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.
 Crèvecœur cock (foreground) | |
| 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 | |
| |
History
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
Characteristics
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
Use
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
References
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