Lyonnaise Chicken

Would you like to own a one of a kind and beautiful show stopping bird? Check out our Lyonnaise (La poule Lyonnaise) flock! These birds are extremely rare and exceptionally gorgeous – we are proud of our flock. They are one of the most friendly and calm breeds we have here on the farm.  They even seem to excel at free range living even in a predator-rich environment. Lyonnaise love to forage for bugs and can be helpers in our garden beds. They also do really well in confinement.

Our breeder birds have beetle black feathers (some white flecks), and black and grey legs, the offspring can be black with white and yellow. They can even have 5 toes. They have multiple kinds of crests that sweeps to the back of the head, like a well-coiffed hairdo. There is some white, and yellow flecks in some of the Lyonnaise crests, some all black. There are also some white and yellow tips on the wing feathers. Their feathering is either frizzled or flat feathered and we have both varieties in our outstanding flock. They lay medium-sized white eggs, perfect for that breakfast omelet. They lay very well and are very hardy birds, withstanding the harsh weather conditions of Vermont. We are very impressed! They are a dual purpose bird, which means they can be used for eggs and meat. They have excellent tasting breast meat. Look it up, in France they are considered one of the top table birds for their breast meat. They are considered a landrace breed which means there is no standard of conformity and can adapt to any environment, which we love. Surprises in every hatch!

These birds are extremely rare and a beauty to see. We are very excited to offer this rare breed to our customers. They are truly a beautiful bird and a pleasure to have on the farm. We can say our Lyonnaise flock is one of the top flocks in the Country. In the flock hierarchy they tend to be in the middle so can do fairly well with all types. All our birds are vaccinated for Marek’s disease at birth and are Non-GMO.

History

Lyonnaise are virtually unknown outside of their native France, and they are so rare that even in the erudite Aviculture Europe this fascinating chicken is listed under “Unknown Breeds.” Lyonnaise were created by breeder Mr. Etienne Tamburini of Lyon, France, in the 1950s, and it was almost two decades before this mid-sized large fowl was formally recognized as a breed. To develop the breed he crossed a white Silkie and a bantam Dutch rooster with a bare neck and frizzled feathers. These offspring were then crossed to a white-crested Dutch, and Black Hamburg. After, fourteen years of work, the breed was recognized in 1969. The breed was intended as a table fowl, and it is known for its excellent white meat. It is said that the Lyonnaise has one of the finest breast meats of all chickens.