Breed Profile: Campine Chicken
A Beautiful Belgian Chicken Breed with a Long Heritage
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BREED: The Campine chicken we know today is likely to be a blend of the old Braekel (or Brakel) with its smaller variant, the Kempen (or Kempisch) hen.
ORIGIN: The Braekel has been documented in Belgium since 1416 and likened to paintings by Italian naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi in the sixteenth century. In addition, the similarity of traits to Mediterranean breeds and the Fayoumi suggests a connection with Ancient Rome.
The History of the Campine Chicken
The Braekel was famous in Belgium in the early sixteenth century. Originally a farmyard layer, they were later involved in the commercial development of the poultry industry in Belgium. Through crossing with the Malines, they contributed rapid feathering and growth.
Initially based in the lush, clay soil of East Flanders, the breed extended to the sandy heaths of the Campine region on the border with the Netherlands. This region is less fertile, providing less forage. Consequently, local Braekel lines developed smaller body sizes. By 1884, the larger and smaller lines were considered two separate breeds, the smaller being renamed Campine. However, in 1925, the standard recombined the two lines. Then, by 1962, the smaller birds were no longer seen in Belgium. Decades after their disappearance, Belgian breeders reimported Campines in 2013. Furthermore, they started an association to reintroduce the breed as the Kempens Hoen in 2017.
Recognition and Development in Britain and America
When Campine chickens arrived in England from Belgium in the early 1900s, breeders recognized them as the Chittiprats or “Dutch Everyday Layers” derived from birds imported in the 1700s. These had been developed into the Hamburg breed in the 1840s. It is likely these early birds also descended from the Braekel.
The original roosters had flowing hackles and long black tail feathers, as the Braekel does today. However, British exhibitors found the barring pattern difficult to perfect in hens when breeding with these males. They wished to avoid keeping separate flocks for male and female exhibition birds. Moreover, they aimed to maintain the hardiness and utility of the breed. Occasionally males appeared with hen-type coloring, without the long sickles and hackles of a typical rooster. The British club decided to breed for this type. Eventually, a hen-feathered Silver cockerel hatched from eggs imported from Belgium. This male also sired the offspring of Gold hens and spread the gene throughout the breed.
By the 1910s, popularity revived in Britain. Again, they left their mark on agricultural history—in 1929, scientists at Cambridge, UK, crossed Gold Campine with Barred Rock to pioneer auto-sexing chicks (where day-old male and female chicks have different down color).
Early imports of the Braekel had not raised much interest in the United States, and the early standard was dropped by 1898. In 1907, the British-style Campine was imported to New Jersey but initially deemed not “rugged enough.” The Homestead Campine Farm, Massachusetts, improved the breed’s hardiness for the northern States. The APA accepted the standard in 1914. Although some commercial operations fostered their egg-laying and exhibition qualities, they remained a small population due to the rise in popularity of other laying breeds.
A Heritage Breed Now Extremely Rare
CONSERVATION STATUS: Listed as “threatened” on the Livestock Conservancy Conservation Priority List and “at risk” by the FAO. There were 740 recorded in the United States in 2015, just over 100 in the UK in 2002, and just over 300 in Australia in 2021.
BIODIVERSITY: As a variety of the Braekel, the Campine derives from an ancient line. Enthusiasts sought to retain the purity of lineage while selecting for adaption to climate and purpose. Both varieties derive from Belgium, where other colors are also present.
Characteristics of the Campine Chicken
DESCRIPTION: A medium-sized bird with close-fitting plumage, compact body, round breast, long back, and well-spread tail held high. The rooster is hen-feathered, meaning he has short neck and saddle feathers and lacks sickles, similar to the hen, although his top tail feathers have a slight curve. Both sexes have the same patterning.
VARIETIES: The Silver has white head and neck feathers, with black and white barring on the body and tail. The Gold has the same pattern on a golden ground color instead of white.
SKIN COLOR: White with red comb and wattles, white ears, and gray legs.
COMB: Single with five points. The hen’s may fold to one side.
POPULAR USE: Eggs. A good breed for beginners.
EGG COLOR: White.
EGG SIZE: Medium.
PRODUCTIVITY: 140 to 200 eggs per year. Non-broody.
WEIGHT: Hens pounds (1.8 kilograms); Roosters 6 pounds (2.7 kilograms). The original Campine would have been considerably smaller, with hen size reported as 2.6 pounds (1.2 kilograms) at most. British breeders may have included the larger Braekel lines in their development.
TEMPERAMENT: Friendly, chatty, and inquisitive, but they dislike handling. Many owners find them entertaining to watch. Frequently perceived as flighty, they are active and alert to possible dangers.
ADAPTABILITY: Highly adapted to poor vegetation, they are keen foragers, needing space to roam to feel content. While free-ranging, they need minimal extra feed. They prefer warm or temperate climates and do not thrive in extreme cold. Their large single combs are susceptible to frostbite.
Sources
- The Livestock Conservancy
- Braekel Club
- Kempens Hoen
- Lewer, S.H. 1912. Wright’s Book of Poultry. Cassell.
- Roberts, V., 2009. British Poultry Standards. John Wiley & Sons.
- Ekarius, C., 2007. Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. Storey Publishing.
- Moula, N., Jacquet, M., Verelst, A., Antoine-Moussiaux, N., Farnir, F., and Leroy, P., 2012. Les races de poules belges. Annales de Médecine Vétérinaire (156).
- FAO Domestic Animal Diversity Information System
TAMSIN COOPER keeps chickens and goats on her smallholding in France, where she aspires to live as sustainably as possible. She follows the latest research on farm animal behavior and mentors on a chicken welfare Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).
Originally published in the February/March 2024 issue of Backyard Poultry and regularly vetted for accuracy.