Heritage breeds of chickens are those in which genetic selection has not necessarily focused on maximizing
production traits (Schmidt et al., 2009). These birds have been selected for unique phenotypes such as feather
color,egg laying, thermotolerance, etc. Studies with Salmonella colonization in the intestines of heritage
breeds are lacking. In light of this gap in knowledge and the ubiquity of Salmonella in the commercial
broiler,this study focused on determining the scope of Salmonella susceptibility in a signi cant number of
heritage breeds. The susceptibilities were compared to that observed in a single representative
commercial breed.