Conservation status | FAO (2007): endangered |
---|---|
Country of origin | France |
Use | dual-purpose, meat and eggs; fancy |
Traits | |
Weight | |
Egg colour | white |
Comb type | V-shaped |
Classification | |
APA | continental [2] |
ABA | all other comb clean legged |
PCGB | rare soft feather: heavy [3] |
Notes | |
crested breed | |
|
The Crèvecœur is an endangered historic breed of crested chicken from the Pays d'Auge, in the Calvados département of Normandy, in north-western France. It is named after the commune of Crèvecœur-en-Auge. It is related to the La Flèche and to other Norman breeds such as the Caumont and Caux and the extinct Pavilly; the Merlerault was formerly considered a sub-type of the Crèvecœur.
The Crèvecœur is among the oldest French breeds of chicken; its origins are unknown. It takes its name from the commune of Crèvecœur-en-Auge, near Lisieux in the historic region of the Pays d'Auge, in the Calvados département of Normandy. Crèvecoeur chickens won prizes at the Exposition Universelle of 1855 in Paris. [4]: 37 The breed was described in detail by Louis Bréchemin in 1894, [5] [6] but the breed standard was not accepted by the Société d’Aviculture de Basse-Normandie until 1909. [5]
The Crèvecœur was reared in the United Kingdom from the mid-nineteenth century, [1]: 92 and was added to the Standard of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 1874. [2]
The French population of the breed suffered during both the First and Second World Wars; after the latter, it was thought to have virtually disappeared. Recovery was begun in 1976 by Jean-Claude Périquet. In 1995 numbers were reported to be between 100 and 1000 individuals; [7] in 2007 the breed was classified by the FAO as "endangered". [8]: 152
Bantam versions were separately developed in the United States from about 1960, and in Germany towards 2000. [1]: 92
The Crèvecœur has a crest similar to that of the Houdan breed. Unlike the Houdan, it is four-toed and has a V-shaped comb like that of the La Flèche. [9]: 331
It is most commonly black, [10] and this is the only colour variant recognised in the United Kingdom and in the United States. [11]: 114 [2] Three other colours are recognised in France: blue, [12] white, [13] and cuckoo. [8]: 45 [14] The face, comb, ear-lobes and wattles are bright red, the legs and feet slate blue or black. The beak is a dark horn colour, the eyes may be red or sometimes black. [11]: 114
The Crèvecœur was traditionally kept as a dual-purpose chicken, raised both for its eggs and for its meat, which is of high quality. [1]: 92 The eggs are white, and weigh about 55 g. [4]: 37 It is now raised primarily for poultry exhibition. [4]: 37
Conservation status | FAO (2007): endangered |
---|---|
Country of origin | France |
Use | dual-purpose, meat and eggs; fancy |
Traits | |
Weight | |
Egg colour | white |
Comb type | V-shaped |
Classification | |
APA | continental [2] |
ABA | all other comb clean legged |
PCGB | rare soft feather: heavy [3] |
Notes | |
crested breed | |
|
The Crèvecœur is an endangered historic breed of crested chicken from the Pays d'Auge, in the Calvados département of Normandy, in north-western France. It is named after the commune of Crèvecœur-en-Auge. It is related to the La Flèche and to other Norman breeds such as the Caumont and Caux and the extinct Pavilly; the Merlerault was formerly considered a sub-type of the Crèvecœur.
The Crèvecœur is among the oldest French breeds of chicken; its origins are unknown. It takes its name from the commune of Crèvecœur-en-Auge, near Lisieux in the historic region of the Pays d'Auge, in the Calvados département of Normandy. Crèvecoeur chickens won prizes at the Exposition Universelle of 1855 in Paris. [4]: 37 The breed was described in detail by Louis Bréchemin in 1894, [5] [6] but the breed standard was not accepted by the Société d’Aviculture de Basse-Normandie until 1909. [5]
The Crèvecœur was reared in the United Kingdom from the mid-nineteenth century, [1]: 92 and was added to the Standard of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 1874. [2]
The French population of the breed suffered during both the First and Second World Wars; after the latter, it was thought to have virtually disappeared. Recovery was begun in 1976 by Jean-Claude Périquet. In 1995 numbers were reported to be between 100 and 1000 individuals; [7] in 2007 the breed was classified by the FAO as "endangered". [8]: 152
Bantam versions were separately developed in the United States from about 1960, and in Germany towards 2000. [1]: 92
The Crèvecœur has a crest similar to that of the Houdan breed. Unlike the Houdan, it is four-toed and has a V-shaped comb like that of the La Flèche. [9]: 331
It is most commonly black, [10] and this is the only colour variant recognised in the United Kingdom and in the United States. [11]: 114 [2] Three other colours are recognised in France: blue, [12] white, [13] and cuckoo. [8]: 45 [14] The face, comb, ear-lobes and wattles are bright red, the legs and feet slate blue or black. The beak is a dark horn colour, the eyes may be red or sometimes black. [11]: 114
The Crèvecœur was traditionally kept as a dual-purpose chicken, raised both for its eggs and for its meat, which is of high quality. [1]: 92 The eggs are white, and weigh about 55 g. [4]: 37 It is now raised primarily for poultry exhibition. [4]: 37