La Fleche Owners? Considering...

[MissTracy]

Considering the breed. Looking at a small flock with rooster. Have quite a few other breeds... wondering if they are good pets/sellers?

 

[Painted Calls]

@LaFleche

 

[black_cat]

@LaFleche

Took the words right out of my mouth (or off my keyboard)

 

[LaFleche]

Considering the breed. Looking at a small flock with rooster. Have quite a few other breeds... wondering if they are good pets/sellers?

Finally someone interested in this wonderful breed!

La Flèche are a very robust, agile, attentive and intelligent breed and need lots of space to forage. Very well suited for free ranging, they rarely get caught by predators. Not suited for aviaries as they will often get nervous when confined.

Regarding the pet qualities:

Although they are often considered as shy, you can tame them by always announcing your appearance before opening the coop/barn doors so they will not get spooked. Also spending lots of time with them and generally avoiding sudden movements. And of course offering some treats will make you look so much more alluring for them.

When gardening or building they always come to "help", sometimes even jump on my lap when I spend some time just sitting on the garden bench.

I once had a La Flèche hen that loved to ride on my shoulder and would come running or even flying every time she saw me, to sit on my shoulder for hours while telling me all about her daily adventures. I saved her one winter from a hawk that had already ripped open all of her front and skinned her neck like a glove.
Her wounds got cleaned up, the rims cut to fit and then stapled. No antibiotics or other medication and she recovered from her severe injuries in record time, even restarted egg laying the third day after the incident.
Ever since 'Punkie' was the tamest of all my chickens and she lived many more years, she even went broody several times and raised many chicks successfully:

If you look for a pet that loves to cuddle all the time or be taken into your arms, La Flèche are not the breed to choose.

"Good sellers":

As they need lots of (free range) space to be even tempered, and a patient and considerate care giver/owner, they are not for everyone like for instance Wyandottes or Cochins or Silkies or the like.
They need about 7-12 month to show their full potential, so not the right breed for people who like to show birds and see immediate results or being able to select for SOP standards immediately after hatch.

 

[LaFleche]

@LaFleche

Thank you @Overo Mare

 

[LaFleche]

Some of my roosters got so tame I could call their names and they would come running like a trained dog. I could even hunch in front of them, reach under and take them up in my arms to walk around. But that is not very common, so don't count on it.
I always strive to have a widely spread genetics foundation, so my birds result calmer, more robust and more productive.

Young cockerel :

They also come in white:

Young pullets about 3-4 months old.

 

[MissTracy]

You are amazing, thank you so much for spending the time to answer me!
I had no idea they came in white! I just think they are super cool looking and sort of rare near me.
I don’t mind aloof birds, my guineas aren’t terribly friendly.
I like to hatch and sell babies, maybe eventually show when things get back to normal. Thank you for your time!

 

[LaFleche]

They come in blue laced as well:

Young cockerel

 

[LaFleche]

 

[LaFleche]

One evening this young cockerel fought off a fox while gathering his hens behind him to keep them safe.
His V comb and wattles were ripped, one foot severely injured, his back bitten and a lot of tail feathers lost. He recovered quickly and sired one lineage of my breeding stock.