Gournay
Gallus gallus domesticus
✨ Fait Amusant
The Pays de Bray is famous for its butter and cheeses (Neufchâtel, the heart-shaped cheese, comes from this region). Gournay chickens lived alongside the dairy cows whose rich milk was churned into Normandy butter, and the chickens' white eggs and pale skin matched the region's preference for pale, delicate-looking food products.
A traditional Norman dual-purpose breed from the town of Gournay-en-Bray in Upper Normandy, developed in the 19th century as a practical farm chicken for the Bray country. The Gournay is a medium-large bird recognised in two colour varieties: cuckoo (barred) and black, both with a single comb, clean legs, and white skin valued by the French market. Hens are good layers of white eggs and reliable sitters, making the breed well-suited to small-scale sustainable farming. Gournay chickens were the standard farmyard bird across the Bray region until the 1950s, when the Normandy countryside was transformed by agricultural consolidation and depopulation. Saved from extinction by SCAF conservation programmes in the 1980s, the Gournay is now maintained by a network of French breeders. Recognised by the EE Europastandard.
🏷️ Race
Gournay
💭 Tempérament
Calm, docile, hardy, good mother, good forager
📏 Taille
Large (2.7-3.6 kg)
⏳ Espérance de vie
5-8 years
🎨 Couleurs
Cuckoo (barred), black — two recognised varieties
🌍 Origine
France — Gournay-en-Bray, Upper Normandy; developed 19th century
🏠 Habitat
Free-range or enclosed run; adapted to the damp Norman climate and rich pasture
🍽️ Alimentation
Layer pellets; effective forager on Norman dairy pasture
🎯 Usage
Dual Purpose
🥚 Couleur des œufs
White
👑 Type de crête
Single
🏅 Classe EE
Large Fowl