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Origin
: The Tirlemont or Brabant game was first mentioned in 1884. It originates
from the triangle formed by the provinces of Brabant, Limburg and Liège
but especially from the region around Tienen (Tirlemont).
Characteristics
: Besides an impressive number of eggs, the Tirlemont also produces a large
quantity of very fine and tasteful meat. One should always remember that
some bloodlines still tend to be aggressive so both sexes are best
raised separately. Once the order is settled in a group, Tirlemont game are
docile birds which can become very tame if they are paid enough
attention to.
Appearance
: The Tirlemont is a striking bird because of its large and powerful
appearance. An adult rooster weighs about 5 to 5,5 kg and an adult hen
about 4 kilos. The appearance of the Tirlemont is very similar to the Liège
game with the key difference being the total absence of dark pigment in
the Tirlemont. Regardless of the variety, a Tirlemont should always have white
skin, a white beak and pinkish white shanks. The face and comb should
always be bright red and the eyes orange. The head of the Tirlemont is
somewhat finer than the head of the Liège. The comb is triple and
preferred as small as possible. In contradiction to most other breeds,
spurs are desired in the hens.
Varieties
: The Tirlemont game comes in several varieties but the most typical is
cuckoo. Other recognized varieties are black, white, blue, wheaten, blue
wheaten, golden cuckoo, black-red,
blue-red, silver duckwing, blue silver, golden duckwing, blue golden
duckwing, birchen, blue birchen, yellow birchen and blue yellow birchen.
State
: Endangered. The Tirlemont game is one of the most endangered Belgian
breeds. There are only a handful breeders left in Flanders. Unknown in
other countries.
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