Brakel chicken
The Brakel (Braekel) is a Belgian laying breed with barred plumage, a close relative of the Campine.
The Brakel is a pure-bred chicken breed in the PCGB Rare Soft Feather Light class. Its origin is given as Brakel, Belgium.
It is kept in large and bantam forms. Recognised colours: Silver, Gold. Typical adult weights: cock about 3.2 kg, hen about 2.75 kg, bantam cock about 790 g and bantam hen about 700 g.
Expect roughly 180–200 eggs a year, with white shells.
Compiled from poultryclub.org, poultrykeeper.com, en.wikipedia.org. See sources
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Identity
- Species
- Chicken
- Type
- Pure breed
- PCGB class
- Rare Soft Feather Light
- Origin
- Brakel, Belgium
History
It comes from around the village of Brakel near Aalst, east of Brussels. Most local farmers kept it for eggs until they switched to hybrids in the 1960s. An 1884 article in Avicultura tried to separate it from the Campine. Wikipedia notes the two were later reunited under one Belgian standard, and in 1962 the Belgian breed was renamed Brakelhoen.
Appearance
Silver and Gold are standardised in the UK. It is heavier than the Campine; poultrykeeper suggests Antwerp-area birds were kept lighter so they could roost in trees.
Recognised colours
Silver, Gold
Size and weight
- Forms
- Large, Bantam
- Cock
- 3.2 kg
- Hen
- 2.75 kg
- Bantam cock
- 790 g
- Bantam hen
- 700 g
Eggs
- Eggs a year
- 180–200
- Egg colour
- White
- Notes
- A utility layer.
Temperament
- Keeping notes
- Males have long tails, so perches need to be set well away from the house wall.
Hardiness
Not recorded yet.
Broodiness
Not recorded yet.
Flying
Not recorded yet.
Suitability
- Good to know
- Very rare in the UK, with probably only a handful of breeders. Breed enough birds to select for markings, because few males show clear tail barring.
Conservation status (RBST)
Not on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust's priority list.
Breed club
- The Rare Poultry Society, umbrella · Website
Sources
This page is compiled from:
Review
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