Text and photo’s: Hans L. Schippers – Holland
Drawing: Marinette Meijer – Holland
History
The Braekel or Campine as it is known in English speaking countries belongs
to the group of the Belgian Continental Fowl breeds. They are closely related
to the pencilled poultry that can be found in nearly all the countries on the west
coast of Europe, for example the Bresse in France, the Braekel in Belgium, the
Hamburgh in Germany and the Friesian in the Netherlands. Braekels differ from these in that the breast, thighs and belly are pencilled, as are the wings of the cockerels. The breed is very old and was around during the Roman Conquest of Western Europe. Ulysses Aldrovandi (1522 - 1605), Bologna, Italy, describes a breed - the Gallus Turcicus - in his publication ‘Ornithologia’ of 1599 AD that resembles the Braekel. It is known that Braekels were marketed in 1400 AD in the surrounding area of Oudenaarde and Nederbraekel in Belgium. The breed became very well known in the middle of the last century for its high egg-production of albeit small eggs. At the beginning of the twentieth century there were two types in Belgium, namely the heavier Braekel and the lighter Campine. Eventually the two types were amalgamated. Around the same time, the Braekel-Campine poultry suddenly appeared which are known for their heavier, wider barring and these are now known as Campines in England and America. The undercolor is
white in the silver Campines and golden-bay in the gold Campines.
The plumage is more developed in the Braekel than in the Campine, which is
hen-feathered in the male. Therefore the hens and cockerels are almost
identical in color.
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Description
The Braekel belongs to the Continental Fowl group and is of medium height
and upright type. The elongated body, the wide and deep breast and
well-developed hindquarters are typical of the breed. The roosters are more
upright in type than the hens, which are more horizontal. The head is small in
comparison to the body as is the slightly curved, horn-colored beak. The
single, upright comb has five or six points and sometimes has dark pigment
spots. The medium long, well-rounded wattles are red, whereas the ear lobes
are white. The iris of the large eyes is black. The neck is moderately long and
slightly arched. The body is broad, deep and long and sloping slightly to the tail.
The large, well-developed tail with the long, well-curved sickles is carried at an
angle of 45 degrees above horizontal. The breast is deep and well rounded.
The fairly long legs and the toes are lead-blue in color. The spurs of the
cockerels are usually well developed.
Characteristics
Weight
Depending on sex and age, they weigh around 2000 to 2750 grams.
Varieties
Only two colors exist these days, namely the golden and the silver.
Aanvulling Chaams Fowl….
© Hans L. Schippers – Amstelveen - Holland
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