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La Flèche breed originated in France around the town of La Flèche in the Loire region. Considered an old breed, with many authors dating the origins of the La Flèche breed to the fifteenth century. They were originally created to provide a tender white fleshed “Petit Poussin” chicken for the markets of Paris during the nineteenth century. At one point they were produced commercially but by the beginning of the 20th Century, they had almost died out and were only kept by a few backyard keepers and in small numbers. They grew too slowly for the bigger commercial farms to bother with them. A typical farm of the region would have kept their birds in a free range environment and the La Flèche would have taken 10 months to be reach a good table weight.
La Flèche are thought to be close relations of the Houdan and Crèvecœur breeds. A popular breed in France and Germany through the 20th Century, only a handful existed in the UK, where they never really became popular. By the Second World War they were thought to have died out. Since then, La Flèche has been re-introduced from France and Germany and is getting more attention as breeders (and chefs) look for better taste from table birds in their quests for "real food".
La Flèche chickens entered the APA's Standard of Perfection in 1874.
Details:
Breed Purpose Dual Purpose
Comb V-Shaped
Broodiness Seldom
Climate Tolerance Heat
Egg Productivity Medium
Egg Size Large
Egg Color White
Breed Temperament Wild / restless, Flighty, Bears confinement well, Shy
Breed Colors/Varieties Black, Blue, White, Cuckoo.
Breed Size Large Fowl
APA/ABA Class Continental
Pic by @Long Horn Poultry Farm
Pic by @Long Horn Poultry Farm
Pic by @Long Horn Poultry Farm
Pic by @chrisf
Pic by @92caddy
BYC Breed Reviews:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/la-fleche
BYC Breed Discussions:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/309465/la-fleche-thread-pic-of-my-black-la-fleche/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/63007/can-i-see-your-la-fleche-pics/0_30
Do you own La Flèche? Are you a La Flèche breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:
· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!
We have a bunch of other awesome breed-focus threads for you to enjoy. You can see all of them here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-project.975504/
La Flèche are thought to be close relations of the Houdan and Crèvecœur breeds. A popular breed in France and Germany through the 20th Century, only a handful existed in the UK, where they never really became popular. By the Second World War they were thought to have died out. Since then, La Flèche has been re-introduced from France and Germany and is getting more attention as breeders (and chefs) look for better taste from table birds in their quests for "real food".
La Flèche chickens entered the APA's Standard of Perfection in 1874.
Details:
Breed Purpose Dual Purpose
Comb V-Shaped
Broodiness Seldom
Climate Tolerance Heat
Egg Productivity Medium
Egg Size Large
Egg Color White
Breed Temperament Wild / restless, Flighty, Bears confinement well, Shy
Breed Colors/Varieties Black, Blue, White, Cuckoo.
Breed Size Large Fowl
APA/ABA Class Continental
Pic by @Long Horn Poultry Farm
Pic by @Long Horn Poultry Farm
Pic by @Long Horn Poultry Farm
Pic by @chrisf
Pic by @92caddy
BYC Breed Reviews:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/la-fleche
BYC Breed Discussions:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/309465/la-fleche-thread-pic-of-my-black-la-fleche/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/63007/can-i-see-your-la-fleche-pics/0_30
Do you own La Flèche? Are you a La Flèche breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:
· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!
We have a bunch of other awesome breed-focus threads for you to enjoy. You can see all of them here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-project.975504/
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