Английская Википедия:Houdan chicken

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Файл:Tab40 Hühner (Geflügel-Album, Jean Bungartz, 1885).jpg

Houdan pair, historic illustration from the Geflügel-Album of Jean Bungartz, 1885

the head of a black cock, with a butterfly-shaped red comb

Detail of the head of a cock, showing the characteristic butterfly comb

The Houdan or Шаблон:Lang is an old French breed of domestic chicken. It is named for its area of origin, the commune of Houdan, in the département of Yvelines to the west of Paris. It belongs to the crested chicken group, is muffed and bearded, has an unusual leaf-shaped comb, and has five toes on each foot rather than the usual four.

History

The Houdan is a traditional French breed; its origins are unknown. It was described in detail by Charles Jacque in 1856 and 1858.Шаблон:R The Houdan combines a number of distinctive features, which in the nineteenth century gave rise to speculation about the breeds that might have contributed to its development;Шаблон:R the Crèvecœur, Dorking and Polish have been mentioned as possible "ancestors".Шаблон:R

It was first imported into England in 1850,Шаблон:R and to North America in 1865, where it appeared in the first edition of the American Standard of Perfection in 1874.Шаблон:R

Characteristics

The Houdan is crested, muffed and bearded, has an unusual leaf-shaped comb, and has five toes on each foot rather than the usual four. The earlobes and wattles are small, and may be mostly or completely hidden by the feathering.Шаблон:R The comb is leaf- or butterfly-shaped in European and Australian standards;Шаблон:R in the United States it is v-shaped.Шаблон:R

The most common colour variety, and the only one recognised in the United Kingdom, is mottled (or Шаблон:Lang, "pebbled" in France), a pattern of black with white spotting. In the past there was a lighter variation of the mottled pattern; in the 1800s, it may have been more similar to the splashy mixture of white and black which today is called exchequer.Шаблон:R Three other colour varieties are recognised in France: black, pearl-grey, and white.Шаблон:R In the Poultry Standard for Europe of the Entente Européenne d'Aviculture et de Cuniculture the black mottled, cuckoo, pearl-grey and white are recognised; a black variety is listed but unrecognised.Шаблон:R The white variety was developed in the United States.Шаблон:R Other colours were known in the past, including blue mottled and red.Шаблон:R

Although it is classified by the Poultry Club of Great Britain as heavy, the Houdan is a light breed:Шаблон:R cocks weigh Шаблон:Nobreak and hens Шаблон:Nobreak.Шаблон:R A bantam Houdan was created in Britain shortly after the end of the Second World War,Шаблон:R and developed further in Germany and in France.Шаблон:R

Use

The Houdan was formerly a dual-purpose fowl, kept for both eggs and meat: for part of the nineteenth century it was one of the principal meat breeds of France.Шаблон:Cn In the twenty-first century it is an endangered breed, and is reared primarily for showing.Шаблон:R

Hens may give some 140–160 eggs per year; they are white, and not large.Шаблон:R