Best French breeds?

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Chablis Dog

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Best French breeds?
« on: May 11, 2010, 16:37 »
Any of the French residents on here know which are the best breeds to get in France?  I am after reasonably good layers but also something pretty to peck around in the field.  We are veggie, so not eating the little blighters, so something that makes a nice pet too would be good.  I have looked around at the sorts of breeds available but would value any hands-on experience of other members.  I really like the look of the maran coucou dore, and a normandy breed the de Gourlays but I don't know how hard they will be to get hold of.  Any suggestions welcomed.  Thanks.

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Casey76

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Re: Best French breeds?
« Reply #1 on: May 11, 2010, 17:37 »
I suppose it depends on how hard you want to look!

Everyone seems to be selling Marans noire cuivrée but their markings tend to be a bit naff unless you go to a specialised breeder.

Faverolles are a really nice breed (apparantly!) but I've yet to see any for sale in my area.

I'd love to get a couple of poules d'Alsace, but even in Alsace they're a bit like hens teeth!

At the last two markets I went to, Light sussex were by far the most popular chooks for sale - though hardly French!

The Cou-Nu de Forez, from the Loire valley are lovely and unusual looking hens, and would be a bit of a talking point.

If you want to buy hens by post(!) brinsea.fr not only are the French distributor for Brinsea incubators, they also sell all kinds of hens (half of the site is also translated - with varying defgrees of success - into English)

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Junie

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Re: Best French breeds?
« Reply #2 on: May 11, 2010, 19:59 »
I have a mixture of chooks - not really into specific breeds.  I do have 3 Co-Nu hens and one cockerel, did have 4 but one was caught yesterday.  I also have some light sussex and some other I do not know what.  My favourite chickens are the Co-Nu's, the hens have such personality. My Cockerel and one hen ( and the one I lost yesterday) were given to us from eggs, which we hatched etc.  They are hardy and did not seem to reduce laying over the winter and it was cold down here too.  At first sight they are ugly and when we looked at this house and I saw them running around, I did not want them, however after being given the eggs and having chicks, they are now favourites and I would like to have all Co-Nus in the future.  They are also a good talking point especially to English visitors as it is unlikely they have seen them before and think they are henpecked.  They are a large breed and as yet have not been able to fly over the fence of their pen when the light sussex have. Watching their necks getting redder over the summer in the sun is fascinating.  Hopes this helps, I realise I am somewhat biassed.

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Chablis Dog

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Re: Best French breeds?
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2010, 07:34 »
I will bear in mind what you have said about the Co-nus but am not all that keen.  Firstly I don't like the look of them and I am even more put off as I was told a few weeks ago (probably apocryphally) that the French like them as it is easier to wring their necks and now I can't look at them without thinking about that.  We had a smallholding when I was a child and my clearest memory is of hens running around with no heads after an encounter with my dad.  No wonder I am veggie now!  No, something with pretty feathers (all over!!!!) for me!  There is a huge market in L'Aigle with loads of birds, so I had better get myself up there and have a look.  Thankyou also for the website link, which I will get onto.

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Casey76

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Re: Best French breeds?
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2010, 08:38 »
Fancy a bit of research?

Here are all of the French breeds :D

Alsace (poule d') : noire, doré-saumoné, bleu-andalou, blanche
Aquitaine : noire
Ardennaise et Sans-Queue des Ardennes : doré-saumoné, doré-saumoné bleu, argenté-saumoné, noire, noire à camail doré ou argenté avec ou sans poitrine liserée, noir-doré, noir-argenté.
Barbezieux : noire
Bourbonnaise : blanc herminé noir
Bourbourg : blanc herminé noir
Caumont : noire
Caussade : noire
Charollaise : blanche
Combattant du Nord (Grand) : doré-saumoné, argentée à manteau doré, argentée, noir, noire à manteau doré, blanche, pile, mouchetée, froment, doré-saumoné bleu, argenté-saumoné bleu, rouge, etc.
Combattant du Nord (Petit) : idem Grand Combattant du Nord
Combattant de la Réunion :
Contres : blanc herminé noir
Cotentine : noire
Coucou des Flandres : coucou
Coucou de France : coucou
Coucou de Rennes : coucou
Cou-nu du Forez : blanche
Courtes-Pattes : blanche, noire, coucou, noir marbré blanc, noir marbré doré
Crèvecœur : noire, blanche, coucou, bleue
Estaires : noire, noire à camail doré, noire à camail argenté
Faverolles française (Faverolles claire) : froment argenté (saumoné clair), coucou
Gasconne : noire
Gâtinaise : blanche
Gauloise dorée : Doré-saumoné
Géline de Touraine : noire
Gournay : noir caillouté blanc
Hergnies : " grise "
Houdan : noir caillouté blanc, blanche, noire, gris perle
Janzé : noire
La Flèche : noire, blanche, coucou, bleu andalou, gris perle
Landaise : noire, grise
Le Mans : noire
Le Merlerault : noire
Limousin (coq de pêche) : bleue, noire
Lyonnaise : noire
Mantes : noir caillouté blanc
Marans : noir cuivré, coucou argenté, coucou doré, froment, blanche, blanc herminé noir, noire, fauve à queue noire
Meusienne : saumoné-foncé
Noire du Berry : noire
Pavilly : noire
Poule de Challans : noire (la bleue n'est pas encore reconnue)

Have fun with google images :D :D :D

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joyfull

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Re: Best French breeds?
« Reply #5 on: May 12, 2010, 08:45 »
wow that is some list  :lol:
Staffies are softer than you think.

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Chablis Dog

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Re: Best French breeds?
« Reply #6 on: May 13, 2010, 07:47 »
Hey, I know it is a bank holiday today but I have a ton of mowing to do too!!!!!

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Casey76

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Re: Best French breeds?
« Reply #7 on: May 13, 2010, 08:53 »
You get to mow on a BH?  Wow I'm living in the wrong dept!

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Chablis Dog

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Re: Best French breeds?
« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2010, 17:50 »
Yes, I probably shouldn't but nobody has told me not to and I have very tolerant neighbours.  Anyway, I would plead special case, visitors arriving Saturday from UK and want the garden tidy and it is going to rain tomorrow etc, etc!!!!!!

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Chablis Dog

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Re: Best French breeds?
« Reply #9 on: May 13, 2010, 18:11 »
Forgot to say, I went to someone's house yesterday where she had a variety of French breed chickens.  I got to see the co nu's at close quarters - sorry, still don't like them.  I don't doubt that they have nice temperaments which of course I would like but they just look like my Springer has had a go at them.  My cockerell had to be rescued from a dog's mouth before he came to live with me and his feathers still haven't grown back properly.

However this woman also had some gorgeous maran coucous that I really liked and she pointed me in the direction of a good breeder at l'Aigle market, so I am off for a good nosey next Tuesday.  Can't buy yet as I don't have my second hen house, so I will have to be very disciplined but I can't wait to see what is on offer.

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Chablis Dog

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Re: Best French breeds?
« Reply #10 on: May 13, 2010, 18:23 »
Just went to look at the list from Casey76 and I found this site with lots of pictures on which I found very interesting (also with links of where to obtain some of them)

http://pagesperso-orange.fr/volaillepoultry/franc1.html

I also find www.leboncoin.fr an inexhaustible supply of amusement (!!!!!) and often some very nice pictures of chooks for sale too.



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