The Lamona is an American

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

. It was developed from 1912 by Harry S. Lamon, who was the senior poultry expert of the

Bureau of Animal Industry President Chester A. Arthur signed the Animal Industry Act23 STAT 31 on May 29, 1884 creating the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), an organization that was established under the United States Department of Agriculture. It replaced the Veterinary Di ...

, at the

Beltsville Agricultural Research Center The Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), also known as the National Agricultural Research Center, is a unit of the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. It is located in unincorporate ...

of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Maryland.

History

Harry S. Lamon was the senior poultry expert of the

of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. From 1912, working at the

Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center The Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), also known as the National Agricultural Research Center, is a unit of the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. It is located in unincorporate ...

in Beltsville, Maryland, he crossed white Plymouth Rocks, silver-gray Dorkings and white Leghorns to produce a breed with good egg-laying capabilities which would – unlike most layer breeds – also provide a moderately tender carcase when its laying career was over. In 1933 this was admitted to the

Standard of Perfection The ''American Standard of Perfection'' is the official breed standard for the poultry fancy in North America. First published in 1874 by the American Poultry Association, the ''Standard of Perfection'' (commonly referred to as "the ''Standard''" ...

of the

American Poultry Association The American Poultry Association (APA) is the oldest poultry organization in the North America. It was founded in 1873, and incorporated in Indiana in 1932. The first American poultry show was held in 1849, and the APA was later formed in respo ...

as the Lamona. A bantam Lamona was recognized by the APA in 1960. By the 1980s, Lamonas were close to

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

. Some breeders, among them Marion Nash of Illinois, perpetuated the breed for a time. The

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy The Livestock Conservancy, formerly known as the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) and prior to that, the American Minor Breeds Conservancy, is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting rare breeds, also known as "h ...

reported one or two breeding flocks still in existence in 2005. In 2013 it reported that it had been unable to identify any remaining stock descending from the original breed.

Characteristics

Lamonas weigh more than the light Leghorn, but less than the large Plymouth Rock and Dorking. They have yellow skin and white plumage, which makes them ideal meat birds for the U.S. market. They have single

combs Combs may refer to: Places France * Combs-la-Ville, a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris United Kingdom *Combs, Derbyshire, England *Combs, Suffolk, England United States *Combs, Arkansas, a community *Combs, Kentucky, a com ...

and – unlike other breeds that lay white eggs – red earlobes. Unlike most layer hens, Lamonas remain moderately tender as a meat bird after their laying career is over.

References

{{Chicken breeds of the United States , state=expanded Conservation Priority Breeds of the Livestock Conservancy Chicken breeds Chicken breeds originating in the United States Extinct animal breeds