Association for Promotion of Belgian Poultry Breeds

Birchen Ardenner rooster

Origin : The Ardenner is a very old Belgian breed that still shows a lot of the characteristics of the ancient primitive fowl it descends from. There is very little known about the exact origin of the breed but that’s often so with very old breeds. The Ardenner supposedly would descend in straight line from the ancient Gallic breed, the Gauloise. The first descriptions of the Ardenner go back to the second half of the nineteenth century. Famous poultry specialists from those days wrote about the Ardenner and the existence of several varieties. In 1893 the  ‘Union Avicole de Liège’ a poultry association that intensively promoted the Ardenner was founded in Liège. This lead to a flourishing period which lasted until the outbreak of the First World War. Hundreds of birds were entered at poultry shows in this period in several different varieties.

A pair of birchen Ardenners

Characteristics : Modern Ardenners are still very rustic and still have ‘wild bird’-characteristics. They easily run wild, they easily fly, the fencing can hardly be high enough and they sleep outside in all weather conditions. When they are caught they often start screaming until they are released. In order to find they own feed they scratch all day with an unbelievable enthusiasm. All this makes the Ardenner a breed of first choice for anyone who has a lot of space. An orchard or a piece of land with shrubs is very well suited. The hens lay about 120 to 150 eggs per year and brood themselves if allowed. The chicks grow up without any problems.

Appearance : The Ardenner is not a heavy breed. Young birds hardly weigh 2 kilos and adult birds weigh about 2,5 kg maximum. It has a proud appearance and is very streamlined. The back is long and gently slopes towards the tail. The tail is long and closed in the hen which accentuates the streamline. The comb is single and upright in both sexes but not too large.  Very striking is the dark pigmentation of the face, earlobes, wattles and comb. The intensity of this pigment depends on the variety (from very dark in birchen to red in silver duckwing). Also the eyes, beak and shanks, toes and nails are dark. There is also a rumpless Ardenner in which the vertebrae and the feathers of the tail are missing.

Varieties : The most typical varieties are birchen and yellow birchen because they have the most typical darkly pigmented heads. Ardenners are also recognized in black-red, blue-red, silver duckwing, and black. The same varieties exist in the rumpless Ardenner.

State : Rather popular in the Southern French-speaking part of Belgium. Rare in the North but the interest in this breed is increasing there. Can also be found in France and is extremely rare in Holland. Unknown in other countries. The rumpless Ardenner is rare in the South of Belgium and very rare in the North.

Black-red rumpless Ardenner rooster