Famennoise

A critically rare Belgian dual-purpose breed from the Famenne region of Wallonia, an area of limestone valleys and rolling farmland between the Ardennes and the Sambre-Meuse industrial belt. The Famennoise is a medium-large bird developed through crossing local Walloon farm chickens with Brahma and Langshan bloodlines in the late 19th century, producing a calm, productive farmyard breed with excellent dual-purpose characteristics. Hens lay tinted eggs and are reliable sitters, and the cockerels produce well-fleshed table birds. The breed was common on Walloon farms until World War II but was virtually eliminated by post-war agricultural modernisation. A small network of Belgian conservation breeders has worked to recover the Famennoise from near-extinction. Recognised by the EE Europastandard.