Homestead Ranch Heirloom Farm Animals
Plymouth Rock Chickens
The Plymouth Rock was first established in 1829 Boston. Later, Barred Plymouth Rocks were first exhibited in 1869 at Worcester, Massachusetts. These were a cross breed of 3-4 pre-existing breeds. The Plymouth Rock line was first recognized as a distinct breed and was admitted to the first American Standard of Excellence, in 1874. These would be very popular chickens in 1880 for meat and eggs.
White Leghorn Chickens
Named after the area of Italy where they are from, this breed arrived in the United States via Spanish sailing ships from 1835 to 1853, sold as surplus along the waterfronts. Known for there ability to produce more eggs than other chicken breeds, the White Leghorn became an American favorite very quickly. The Willamette valley hatchery which furnished our Chickens, sold its first run of chicks in the Mid 1880s, which these very birds are descended from. These chickens' primary duty for the Blairs are as egg layers.
Dorset Sheep
This breed was brought over from England by the Hudson’s Bay Company circa 1860 to help bolster sales of the new agricultural branch of the HBC in the Pacific Northwest.
Mrs. Blair recently bought four young sheep from a Willamette Valley sheep outfit passing through the area on their way to summer grazing on the slopes of the cascades. The last few years, ranchers have been turning to sheep instead of cattle due to the lower production cost and higher profit margin. Sheep ranches in the Williamette, Deschutes and Ochoco regions have increased in an attempt to match the demand for cheap mutton in the mining camps of John Day, Baker City and the Idaho Territory. With Mr. Blair absent so often, Mrs. Blair has decided that she will use her own money to see how profitable the rising sheep industry really is. Ideally, she will be able to sell whatever wool she can shear in the fall and then send them off to Canyon City with Mr. Berry if he agrees.
