Poultry
Houdan
B tier
Houdan is a historic French crested breed from the town of Houdan in Île-de-France, with a full crest and beard, V-comb, five toes, and mottled black-and-white plumage in the classic type. Bred as a dual-purpose market fowl for Paris, it combines ornamental head furnishings with a deep, broad body for table use. Meat is mild to richly savoury when slow-grown, with good roasting quality in young birds and excellent braising potential in older stock. Houdans are now mainly conserved by fanciers and heritage producers rather than large commercial hatcheries.
Also known as: Houdan, Houdan, Houdan, Houdan, Houdan
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Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
Grading systems
Grades are placed along a shared scale so systems can be compared side by side.
History
Crested five-toed fowl of the Houdan district supplied poultry to Parisian markets from farms west of the capital.
French agricultural shows and market demand standardised the mottled Houdan as a leading dual-purpose breed.
British fanciers imported Houdans, refining crest and mottling for exhibition while retaining utility interest.
American poultry standards recognised Houdans among the early admitted French table breeds.
Newer dual-purpose and commercial birds reduced Houdan’s share of French market poultry.
French rare-breed and farmhouse poultry movements supported conservation of classic mottled Houdans.