2021 POULTRY CENSUS
The 2021 Poultry Census, sponsored by Murray McMurray Hatchery, is a critically important project focused on breeding populations of domestic poultry (purebred breeds or landraces), including chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys. The census will enable The Livestock Conservancy to understand how poultry populations are faring in North America and guide future conservation efforts.
Many heritage breed poultry are historically significant and represent irreplaceable genetics that may be essential to the future of agriculture. Rare and traditional poultry breeds are an important option for small farms, possessing traits such as foraging, maternal ability, disease resistance, and heat- or cold-tolerance that are beneficial to small farmers and backyard hobbyists. Even as backyard poultry keeping becomes more popular, many of the less common or more challenging breeds are in real danger of extinction.
We invite you to complete the census. The greater your participation, the more precise the picture of poultry populations in North America. Your responses will remain anonymous, but you may opt to share your contact information with The Livestock Conservancy. This will help identify breeders who hold flocks of high conservation value, which are important to the long-term genetic diversity of endangered poultry breeds. A detailed summary of census results will be shared with you following analysis of collected data.
To participate in the 2021 Poultry Census, please fill out the survey online at http://bit.ly/2021PoultryCensus.
“Murray McMurray Hatchery is proud to support The Livestock Conservancy and sponsor the 2021 Poultry Census. For 104 years, we have remained dedicated to preserving rare and exotic poultry breeds and the poultry census is a critical component of that mission. The Crevecoeur is just one example of how the census can help identify a breed that is critically endangered. After much awareness, collaboration and effort, Crevecoeur lines across the U.S. are strengthening and increasing in numbers. While we are thrilled with the progress of that project, there is more work to be done and many more breeds in need of preservation. We urge others to support the Conservancy’s vital programs like the poultry census, which help to identify Heritage breeds in need of protection.” — Thomas Watkins, President, Murray McMurray Hatchery