness, and excellent production of both eggs and meat. In fact, until World War II, the Barred Rock was the most extensively kept and bred breed in the United States.