Gâtinaise
Gallus gallus domesticus
✨ Wissenswertes
The Gâtinaise and the Houdan were direct commercial rivals in 19th-century Paris — both supplied the luxury end of the Halles poultry market, and food writers of the era argued passionately over which produced the finer table bird. The Houdan ultimately won due to its famous five-toed appearance, while the Gâtinaise faded into obscurity as industrialised poultry replaced both breeds.
An ancient French white table breed from the Gâtinais region, a fertile plain straddling the Loiret and Seine-et-Marne departments south of Paris, documented as a premium market chicken from the 16th century. The Gâtinaise was one of the most prized table birds supplying the Parisian poultry market alongside the Houdan and Le Mans capons, valued for its white, fine-boned meat. Now critically rare and listed as endangered by the SCAF and EE, it survives in very small numbers maintained by French conservation breeders committed to preserving France's pre-industrial poultry heritage.
🏷️ Rasse
Gâtinaise
💭 Temperament
Calm, active, self-sufficient, adaptable
📏 Größe
Large (2.7-3.6 kg)
⏳ Lebenserwartung
4-7 years
🎨 Farben
Pure white plumage
🌍 Herkunft
France — Gâtinais region (Loiret/Seine-et-Marne); documented from 16th century
🏠 Lebensraum
Free-range or enclosed run; adapted to the fertile flatlands of the Paris basin
🍽️ Ernährung
Grower and finisher pellets; traditional fattening on grain and dairy products
🎯 Zweck
Meat
🥚 Eifarbe
White
👑 Kammtyp
Single
🏅 EE-Klasse
Large Fowl