The Coucou des Flandres, nl, Vlaamse Koekoek, italic=no, is a criticallyendangered Belgian breed of domestic

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

. It may have a common origin with the

Malines Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

from the area of

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

(french: ), in the province of Antwerp in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

, or may indeed represent the original type of that breed before it was

cross-bred A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. ''Crossbreeding'', sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to main ...

in the nineteenth century with various different types of imported Oriental chicken. By the time of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

it had disappeared; it was re-created in the years before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It is critically endangered in Belgium, but more numerous in

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hi ...

in France. It may also be known as the Poulet de Dendre, for the Dender river in its area of origin.

History

The origins of the Coucou des Flandres are unknown. It may have existed for hundreds of years. It is apparently related to the

from the area of

(french: ), in the province of Antwerp in

. It may perhaps represent the original type of the Malines breed before it was

in the nineteenth century with various different types of imported Oriental chicken including birds brought from

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, China, to the zoological gardens of Antwerp as well as

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

, Langshan and

Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

birds. The Coucou des Flandres had disappeared by the time of the

, but was re-created in the years before the

. It is critically endangered in Belgium, where in 2005 a census found only 53 birds. It is more numerous in northern

in France.

Characteristics

The Coucou des Flandres has only one plumage variety, cuckoo. The

comb A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...

is single; the legs are pinkish-white and unfeathered.

Use

Coucou des Flandres hens lay about 150 cream-coloured eggs per year, with a weight of about They are good mothers and good sitters.

History

Characteristics

Use

References

Further reading