His Poultry Are Certified Standard-Bred

His Poultry Are Certified Standard-Bred LIVESTOCK Poultry Frank Reese can guarantee customers that his heritage turkeys and chickens are what he claims That’s because his birds are certified by the American Poultry Association which means breed judges have visited his farm and examined the birds to ensure they meet the longtime standards of the breed It isn’t cheap but it’s worth it to Reese “For many years I was the only USDA-certified standard-bred poultry producer in the country ” says Reese a breeder and marketer of multiple turkey and poultry breeds “Every package of chicken or turkey I sell is labeled USDA certified standard-bred ” Breeding flock certification was once commonplace but for around 50 years the APA stopped offering the service due to declining interest In 2015 it was reintroduced with Reese a major advocate He maintains that while there are lots of people breeding heritage poultry most are breeding for poultry shows not meat or egg production In some cases they may be far different from old breed standards Reese puts the responsibility for the change on poultry breeders and their customers alike While he would like other breeders to invest in certification base fee of $300 for a flock of 100 or less plus a dollar a bird for each bird over 100 if the buyers of their birds don’t ask for it breeders have little reason to spend the money Reese advises people considering buying heritage breeds of poultry to ask for certification and more “Ask what your expectation for the birds should be ” says Reese “People who raise cattle or hogs know to ask about birth weight finishing weight etc When it comes to poultry most people don’t ask ” If planning to raise birds for the meat market he suggests asking about feed conversion rate growth rate time to reach market size live weight and finished weight If buying for a layer or breeding flock he advises asking how many eggs they can be expected to lay their fertility rate and their hatching success The difference between a certified standard-bred heritage turkey or chicken and non-certified heritage birds can be night and day One of the breeds Reese raises is the Plymouth Barred Rock the number one meat bird in North America from 1870 to 1940 While increasingly popular today if from a non-certified flock birds may not be what a breeder or hatchery claims “I’ve been asked by people who say they raise them to look at their flock ” says Reese “I’ve walked into a field full of birds and had to tell them there isn’t a true Barred Rock on the farm ” Reese notes that maintaining a breeding flock is expensive Certification is an added expense Those buying from hatcheries have only one option as far as Reese knows “Murray McMurray Hatchery has made the investment needed ” he says “If buyers respond perhaps other hatcheries will make the investment too ” A Murray McMurray Hatchery spokesperson confirmed they have five breeds that are certified with the APA looking at more of their flocks this spring Reese is working with Jed Greenberg and others to expand awareness of certification They founded the Good Shepherd Conservancy GSC named for Reese’s farm Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch The goal of the organization is to encourage the successful breeding production and marketing of heritage standard-bred poultry breeds Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Frank R Reese Jr 730 Smoky Valley Rd Lindsborg Kan 67456 ph 785-227-3972; turkeys@lrmutual com; www goodshepherdconservancy org ; or Murray McMurray Hatchery ph 800-456-3280; www McMurrayHatchery com

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