- Jun 28, 2011
- 39,162
- 27,208
- 1,302
The Maline, a.k.a. Mechel, or Brussels chicken, is a bird of impressive size, with males often reaching 12 pounds and the hens 8 or 9. It was originally developed in the late 1800’s primarily as a production meat bird, in the Mechelen area of Belgian, from where it derived its name. It was the most popular meat bird in Belgian by the late 1800's and was exported to much of Europe. The breed is a good choice for the small flock owner or homesteader, as they are actually a good duel purpose breed. They are an exceptional quality slow growing table bird, as well as good layers, with the hens averaging 150+ large light brown eggs a year.
The Maline is generally a very gentle bird with a calm and stable temperament. They are not overly skittish around people and are amiable to being handled. Being such a large heavy breed, they do not fly well so are fairly easily contained and they do very well in confinement. They are a very hardy breed and are quite cold tolerant.
Breeds that went into the producing the Maline included the native Flemish Cuckoo breed, as well as Brahmas, Cochins, and Langshans. A second type of Malines was later developed by crossing Malines with the Brüges Games, a very large Belgian game fowl, and this cross produced what is called the "Turkey-headed Malines". (These birds have heads that resembles that of a turkey)
The Maline is today found primarily in the Cuckoo pattern, though white, black, golden cuckoo and other colors do or did exist.
Details:
Breed purpose: Excellent meat bird, Dual Purpose
Comb Type: Single
Broodiness: Average
Climate Tolerance: Hardy, cold tolerant.
Weight: 12 lbs roosters, 9 lbs hens.
Egg Productivity: Fair, 150 eggs/year
Egg Size: Large
Egg Color: Tinted / Light Brown
Maline Chick, picture @Shellz
Maline Hen, picture @Bart Nagel
Maline Hens, picture @Bart Nagel
Maline pullet, picture @Shellz
Maline rooster, picture @stoneunhenged
Maline hen and rooster, picture @stoneunhenged
We do not have any breed reviews for the Malines yet, if you own any, please let us know your likes/dislikes? Link to the BYC Breed reviews:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/belgian-cuckoo-malines
Link to the General breed discussions & FAQ threads:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/800185/belgian-malines-have-arrived/0_20
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/862591/belgian-cuckoo-malines-next-generation/0_20
Do you own Malines? Are you a Maline 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/
The Maline is generally a very gentle bird with a calm and stable temperament. They are not overly skittish around people and are amiable to being handled. Being such a large heavy breed, they do not fly well so are fairly easily contained and they do very well in confinement. They are a very hardy breed and are quite cold tolerant.
Breeds that went into the producing the Maline included the native Flemish Cuckoo breed, as well as Brahmas, Cochins, and Langshans. A second type of Malines was later developed by crossing Malines with the Brüges Games, a very large Belgian game fowl, and this cross produced what is called the "Turkey-headed Malines". (These birds have heads that resembles that of a turkey)
The Maline is today found primarily in the Cuckoo pattern, though white, black, golden cuckoo and other colors do or did exist.
Details:
Breed purpose: Excellent meat bird, Dual Purpose
Comb Type: Single
Broodiness: Average
Climate Tolerance: Hardy, cold tolerant.
Weight: 12 lbs roosters, 9 lbs hens.
Egg Productivity: Fair, 150 eggs/year
Egg Size: Large
Egg Color: Tinted / Light Brown
Maline Chick, picture @Shellz
Maline Hen, picture @Bart Nagel
Maline Hens, picture @Bart Nagel
Maline pullet, picture @Shellz
Maline rooster, picture @stoneunhenged
Maline hen and rooster, picture @stoneunhenged
We do not have any breed reviews for the Malines yet, if you own any, please let us know your likes/dislikes? Link to the BYC Breed reviews:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/belgian-cuckoo-malines
Link to the General breed discussions & FAQ threads:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/800185/belgian-malines-have-arrived/0_20
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/862591/belgian-cuckoo-malines-next-generation/0_20
Do you own Malines? Are you a Maline 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/
Last edited by a moderator:
