Salmon Faverolles
Feathers Plus
Salmon Faverolles originated in a small village in France called Faverolles. Their genetic composition mixes Houdan, Brahma, French Rennes, Flemish cuckoo, Malines, and Dorking.
It is entirely possible that other breeds were used too. We will never know for sure since no records exist of the creation of this breed.
French farmers were looking for a hen that fleshed out well for the market and laid a good amount of eggs. At that time, the Houdan was the current breed in favor and supplied the Parisian markets with fresh meat and eggs, but the Houdan detested the recent introduction of cage confinement and did not behave well.
The farmers were looking for a hen that tolerated caged confinement better than the Houdan.
The Faverolles seemed to tolerate confinement very well and did not exhibit any cage-induced bad habits as the Houdan did.
They were equally at home foraging in the fields – a very accommodating hen.
In 1894 the first Faverolles were imported to the UK, where the British continued to work with the bird and even set a UK standard for the breed.
It wasn’t until the early 1900s that they were imported to the states by a Dr. Phelps of Glen Falls, New York.
Health Issues
Their beards and feathered legs are overly prone to lice. You will need to check regularly to make sure your flock does not have an infestation.
If you need to ‘dust’ them, be careful around the eyes and beak; the dust can irritate both.
Feathered legs are also prone to scaly leg mites.
The feathers make it very difficult to spot until the problem is noticeable. Again, regular checking should keep things under control.
Faverolles seems to be a robust and healthy bird with an expected lifespan of between 5-7 years.
Salmon Faverolles are exuberant about life. They are friendly, curious, and comical.
They will dash wildly around the yard bumping into each other, and carry on as if whatever they are doing is of the utmost importance.
They are very cuddly and lovable hens, and they enjoy talking with you, especially one on one.
They are docile and gentle birds and, as such, do tend to be at or near the bottom of the pecking order, so oversee them to make sure the more assertive hens aren’t bullying them.
Eggs
As for eggs, they are good layers of tinted/very light brown, medium-sized eggs. They lay an average of around 180-200 eggs per year/roughly 4 eggs per week.
Opinions are divided on the broodiness of this chicken, but from observing my little flock, I would say it’s about average.
Challenges
One of the biggest challenges of raising a Salmon Faverolle goes hand-in-hand with one of its major benefits – this chicken is so docile and gentle that it can easily become the target of other, more aggressive hens. Therefore you need to exercise caution when introducing Salmon Faverolles to a mixed flock, as they can find themselves the targets of aggression.
Despite their cold-hardiness, Salmon Faverolles aren’t known for being exceptionally heat-hardy. They don’t do well in the hot summer sun, particularly because of the dense feathering that covers the entirety of their bodies, so you will need to provide some supplemental shade. Clean, fresh water is also essential to keep these chickens nice and cool.
Although Salmon Faverolles are remarkably cold-hardy, you will need to do some extra work in the winter to make sure their feathers (and particularly their legs and feet) remain dry at all times. Since they have so many feathers there, it is easy for them to become chilled or develop frostbite.
Another thing to note about the Salmon Faverolle – though not necessarily a challenge and more of a consideration – is that you may have some trouble finding these birds. They aren’t incredibly common at most farm and garden stores in the United States, but luckily, chicks or hatching eggs can be purchased from many hatcheries.
If you are breeding any kind of Faverolle for exhibition, you will want to make sure you select the correct hen and rooster bloodline. Since they are considered “threatened” birds, you need to make sure that the breeding was done with any rules set in place by the Livestock Conservancy.