, country = Netherlands , distribution = , standard = , use = meat , nickname = , apa = , aba = , ee = , pcgb = rare soft feather: heavy , maleweight = Standard: 3.5–4.0 kg
Bantam: 1000 g , femaleweight = Standard: 2.75–3.25 kg
Bantam: 900 g , skincolor = , eggcolor = , comb = single , note = , type = Chicken , latin = Gallus gallus domesticus The North Holland Blue, nl, Noord-Hollandse Blauwe, italic=no or , is a Dutch

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

of domestic chicken originating in the province of

North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...

. It is a heavy meat breed, and was created to supply the high demand for white chicken meat from the city of Amsterdam, particularly from the Jewish community in that city.

History

The North Holland Blue was created in the area around Purmerend in about 1900 to supply the city of Amsterdam with white chicken-meat. It derives from the Belgian

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 ...

. Malines birds had been imported for the purpose but did not do well in the poor conditions of North Holland. They were therefore crossed with local chickens. A breed standard was agreed in 1934 by the Noord-Hollandse Blauwenclub van Nederland, a breeders' association, and in 1950 was adopted with minor changes by the Nederlandse Hoender en Dwerghoender Bond, the national association of poultry breeders. In the years after the Second World War the North Holland Blue was supplanted as a commercial meat breed by faster-growing imported American breeds. The last large North Holland Blue farm closed in 1977. A bantam version was also created in the Netherlands, but was first shown in Germany. The North Holland Blue is recognised in eight European countries.

Characteristics

The North Holland Blue has only one colour, Cuckoo. It has a quiet, docile temperament, and lays 180–240 eggs per year. In the Netherlands and New Zealand it is clean-legged; British breed standards call for lightly feathered legs.

References

Chicken breeds Chicken breeds originating in the Netherlands Animal breeds on the RBST Watchlist Culture of North Holland Purmerend {{poultry-stub