Pat breeds Black Australorps in the Asheville, NC area. Her birds are becoming well known for their high lay rate of 80%+. The choice to use heritage birds is riddled with challenges, but there’s also unmet opportunities. Breeders like Pat lay the foundation to meet those opportunities with strong management, breeding, and genetics.

Her emphasis is on on utility, as she describes it. That means she’s looking for production more than the perfect comb.

She talks about her breeding, her challenges, strengths, and a hopeful future. Pat is part of a fledging group called the The Heritage Poultry Cooperative, which is a group of heritage poultry growers in the western North Carolina area who are coming together to cooperatively serve a market.

You can contact Pat at theforestfarm@gmail.com or look up “The Heritage Poultry Cooperative” on Facebook.