Heritage chickens are breeds of chickens who date back to earlier times, before industrial breeding and commercial chicken production became a heavy influence on the strains of chickens in the world.  Heritage chickens tend to be hardier, prettier and lower maintenance, but do not have the huge production their commercial counterparts would.  The following heritage breeds of chickens are among the most popular, and are a great place to start if you would like to begin raising chickens for meat or eggs.

Sussex
This old breed is beautiful, with brown plumage that has a shimmering green tone to it, and speckled white spots across each feather.  Sussex chickens are a rare breed that has been around for more than 100 years.  They lay many brown eggs and are generally good mothers.  These are among the favorite breeds I own, mostly because of their beautiful feathers.

Delaware
Nearly solid white, Delaware chickens have black accents around their head.  They are a heavier bird, and make excellent dual purpose egg and meat chickens.  They are critically endangered, which is such a tragedy because the two that I have are such calm, docile birds and pretty to look at.

Plymouth Barred Rock, or Barred Rock
Barred Rocks are one of the neatest looking birds, with black and white barring across their entire bodies.  They are very docile, cold resistant and good at foraging.  They used to be threatened, but are on the road to recovery and it is easy to see why.  Beautiful, good egg production and friendliness make a great combination for a backyard chicken.