Belgium Bearded d'Uccle

Belgium Bearded d'Uccle

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The Belgian Bearded d'Uccle (pronounced dew-clay), or Barbu D'Uccle in French, is a breed of bantam chicken originating from the town of Uccle on the outskirts of Brussels, Belgium. The bird is frequently referred to as the Mille Fleur in the U.S.,[1] after the most common color variation (which is French for "thousand flowers"). It also has a related variant that is tailless, called the Belgian d'Everberg.
Origins

The Breed came into being in the early 19th Century, and was created by a Belgian man by the name of Michael Van Gelder. Most sources maintain that it originated from crosses of the Antwerp Belgian and the sabelpoot which is known today as the Booted Bantam, and raised as a closely related but separated breed.

Appearance

Barbu D'Uccles have a low posture, a short but well developed neck and a rather open tail-feathering. D'Uccles have a single comb, different from its rose-combed relative the d'Anvers. The weight of a cock is around 26 ounces and a hen weighs roughly 22 ounces. The Belgian Bearded D'Uccles comes in many color variations such as: Mille Fleur, Porcelain, Black mottled, Buff mottled, Blue mottled, Blue Mille Fleur, Buff Colombian, Brown red, Red, White, Black, Buff, Blue, Colombian, Lavender, Splash, Golden Necked and Lemon.

Characteristics

The Belgian Bearded D'Uccle is renowned for being a calm bird. Bearded D'Uccle eggs are notably small and are coated with creamy or tinted coloring. The breed is known for being very broody, and a typical hen can lay her eggs over a two-week period, though others have taken as long as three weeks (21 days).In the US they are frequently referred to as Mille Fleur or Millies, in spite of the fact that Mille Fleur is only one of their color variants and it also appears in other breeds, such as Leghorns, Dutch Bantams, Old Englishes, Booted Bantams, and many more.