Belgian d'Uccle

I have wanted this breed for years. Ever since I went to a lady's house to buy a mixed doz fertile eggs and saw her one singular millie fluer d'uccle hen. She only had the one but I had never seen one before, and considering I live in a very small poultry community it really sparked my interest.

I searched for ages locally for a breeder, no one really knew what they were or had crosses (generally with silkies or pekins) so I took to buying online. Finially found a few breeders and got some eggs sent up to hatch. Hatched nearly the lot and got all hens but 3, which is great for me since I have so many chickens as it is and live in suburbia. When they started crowing, it was so quiet and kind of comical. They haven't gotten much louder and I seriously can't hear them with the house all closed up; my bobwhite quails calling is waaaaay louder. Videos on Youtube.com of this breed show that they can indeed get quite....shrill and loud, but mine are pretty good. Must just depend on the individual bird, however this is just my own point of veiw and experience.

The chicks are adorable when they first hatch. They are like fat faced little penguins and they only keep getting cuter. I found that within 2 weeks you could single out the obvious boys however one of them took a little longer to show that he was male, as his comb was a little slower to develop than the other two (and he's the best boy out of the three). I got a huge variety of colours just from one breeder alone, with a couple being peculiar mixed colours: quail x milliefluer being the main mix I've noticed, which is basically a quail coloured d'uccle with a few white spots all over.

I love watching them walk on the grass because they look like they are wearing huge swimming flippers when they are walking, or that they are worried they'll step in poop. They always stick with their own little group which I think is safer considering how small they are. I have not lost one yet by a hawk but I have defiantly seen them being swooped at by them, and they usually huddle up and head for the closest cover while the bigger poultry scare the hawk(s) away. My new puppy would also pick on them particularily because they were small and slow, but I sorted that out pretty quick by moving the dog to another area where she couldn't get the d'uccles. My bigger breeds will pick on them if they can, but they seem to not really mind. As an owner of poultry, I just have learned to feed at different stations so everyone gets a chance of a feed, rather than dumping food all in the one spot for the greedy chickens to hog out.

They are so easy to tame as well, and with their cute, funny appearence I can see how along with pekins, that they would be great for kids. I didn't handle mine at all until 4 months old and it took just a few mealworms to gain their trust. Now they circle my feet like little fluffy sharks. I also like that they will forage all day. I feed my birds a big pot of mash in the morning to which my birds will demolish quite quickly, and always have pellets in a dispenser that they can access at anytime. However the d'uccles will have some mash, pick at the pellets and just hang out in the garden for the rest of the day. Defiantly love their bugs. The roosters seem to be most exceptionally friendly in my lot, which is a nice change from some of the grumpy roos I've owned in the past.

One problem I have come across with the breed however is the fluffy legs. I've had feathered shanked birds before with faverolles, marans, silkies and pekins, however the Belgians are just the next level up. These legs are like wings they drag across the ground. I am yet to decide if i should try showing mine, but they seem to break their feathery quills from just regular free ranging so it might be a risky move since I am new to the show scene and have only entered Leghorns seriously before. They would definatly make one feel quite accomplished if they won however, as they seem to be quite high maintenance if one wants to perform at the top. Regardless, the fluffy legs is what drew me to the breed anyway, I love them.

Visitors love them. Usually they laugh at them, and question why the hell I want to keep a tiny chicken, but most people love them. I don't care much for the eggs, so I'm not judging them upon that aspect. I just wanted them purely for looks. If I wanted smaller egg machines, I would be reveiwing hamburgs. Though laying is pretty decent, I just let them hatch their own eggs, which they are incredibly good at. Top broodies, they just can't help themselves.

I bought a trio of almost full grown Mille Fluer D'uccles last fall. Both hens have laid eggs, went broody, and hatched chicks. They are excellent mothers. One of the hens just started back laying and the rooster actually made her a nest and waited for her to lay her egg . She started laying 4 days ago and so far I have gotten 4 eggs from her. They are very consistent layers! Their eggs are small but duh they are bantams. The rooster is also very quite when it comes to crowing.

D'uccles are friendly and curious and always run up to see what you are doing and if you have any food. Docile and easily handled, seems to be a decent (everyday to every other day) layer for a bantam. Also crazy smart - I even have one that has learned the "out" command when I point at a door and tell her. The only negative I could see is that they are not very assertive when it comes to other chickens. They can be bullied even by the tiniest bantams such as seramas so be cautious in a mixed flock to make sure they are not getting feathers pulled out and such.

I have two little hens and they are lovely, every time I walk into my yard they come running over towards me.they don't bite and are great with children. Mine are very quick-witted and are always alert. They are EXCELLENT flyers and sometime fly over our house. This however could be good or bad for some people especially if you have neighbours. The only con about them is that they can be aggressive towards other chickens and surprisingly, mine are the leaders of the flock. They didn't react to well when we brought other chickens into our flock and gave them a hard time. Over all though, they are great friendly chickens with big personalities.

Defiantly my favorite breed, they are sweet and easy to handle. Recommended for beginners due to small size, bright personality & loving nature. They lay small white eggs pretty frequently and they

have a soft clear voice.

I acquired my D'uccle boy by accident; he was young when we bought him, and looked just like a hen! We were very surprised when he started crowing two days later, and posted an ad to sell him (we didn't want any roosters with our girls). As the days went by, we fell more and more in love with him, and took the ad down. I'm glad we did! He is such a sweetheart, always jumping up on my lap when I'm reading or watching TV (he's an inside chicken). He is completely relaxed whenever I pick him up, and even falls asleep in my arms if I hold him for a while.
I definitely recommend this breed to anyone looking for a pet chicken.

We have four Mille Fleur d'Uccle's. We raised them from chicks and handled them a lot.
It has paid off in that we have four of the friendliest yard ornaments you would want.

We wound up with two boys and two girls. The two boys get along well, but they are still young at three months.
They all eat out my hand (they LOVE grapes and hotdogs), but one girl holds back until she sees the others pigging out.
They chatter a lot and follow you everywhere. The boys are NOT aggressive, but they are not mounting the girls yet. Time will tell.
The boys loud voice is very high pitched, so I'm glad we don't have nearby neighbors.
They jump the hotwire fence to avoid the big chickens and hang out under a row of Leyland Cypress trees all day.
While they do get in the three raised garden beds, we hardly notice where they scratch. They keep the bugs under control.
In the evening we sit on the patio and they all come up and beg for treats. They have us trained.
The dominant Mille rooster had a confrontation with our flockmaster Barred Rock. (David vs. Goliath) They ran up to each other, bumped chests, flaired capes,
then stared at each other, turned and went their separate ways. I call it a draw. They seem to have forgotten the incident and now ignore each other.

We love these little birds and hope to hatch some next spring.

I love this breed! I would definitely recommend them for pet chickens! There one of the few breeds of chickens that like to cuddle. I also love them because there soooo cute!! I'm not the biggest fan of the feathered legs because it's hard to show those kind of birds, there not the greatest layers, and they like to roost in trees.

We got a couple of these birds as extras with some hatching eggs we ordered. They turned out wonderfully and have been fantastic pets for our two kids. They are very gentle, can be picked on by aggressive birds but are able to fly to get away. They are so beautiful and have such fun little personalities. The hen in these pictures is over 5 years old and is in great health. Their foot feathers can get clumped ice or mud in them which needs attention. They do best in a covered run where they don't have to walk around in the snow or mud. We had a couple close calls due to their ability to fly and get into situations that we initially did not think would be an issue. With plenty handling these birds get very tame and are very easy to trim nails on etc. They seem to be very vocal but their 'voices' are very mellow and pleasant to listen to - sometimes it sounds almost as though they are having a conversation with you. This is my favourite bantam breed.

If it comes to me owning only one breed, this is it! They are gentle, quiet, sweet birds that lay a large egg for a very small bird. There are many colors though all have spots (the main characteristic of the breed). I cannot love any color more than the caramel color of the Mille Fleurs! I have had other colors, but in my opinion, they pale to the colors of the Mille Fleur. I do also like the Porcelain and a few of the others, but the Mille Fleur took my heart.

I have nothing negative to say except they are not good flyers, and they are not predator safe. If a predator gets in, you are likely to have dead birds. The roosters are beautiful, but they are not good at protecting the hens mainly, in my opinion, because they are incredibly gentle and sweet. They do not expect anything to be unkind to them so predators are not a possibility in their world. The hens and roosters live together in harmony.

I love these birds! I have owned these birds for about 7 years, and I hope to own them for as long as I live. I love my other birds too (Appenzeller Spitzhauben (purchased on and off for 3-5 years--just have been unlucky with keeping the few I have owned), Silver Pencil Plymouth Rock (owned on and off for 20 years), Buff Orpington (have had for a year), Lavender Ameraucanas (owned Ameraucanas for about 7 years), but my D'Uccles are my favorite to date. They have been for nearly ten years, and I doubt the others will take their place as #1.

If you're considering getting them, you should absolutely love them. I purchased mine from a breeder who has had them for decades, and I am thrilled with these beautiful birds. The ones I own lay an egg that is about 2/3 the size of a Plymouth Rock, and that's a pretty good sized egg for a little bird. They are also very consistent layers, and lay an egg about once every 2-3 days, so own a bunch of them! You will love them!

My first time meeting a D'Uccle was at my first county fair. He was a beautiful mille fleur that won grand champion and best in show. A few months ago I got my first D'Uccle to fill the empty space my Buff Orpington left when she died. He is a little golden neck with the most adorable cheeks. He looks like a little chocobo. He flied up out of his cage and his pen and did so when he was less than a few days old. At the time I didn't know how to pronounce the breed so I just called him ducky. He is such a loving guy and doesn't try to fight with any of the hens. Even lets the silkies peck at him occasionally. The breed is very close to my heart <3

I love my d'Uccles! They come in a massive variety of colors, even my poorest bred hatchery strain turned out pretty and did I mention how SMART these little ones are! They are quite, easy keepers that use their agile nature to figure things out long before the remainder of the flock does. As chicks they are the first to eat and drink, discover the best perch spots and still be as sweet as buttons to other chickens of all types. I can see how some d'Uccle can be targets for agro breeds but mine are just too fast and smart for boss hens. While I would love to see them in a large fowl form, their small size makes them pretty little scamps.

My pretty roo, Prince! He graciously rules his roost! He will be showing at the fair!

These chickens are so nice, and they are real lap chickens!
I have one that's the bottom of the pecking order and whenever she gets chased or pecked she'll come running to me!
She loves to be snuggled! Unfortunately she is too scared too eat on her own so I have to hand feed her.
And she goes through phases where she won't eat a certain type of food for a few days ,and a lot of the foods the other chickens love, she won't eat.
After a while of me being gone she'll come looking for me.
Here are a few picks of her:

Her name is Millie!

i love these birds. They are friendly and i really enjoy taking care of them. I'll try to post some pics in the future.

I used to have a Mille Fleur D'Uccle rooster. but he died last week. I loved that little guy, and I am hoping to get D'Uccle eggs to incubate soon. D'Uccles are the sweetest, most adorable, affectionate chicken breed ever!

Pearl, the alpha of the flock, is very pretty. She also is a dependable layer, laying pretty large eggs for a bantam. She also doesn't really care about the newcomers into our flock, as long as they don't try to usurp her.

Now for the cons; she's flighty. I don't think, though, it's in her personality. I didn't spend as much time with her as I did with the Modern Game girls. Also, the foot feathers can be a problem too.

I love this breed, and I would recommend it to anyone!

I only have one belgian d'uccle and I know all chickens have unique personalities but out of my mixed flock he has the most comical and winning personality of the bunch. Aloysius, my belgian d'uccle rooster, is extremely inquisitive. He follows me around the yard, eats out of my hand, and is the head man in charge. He is the head rooster even though my LF golden laced wyandotte rooster Goliath is 3-4 times his size. If Goliath is making my hens squak when mounting Aloysius runs over to make sure they're okay. His crow is way nicer to listen too than Goliath's. I'm in the process of integrating more hens into the flock and it's so funny to watch this little bantam chase the LF hens around. I would recommend this breed to anyone. They are docile and great entertainment to have around not to mention stunningly beautiful.

They're great!

Some of our quietest and most docile chickens were Belgian d'Uccles. If you handle them from an early age, they won't mind being picked up and cuddled (and might even follow you around) when they reach adulthood. They also come in a wide variety of colours. We once had a purple one (well it was really a blueish greyish colour).

If you're raising them in your yard, it's easy to train them to stay there and go back to their cage at night. They like routine, and will get stressed if their routine is disrupted.

This is a bantam breed, so the eggs they lay are small and sometimes pointy, but the yolk takes up nearly all of the egg. Unfortunately, these are not good layers. They'll stop laying in Winter and when it warms up they'll only lay once every couple of weeks. They're more of an ornamental bird.

I have a Mille Fleur Belgian d'Uccle and she loves to nest in a certain tree.