Meyer Hatchery Sponsors The Livestock Conservancy

As the premier poultry hatchery of the United States, Meyer Hatchery is proud to be a 2021 Partner Sponsor of the Livestock Conservancy.

What Is The Livestock Conservancy?

The Livestock Conservancy is an organization whose mission is “to protect endangered livestock and poultry breeds from extinction”. Their focus is to keep our country’s heritage and history intact by preserving those livestock breeds that were important for the small family farms during the development of the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Modern agricultural practices favor “improved” livestock breeds that can grow bigger and faster, produce more milk, more wool, and more meat for the world’s population. The Livestock Conservancy works to preserve those heritage breeds that have fallen out of favor because of the development of the higher-producing breeds or hybrids. The Conservancy works closely with small family farms and breeders to maintain a database of breeders who keep and raise those heritage breeds. 

Why Sponsor The Livestock Conservancy?

Like the Livestock Conservancy, Meyer Hatchery also believes that it is important to preserve and protect those breeds that were iconic in American history. Because we supply a large number of chicks and other poultry to the entire country each year, we realize that, over time, a heritage breed may change due to selective breeding. The majority of our customers want a higher rate-of-lay or a faster growth rate in their chickens, so our breeder flocks have been selected to produce what the customer demands. The Livestock Conservancy’s work is important to understand and preserve those breeds that are the type our great-great-grandparents kept and raised.

Meyer Hatchery honors the work that the Livestock Conservancy does to preserve our country’s heritage livestock breeds. We are incredibly proud and humbled by their commitment to preserving our heritage breeds.