This summer, the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, and there will be parades, fireworks, and bunting on every Main Street Meanwhile, the oldest American tradition on your block will be out back rather than on the parade route Backyard chicken keeping is older than the nation itself, and the good news for anyone carrying on that tradition today is that several of the very same classic American chicken breeds that helped settle the country are still scratching around farmyards right now In this guide we round up seven founding breeds and take a close look at the oldest