General Information
- Breed Purpose
- Egg Layer
- Comb
- Single
- Broodiness
- Seldom
- Climate Tolerance
- All Climates
- Egg Productivity
- Medium
- Egg Size
- Medium
- Egg Color
- White
- Breed Temperament
- Friendly,Flighty
- Breed Colors/Varieties
- Campines come in silver and golden varieties.
- Breed Size
- Large Fowl
- APA/ABA Class
- Continental
The Campine breed was originally created as a much smaller type or version of the Braekel breed. It was decided in 1884 that the two types should be separated and after a long controversy, the Campine became a separate breed with its own breed standard in August 1904. After further controversy, the two breeds were reunited under a single standard in 1925 or 1926, with the name Kempisch-Braekel. In 1962 it was decided that the original Campine type had entirely disappeared, and the name of the Belgian breed was changed to Brakelhoen.
The Campine was imported to England around 1899, and was bred there to become a very different bird. In particular, hen feathering in males became standard. Hen-feathered Braekel males had been bred by Oscar Thomaes of Ronse, Belgium, in 1904, and a male hatched from one of his eggs took first place at a show in London in that year. Campines were later exported from Britain to the United States, where a Campine male took first prizes at a show in New York city and again in Boston in January 1913.
There are two accepted colour varieties of the Campine, Silver and Gold. The Silver campine has a pure white head and neck hackles, the rest of the bird being barred with beetle-green on a pure white ground. The Golden variety has the same pattern, with the head, neck hackles and body ground colour rich gold. Campines are considered to be a flighty, hardy breed with an active and inquisitive nature.
The breed was added to the APA's Standard of Perfction in 1914.
Campine eggs
Campine chick
Campine juvenile
Campine hen
Campine rooster
For more information on this breed and their owners' and breeders' experiences with them, see our breed discussion here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-campine.1077842/