Faverolles

The Faverolles originated in north-central France as a farmyard bird bred for both the table and the egg basket. It carries a broad, deep body with a square outline, and is easy to identify by the soft beard and muffs framing its face, the feathering down its legs, and an extra, fifth toe on each foot.

Hens keep laying light brown to tinted eggs well into the colder months, a point at which many other breeds slow right down. As a result, smallholders can collect eggs across the year rather than only through summer.

Ask most keepers what stands out about the Faverolles and temperament comes up before anything else. The birds are placid, approachable and rarely startle, qualities that suit family flocks and gardens where children help look after the hens.

That same placid streak has a downside within a mixed flock. Faverolles seldom assert themselves, so they can end up at the bottom of the pecking order when housed with pushier breeds. They fare better alongside other calm, even-tempered birds.

Who the breed suits

The Faverolles suits a keeper after a mellow, sociable bird that copes with handling and being around people. It works well for families with children, for anyone keeping chickens for the first time, and for those after winter eggs without a snappish temperament. It is a poorer fit for a flock led by assertive breeds, where its gentle nature leaves it open to bullying.

The breed is named after the village of Faverolles, south-west of Paris in north-central France, where farmers developed it during the mid-nineteenth century. Local breeders crossed several regional and imported fowl to produce a bird that would keep laying through winter and still dress out well for the table.

The stock behind it is generally reckoned to include Houdan, Dorking, Brahma and various local farmyard fowl. The fifth toe points to Dorking ancestry, while the feathered legs and cold hardiness owe more to the Brahma. What emerged was a working farm chicken that supplied Parisian markets with eggs and meat alike.

The breed had spread beyond France by the closing decades of the nineteenth century. English breeders took it up and bred a more upright, show-style bird, and it later crossed the Atlantic to North America. Two distinct lines developed over time: a heavier French utility type kept for the farmyard, and a taller exhibition type bred chiefly for the show pen.

The Faverolles is now kept around the world as a garden and exhibition breed, with the Salmon variety by far the best known, although other colours exist. Numbers remain modest set against commercial breeds, and in Britain the Faverolles appears among the breeds supported by conservation bodies such as the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, alongside recognition from the Poultry Club of Great Britain.

The Faverolles carries a broad, deep body that gives it a square, full outline when viewed from the side. Its most obvious features are the beard and muffs, soft feathering around the cheeks that gives the face a rounded, whiskered look. The legs carry light feathering, and each foot has five toes rather than the usual four. The comb is single, and small to medium in size.

Salmon is the variety most keepers know. The two sexes look markedly different in this colouring. Hens are creamy white underneath with salmon-brown across the back and wings, while cocks show darker straw, black and reddish-brown markings.

Plumage and colour

The plumage is soft and dense, which suits the breed to cold weather but can trap moisture and mud in the leg feathers when conditions turn wet. Salmon remains the colour most often seen in back gardens and at shows. White, Black, Blue and other colours are recognised under various standards, though they turn up less often. The beard and muffs are worth a quick check whenever the bird is handled, since debris and parasites can gather in the facial feathering.

Few breeds match the Faverolles for gentleness. The birds are calm, inquisitive and slow to startle, and many will walk up to their keeper and sit still to be picked up. That easy manner is a large part of why the breed suits families and keepers who spend time in among their birds.

Around children the Faverolles is patient and forgiving, one reason it turns up so often on lists recommended for family flocks. With strangers it tends to stay relaxed rather than nervy. Put alongside other chickens, though, that same docility works against it. Faverolles rarely stand their ground, so they often sit low in the pecking order and can be bullied by more assertive breeds. They do best kept with other quiet, even-tempered birds. Noise levels are moderate, with hens giving the usual laying call rather than constant chatter.

Faverolles are hardy, undemanding birds, though their heavy feathering brings a few extra checks compared with clean-legged breeds. The dense plumage suits cold conditions well but can leave the birds prone to overheating in hot, humid weather, so shade and airflow matter through summer.

Grooming

• Check the beard and muffs during handling for mites, mud and stuck food.
• Look over the feathered legs and feet for caked mud, which can chill the bird in winter.
• Provide a dry dust-bathing area to help the flock manage external parasites.
• Trim claws only if they grow long enough to affect walking.

Exercise

• Allow daily access to a run or supervised free-ranging.
• Offer scattered feed or greens to encourage natural foraging.
• Keep the run surface dry, as the breed is not built for muddy ground.

Housing conditions

A secure, draught-free coop with good ventilation suits the breed well. Faverolles cope with cold thanks to their dense feathering, but need shade and airflow when temperatures rise. Standard nest boxes and low to medium perches are suitable, since the birds are heavy and poor fliers.

Faverolles thrive on an ordinary chicken diet built around a complete commercial feed. Protein content should match the bird's stage of life: higher for chicks, more moderate for laying hens. Since the breed can put on weight easily and tends towards a calm, low-activity lifestyle, treats are best kept to a minimum to avoid excess fat. Clean, fresh water should always be on hand.

Treats and supplements

Greens, vegetable scraps and the odd bit of grain are fine in small amounts, ideally no more than about ten per cent of the diet. Laying hens need a calcium source, such as crushed oyster shell offered separately, so they can take what they need for strong shells. Insoluble grit helps digestion in birds that forage or eat whole grains.

The Faverolles is a sturdy, generally healthy breed, with a typical lifespan of around 5 to 7 years under good care. Most breed-specific concerns trace back to its heavy feathering: damp or muddy leg feathers, and parasites that shelter in the beard and muffs. Beyond that, the breed faces the same everyday ailments as any other garden flock.

Preventive care

• Check facial feathering and feathered legs regularly for parasites and mud.
• Keep the coop dry and well ventilated, and clean out bedding often.
• Provide a dust-bathing area for natural parasite control.
• Quarantine new birds before adding them to the flock.
• Supply balanced feed and constant clean water.

Housing a Faverolles follows ordinary garden chicken practice, with a few adjustments for a heavy, feather-legged breed. The coop should be secure against predators, dry, and well ventilated without being draughty at roost height. As the birds are heavy and poor fliers, keep perches low and provide ramps or easy access to nest boxes. A well-drained run keeps the leg feathers clean and cuts down on foot problems.

Setting up the housing

• Secure, predator-proof coop with a solid floor and clean bedding.
• Low perches and easy access for heavy birds.
• One nest box per three to four hens.
• A dry, well-drained run with a dust-bathing spot.
• Shade and airflow for hot weather; draught-free shelter for cold.

Faverolles eggs follow the standard chicken timeline of around 21 days to hatch. They can be set under a broody hen or in an incubator. Faverolles hens go broody readily and make calm, attentive mothers, so natural brooding is a workable option. For incubator hatching, keep temperature and humidity steady and turn the eggs regularly until lockdown.

Steps to hatching

1. Choose clean, well-formed eggs and rest them pointed end down before setting.
2. Set the eggs in a stable incubator at 37.5 C and the target humidity.
3. Turn the eggs several times a day up to day 18.
4. Stop turning at day 18 (lockdown) and raise the humidity.
5. Let the chicks hatch unaided and leave them in the incubator until dry and fluffed up.
6. Move dried chicks to a warm brooder with feed and water.