Bourbonnaise

A fine French dual-purpose breed from the Bourbonnais region in central France, developed in the late 19th century. The Bourbonnaise is a large, heavily built white bird with a single comb and clean legs, originally bred for both ample egg production and excellent table quality — a true farmhouse chicken. Its plumage is predominantly white with the occasional fleck of black in the hackle, and its skin is white, which was preferred for French market poultry. The breed reached peak popularity between the wars, when it was widely kept across the Allier department, but declined as post-war industrialisation marginalised traditional French farm breeds. Conservation work by SCAF has helped stabilise numbers. The Bourbonnaise is recognised by the EE Europastandard and remains an important part of France's poultry heritage, producing large white eggs and substantial carcasses.