Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Rare Breeds Day


Garfield Farm Museum in La Fox, Illinois, http://www.garfieldfarm.org/, is having its 21st Annual Rare Breeds Livestock & Poultry Show and Sale on Sunday May 20 from 11am - 4pm. This is always a wonderful event that will make this a special weekend for your family.


Garfield Farm undertook to build a flock of Javas, a historically accurate breed for its 1840s site. With the help of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, it has been able to hatch enough eggs that the breed is recovering from nearly disappearing. The museum used the eggs in its Genetics exhibit.


Most Javas are black, but in the course of hatching all those eggs in the Genetics exhibit, a white strain emerged. Later, auburn chicks began to hatch out, a color not seen in more than 100 years. It's a color that is historically significant, because it was important in the development of the Rhode Island Red, still a very popular breed.


Visitors can also see heritage breed turkeys, oxen, horses and sheep at the farm. Besides my own book, I'll have the other books available through this site on display. Join us for an unusual and special event.

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