5 reasons you should give a cluck about the Heritage Chickens program

Outcomes from the Heritage Chickens program at South Campus are scientifically significant, charitable and even tasty.

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Ever thought about adopting a chicken? What if you could, without needing a coop or chicken feed? The University of Alberta’s Adopt-a-Chicken program allows you to sponsor a heritage chicken while supporting poultry research, and all you have to do is pick up your eggs during the program schedule. Here are five reasons why this program is everything it's cracked up to be.

1. Some of these chicks can’t be found anywhere else.

Established in 1986, the Heritage Chickens program is dedicated to the conservation of rare genetic lines through the care and housing of heritage birds and the hatching of chicks, specifically six heritage breeds of chickens that significantly contributed to the evolution of the poultry industry: Barred Plymouth Rock, Brown Leghorn, White Leghorn, New Hampshire, Light Sussex, and Rhode Island Red. The program covers the costs of maintaining around 1,500 free-run heritage birds housed at South Campus. Many of the lines exist solely within our program and have remained largely unchanged for generations.

These unique chickens have some unique names, too, thanks to Adopt-a-Chicken supporters who creatively name their chickens – backed by an adoption certificate.

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2. The program has a scientific impact.

The importance of these heritage chickens lie in their significant genetic diversity, which stands in contrast to the uniformity of modern poultry flocks.These chickens do not look or behave like modern chicken lines, with genetic and physiological differences dating back several decades. This diversity makes them a valuable research asset and acts as an insurance policy for the poultry industry, especially in the face of climate change and emerging poultry diseases. Adaptability is key to success in every species, and genetic diversity provides that crucial adaptability.

3. You learn not just about chickens, but about food production.

The Adopt-a-Chicken program is not just about preserving heritage breeds and genetic diversity. Hundreds of subscribers enjoy picking up their eggs every other week. Unlike buying eggs at the grocery store, sponsoring a chicken with us means learning where your eggs come from.

The program also serves as a forum, with supporters receiving a bi-weekly newsletter about chicken life, the origins of your food, recipes and other relevant updates. This helps bridge the gap some urban residents feel towards animal production. We also showcase poultry educational displays, offer chicken coloring pages and stickers for kids, and host an annual Small Flock course to raise awareness about poultry production. The program's popularity is driven by the public's desire to know where their food comes from and support meaningful initiatives.

4. Unlike purchases from the grocery store, no two cartons look the same.

Not only are the chickens raised free run, but each carton of eggs is unique, with eggs varying in size, shape, and color, reflecting the genetic background of the rare chickens. Professor emeritus Frank Robinson calls these chickens ‘living museums,’ and program coordinator, Josue Romao, describes egg pickup as taking home a piece of history.

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Supporters really feel connected to the program, and it shows in the joy they display when taking their eggs home. Romao shares he’s glad to be part of “something that brings joy to people,” and that participants come to egg pick-up in a great mood. He describes that many immediately open their egg cartons to admire the eggs. Some share their delight, saying things like, “they look so beautiful,” or “I love these eggs.”

Pets are welcome at egg pick-up, too. There are always treats available for them!

5. The Heritage Chickens program looks after more than just its brood.

The Heritage Chicken program is also proud to help students facing food insecurity. Some chicken sponsors donate part of their egg subscription, or when the hens lay eggs exceeding the program’s demand, they are brought to the Agriculture Forestry Building on North Campus to hand out to students in need. In 2024, the program donated over 500 dozen eggs!

Supporters also help by reusing and returning clean egg cartons. Food banks require cartons to distribute egg donations, but when they don’t have them, they need to buy them at a high cost. Last year, with the help of supporters, the program donated over 3,000 egg cartons.

Get cracking

This program is over ten years old and continues to support the needs of the community and poultry industry. Get involved by adopting a chicken to receive fresh eggs throughout the season before they’re all spoken for! Visit the website for more details.

About the Heritage Chicken program

The Adopt-a-Chicken program (est. 2013) is housed in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences's Poultry Research Centre (PRC) to help fund the Heritage Chicken program, which conserves rare genetic lines through the care and housing of heritage birds. The initiative's foundations trace back to 1986 with the university’s Rare Poultry Conservancy program. Thank you to staff and faculty, as well as participants and industry partners, Peavey Mart and Egg Farmers of Alberta, for making this initiative possible.