Heritage Livestock Breeds

• Cattle
• Donkeys
• Goats
• Horses
• Pigs
• Rabbits
• Sheep

Heritage Poultry Breeds

• Chickens
• Ducks
• Geese
• Turkeys

The Conservation Priority List (CPL)

How is it determined?
How does a breed get on the list? (parameters)

2019 CPL Updates

2018 CPL Updates
2017 CPL Updates
2016 CPL Updates

Download Livestock and Equines List (.pdf)

Download Poultry List (.pdf)

LIVESTOCK & EQUINE NOTES

Breeds unique to North America are printed in bold.

¹ Milking Shorthorns that qualify for the “Native (N)” designation, identifying them as pure, old line, dual purpose Milking Shorthorns, as verified by the AMSS office.

² Cattleman's Texas Longhorn Registry.

³ Each of these has an independent, stand-alone registry and conservation program. In addition, each has contributed to the Colonial Spanish breed.

⁴ Includes horses whose pedigrees are absent of outcrosses after 1930.

⁵ This includes several different registries, each with somewhat different goals (SMR, SSMA, SBBOA, AIHR, HOA). Under this umbrella some strains have independent conservation programs and those are noted individually.

⁶ Includes Brabant, the European ancestor of the American Belgian, with a distinct type. The Brabant is globally rare.

POULTRY NOTES

Breeds unique to North America are printed in bold.

¹ Breed identity in poultry breeds is challenging. Many breeders of all kinds (exhibition, production, hatchery) are diligent in breeding standard-bred birds. Other breeders in each category resort to crossbreeding to achieve their goals, and yet promote their birds as standard-bred. The Livestock Conservancy is unable to validate each breeding program, but buyers are encouraged to ask if birds offered for sale are pure-bred and meet breed standards.

² Varieties that are distinct but not APA recognized include Chocolate, Jersey Buff, Midget White, Lavender, and a host of other distinct color varieties. Does not include broad-breasted varieties, because they are not endangered.