Croad Langshan
Gallus gallus domesticus
✨ Fait Amusant
The Croad Langshan was so highly valued that Major Croad's original import birds cost him the equivalent of a year's officer salary — and he sold their offspring for equally astronomical sums, starting a 'Langshan bubble' in Victorian poultry markets that briefly made chicken breeding more profitable than wheat farming.
The original Langshan breed imported from China by Major Croad in 1872, the Croad Langshan is the foundational strain that all Western Langshan varieties descend from. Unlike the general 'Langshan' category already in the database, the Croad Langshan is specifically the original tall, leggy bird with greenish-black plumage, a single comb, and feathered legs — Major Croad brought these from the Langshan district near Nantong in Jiangsu Province to his Sussex estate. The Croad Langshan was one of three great Asian breeds (along with Brahmas and Cochins) that transformed Western poultry keeping in the 19th century. It became immensely popular as an exhibition and dual-purpose breed in Britain, valued for large brown eggs and fine meat. After Major Croad's death, the original strain was maintained by the Croad Langshan Club, preserving the taller, more elegant original type distinct from the stockier German Langshan. Recognised by the EE Europastandard and PCGB.
🏷️ Race
Croad Langshan
💭 Tempérament
Calm, docile, friendly, cold-hardy, good forager
📏 Taille
Large (3.2-4.1 kg)
⏳ Espérance de vie
5-8 years
🎨 Couleurs
Greenish-black (the original colour), also white and blue
🌍 Origine
UK (from China) — Langshan, Nantong, Jiangsu; imported by Major Croad 1872
🏠 Habitat
Free-range or enclosed run; feathered legs need dry ground
🍽️ Alimentation
Layer pellets; good forager on pasture
🎯 Usage
Dual Purpose
🥚 Couleur des œufs
Brown
👑 Type de crête
Single
🏅 Classe EE
Large Fowl