Poule de Zottegem

A Belgian egg-laying breed from the town of Zottegem in East Flanders, developed in the late 19th century as a productive white-egg layer for the Flemish market. The Poule de Zottegem is a medium-sized, active bird with a single comb, clean legs, and predominantly black or cuckoo plumage. It was created by crossing local Flemish farm chickens with imported Italian Leghorns — a familiar pattern in late 19th-century European poultry development where Leghorn blood was used to boost egg production in many traditional breeds. Zottegem chickens were once common across East Flanders but declined when commercial hybrid layers dominated after 1950. Conservation breeding in Belgium has kept the breed alive, and it is recognised by the EE Europastandard as a distinct Belgian breed.