The Lamona
The Lamona chicken was nearly the “American,” though some thought “Columbian” might be a fitting name. But after nearly a decade of effort, there was really only one fitting name for this new breed. As the USDA’s Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry put it in 1921:
“The original idea of developing this breed was Mr. Lamon’s… he is the designated leader, …[e]very mating has been made by him and he is entitled to the credit.”- JNO. R. Mohler, Chief of Bureau
And so it was that in that on August 23rd of the same year, the Secretary of Agriculture approved this “great accomplishment” of a breed. It was rightfully named the Lamona. Both the American Poultry Journal and Popular Science Monthly highlighted the Lamona, a testament to the efforts of Prof. Lamon.
Lamon considered every part of his creation, acting with intent in every decision. Abundant white egg layer, check. Yellow skin, check. A carcass that was fit for the table, check. Red earlobe, check (perhaps the most challenging part in Mr. Lamon’s opinion). That last one seems a bit strange today, but poultry people around the world understand that white eggs come from hens with white earlobes. Creating a chicken with a red earlobe that laid white eggs was both a genetic challenge and a trademark for the creator. The Lamona could be easily differentiated from white Leghorns. To each his own.
The Pedigree
Unlike foundational breeds, the creation of Lamona chicken is clear and uncontentious. In 1912, Henry Lamon, senior poultryman of the USDA’s experimental farm in Beltsville, MA, began the long and well-documented process of creating what Popular Science would later call the “Super-Chicken” (Popular Science Monthly; Nov. 1923, p.73).
In search of a white egg layer (white eggs were believed to be preferred because of their “cleaner” appearance and drew premiums at the time), Mr. Lamon used cockerels from both the White Plymouth Rock (Frank Davey) and the White Leghorn (Dan Young). Because egg-producing quality comes through the male line, the Rock would ensure eggs were laid year-round, the Leghorn that they would be white and plentiful.
But rather than solely focusing on eggs, this “Super-Chicken” needed to excel in table qualities as well. For that, he included the venerable Silver Gray Dorking hen in the mix (courtesy of Watson Westfall). The Livestock Conservancy’s website states that, as a table fowl, the Dorking has “few peers and no superlatives.” As Popular Science went on to illustrate, the purpose was “to produce a chicken that would combine the stout, ample body desired by the butcher,” with the beautiful white feathering and eggs all year. The result was a bird with relatively short legs, a body “long and of great depth,” which carried a significant amount of the “desirable white breast meat.” (PSM; Nov. 1923; p.73)
The Progress
By the early 1920s, the Lamona chicken was gaining great recognition. Trapnesting demonstrated that they could lay more than 250 eggs in a year. The National Poultry Institutes book, “You Can Raise Poultry For Profit,” highlighted Mr. Lamon and promised to show readers how to make money raising poulty.
In fact, the Lamona was so popular, that it was soon the recipient of the highest form of flattery: imitation. Breeders were looking to replicate the Lamona as early as 1922. Michael Boyer documented these efforts in the Jan. 1922 edition of the American Poultry Advocate. Mr. John T. Chambers of New Jersey was hot on Prof. Lamon’s tail. Mr. Chambers used similar chickens in creating the Shamrock. In fact, the journal claimed that this breed was just “the commercial poultry world has been longing for.” The new challenger was rose-combed and five-toed as a result of using a rose-combed Dorking in the mix and following a slightly different recipe.
Alas, the poor Shamrock did little to unseat the Lamona. However, soon the entire category of dual-purpose fowl would teeter on the edge of extinction.
The Fall
In spite of their productive prowess, the Lamona chicken was unable to satisfy the demands of an ever-industrializing food system. While farmers and early researchers strove for the perfect all-rounder, it wouldn’t be long before the singular focus of hybridized meat birds and battery-cage layers would be demanded.
By WWII, red meat was very difficult to come by and so poultry was called on to fill the gap. Indeed, the poultry industry worried that it would not be able to keep up with the increasing demand. As a result, the A&P Food Stores, the nation’s largest retailer of poultry, sponsored a contest: “The Chicken of Tomorrow.” Beginning in 1946, the national contest would culminate in June of 1948, with a grand prize of $5000. The winner: a flock created by crossing red Cornish males on New Hampshire females. Although not the recipe for today’s Cornish-cross, it was the beginning of the end for heritage, dual-purpose breeds.
According to the Livestock Conservancy’s historic ALBC page, by 1980, Lamonas were believed to be extinct. However, there were rumors in the early 2000s that a couple of flocks remained, hidden away from public view. But as this author has had close ties to the Livestock Conservancy, and served on the board, you would be as likely to validate sightings of the Loch Ness monster as you would be these claims of the elusive Lamona. For all intents and purposes, the original Lamonas faded away into history.
The Lamona Chicken Today
Today, the Lamona has returned. Through efforts by the late Steve Gerdes, the continued stewardship of his son Kurt, and the breeding programs of committed poultry people like Greenfire Farms and Two Fat Guys Poultry, the Lamona has returned. Thanks to the careful notes and clear guidelines set out by Henry Lamon, this dedicated band of breeders have been able to resurrect this historic American breed. Indeed, the offspring of the Gerdes Lamonas are virtually genetically identical and have been successfully shown at a number of APA shows.
Sunbird Farms contacted Jon Alden of Two Fat Guys Poultry back in December of 2013. Jon and his partner had acquired some of the Gerdes line of Lamonas after Steve’s passing and were working to finish the 8-9 year project that Mr. Gerdes has started. Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t right. But in 2020, we were able to acquire our first little flock from Greenfire Farms. These birds are absolutely stunning, the most beautiful white birds we’ve ever seen. Having been big fans of Dorkings, we are so excited to be working with these Lamonas. Sunbird Farms plans to expand our genetics in early 2021, acquiring some eggs from Jon Alden after a nearly 8-year wait. We look forward to sharing these birds with you, our friends, in late 2021.
The Details
Large fowl Lamona Chicken
- Rooster: 3.5-4kg.
- Hen: 2.6-3kg.
- Eggs: White, Medium-sized
- Comb: Straight, red, medium-size, and rather coarse
- Ear lobe: Red (Distinctive of the Lamona)
- Skin color: Yellow
- Toes: Four
- Carriage: Long in body, lower to the ground, well-rounded
- Origin: USA
(Fowl Features are short posts about the rare and interesting breeds of chicken. Sunbird Farms has been raising Lamonas since 2020 and hope to continue and improve that effort. We hope you enjoy these posts. – SF)