Bassette Liégeoise

The Bassette Liégeoise or Bassette is a breed of large bantam chicken from Belgium. It is larger than most bantams, but much smaller than full-sized breeds; cocks weigh about 1000 grams and hens about 900 g. Like most Belgian bantam breeds, it is in danger of extinction.[2]: 54  Eighteen colour patterns are officially recognised; many of them are rare.[6][7]

Bassette Liégeoise
Conservation statusFAO (2007): endangered[1]: 9 
Moula: in danger[2]: 57 
Other namesBassette
Country of originBelgium
DistributionFlanders, Wallonia
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    1000 g[3]
  • Female:
    900 g[3]
Classification
EEyes[4]
PCGBnot listed[5]

History

Like the Belgian Bantam, the Bassette Liégeoise derives from the widespread European population of small partridge-coloured bantams which in Flemish were known as Engelse kiekskes, "English bantams". In the nineteenth century there was in the area of Liège, in Wallonia, a variable type of small chicken known by regional name bassette, "little chicken", which was thought to derive from inter-breeding of these bantams with local chicken breeds. It was valued for hatching partridge and pheasant eggs. From about 1917 William Collier of Brussels started to selectively breed these for consistent characteristics and for egg-laying capacity.[2]: 54 [8] A breed standard was drawn up in 1930 and was approved in 1932.[2]: 54 [9]

The Bassette Liégeoise is distributed both in Flanders and in Wallonia; some are found in France, in Germany and in the Netherlands.[7] Like most Belgian bantam breeds, it is rare and at risk of extinction.[2]: 55 

Characteristics

The Bassette Liégeoise is larger than most bantams, but much smaller than full-sized breeds; cocks weigh about 1000 grams and hens about 900 g. It is nevertheless considered a bantam breed.[8] The comb is single, the earlobes are white, and the beak and legs are slate-blue.[7]

Eighteen colour patterns are officially recognised in Belgium.[6] Quail and silver quail are most often seen; partridge is less common, and the other colours are rare or perhaps extinct.[7]

Use

Bassette Liégeoise hens are good layers, and lay 125–180 eggs per year; the eggs weigh about 42–48 g. The hens are good sitters and good mothers.[2]: 54 

References
  1. Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Accessed November 2016.
  2. N. Moula, M. Jacquet, A. Verelst, N. Antoine-Moussiaux, F. Farnir, P. Leroy (2012). Les races de poules belges (in French). Annales de Médecine Vétérinaire 156: 37-65. Accessed November 2016.
  3. Breed data sheet: Belgisch kriel/Belgium. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed November 2016.
  4. Liste des races et variétés homologuée dans les pays EE (28.04.2013). Entente Européenne d'Aviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.
  5. Victoria Roberts (2008). British poultry standards: complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist breed clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 9781405156424. p. 75.
  6. Nationale standaardcommissie hoenders (2013). Officiële lijst van de in België erkende krielrassen en hun kleurslagen (in Dutch). Vlaams Interprovinciaal Verbond van Fokkers van Neerhofdieren. Accessed November 2016.
  7. Belgische kriel (in Dutch). Vereniging ter Promotie van Belgische Neerhofdieren. Accessed November 2016.
  8. Bassette (in Dutch). ZOBK, Speciaalclub voor Zeldzame Oorspronkelijke Belgische Krielhoenderrassen. Archived 16 April 2012.
  9. Belgische kriel (in Dutch). Steunpunt Levend Erfgoed. Accessed November 2016.
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