Faverolles Chicken: Origin, Characteristics, Uses, Photo

Faverolles chicken is a beautiful breed that originates in France. It was developed as a utility fowl in the 1860s in north-central France (in the vicinity of the villages of Houdan and Faverolles). And the name ‘Faverolles’ came from the village of Faverolles in France.

Now they are very popular as a dual purpose breed and also mostly raised for exhibition and novelty. Several different chicken breeds were used for developing this breed.

Such as Brahma, Crvecoeur, Coucou de Rennes, Dorking, Houdan and possibly the Cochin. Faverolles chicken was bred specially for meat production purpose. But they also produce a good number of eggs, so they are true dual purpose birds.

This breed reached the UK in 1886, and made it’s way to the United States around the early 1900s. There are many color varieties of Faverolles chicken. But all the color varieties are not recognized by the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection.

Salmon variety of Faverolles chicken was accepted into the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection in 1914, and white variety in 1981. There are also bantam varieties available of this breed. Review the characteristics, behavior and full breed profile of Faverolles chicken below.

Faverolles Chicken Characteristics

Faverolles chicken is a large sized breed with a beard, feathered shanks, muff and 5th toe (rather than usual four). The most common color of this breed is Salmon. The plumage of salmon hens is mainly brown and creamy white.

But the males are darker, with black, brown and straw-colored feathers. Other color varieties of Faverolles chicken include black, blue, cuckoo, ermine and splash. They have small wings and a medium sized single upright comb with five points and no serrations .

Their neck is short, head is broad and round and the eyes are reddish bay. Roosters are large and magnificent, and colored in straw, black and reddish brown. Baby chicks are creamy white with muff, fuzzy legs, and 5th toe.

Faverolles chicken has barely visible wattles or not there all together. They have red earlobes and the skin color is white. Hens are good layers of light brown to pinkish colored eggs. On an average, Faverolles roosters weight about 5 kg and hens about 4.3 kg. Photo from Wikipedia.

Behavior/Temperament

Faverolles chicken is gentle, friendly and calm in nature. And that’s why it has become a popular breed for raising as pets. They are even safe for children. They are excellent choice as a dual purpose breed for both meat and eggs production.

They are very active and alert birds. Hens are good layers and can lay prolifically over winter. They also make very good broodies and good mothers. Faverolles chickens are great foragers, even the chicks will forage happily from an early age.

But this breed is also perform well in confinement. Chicks develop fast and grow quickly in proper care and quality feeding. As they have small comb and thick feathering, so they are ideal for cold conditions. Their average lifespan is around 5-7 years.

They are prone to being bullied by other hens if kept together with other varieties (like many other large breeds of hen). Depending on some factors like age, weather and food, Faverolles hens will lay up to 150 to 200 eggs per year. Review full breed profile of Faverolles chicken below.

Breed Name	Faverolles
Other Name	None
Breed Purpose	Dual Purpose (Meat & Eggs)
Breed Temperament	Calm, Docile, Friendly, Hardy, Easily Handled, Quiet, Bears Confinement Well
Breed Size	Large
Broodiness	Average
Comb	Single
Climate Tolerance	All Climates
Egg Color	Light Brown to Pinkish
Egg Size	Medium
Egg Productivity	Medium
Feathered Legs	Yes
Rarity	Available
Varieties	Most common color varieties are Salmon and White. And these two color varieties are recognized by the American Poultry Association. Other color varieties include Black, Buff, Blue, Blue Salmon, Cuckoo, Ermine, Laced Blue, Mahogany and Splash.