Standard
Varieties of Chickens:
Houdans
The three varieties of poultry in the French class
are the Houdans, Crevecoeurs and La Fleche. Of these
the Houdans (fig. 32) are conceded to be the most
popular and profitable, being bred to a great extent
throughout the entire country. They are hardy and
prolific layers of large, white eggs. For table
purposes they are among the best fowls. They have
small bones and the flesh is tender and
delicious. The chicks are sprightly, active, and
feather rapidly.
They are nonsitters and light
feeders; like the Leghorns, they may be fed at a
small cost as compared with some of the larger
breeds. They are of medium size and of a mottled
white plumage, black and white intermixed, the black
slightly predominating, wing bars and secondaries,
black; primaries, black and white
intermixed. Houdans are a crested variety, having a
leaf comb, shaped somewhat like the letter V, which
rests against the crest; crest of cock is large,
well fitted upon the crown of the head, falling
backward upon the neck, and composed of feathers
similar in shape and texture to those of the
hackle. The crest of the female is large, compact,
and regular, inclining backward in an unbroken
mass. A peculiarity of the breed is their having
five toes, like the Dorkings; shanks and toes are of
a pinkish-white color.
The standard weight of cocks is 7 pounds (3.2 kg);
hens, 6 pounds (2.7 kg); cockerels, 6 pounds (2.7
kg); and pullets, 5 pounds (2.3 kg).
FOR
FURTHER READING...
The first image below comes from the Oklahoma State
University Department of Animal Science's Poultry
Breeds pages. The second and third images are
from the FeatherSite, "an on-line zoological garden of domestic poultry". The Houdan
page at Oklahoma and the Houdans page at FeatherSite contain further information about this breed's
history and more images of these fowl. Clicking on
each image takes you to the page specifically about
that particular variety.
Image Credits
(from left to right):
Copyright © 1996, Oklahoma State University
Board of Regents;
Courtesy of Barry Koffler;
Courtesy of Chris S.
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