About
The mottled Houdan are a crested variety of poultry. They are similar looking to polish, except they always have five toes. The Houdan is muffed and bearded and has an unusual shaped comb. While they handle heat well, they aren’t particularly cold-hardy. Crested breeds always need extra care during the winter months.
The Houdan was formerly a dual-purpose fowl, kept for both eggs and meat: for part of the nineteenth century it was one of the principal meat breeds of France. In the twenty-first century it is an endangered breed, and is reared primarily for showing.
The hens lay medium white eggs, averaging 150-230 eggs per year. They are a sweet, docile, friendly breed, although roosters may or may not be aggressive with people. Houdans are best kept with breeds with similar temperaments and other crested breeds as they may be “picked on” because of their feathering. They do fine in confinement, but they like to forage, so they do need enough room to roam about some. Be aware that those with large crests may not be able to see predators, so they will need to be protected or you may need to trim their crests.
The average male Houdan weighs 7 lbs and female weighs around 5.5 lbs. They are an average sized bird, but do to their passive personalities, smaller breeds do great with them as well.
