Friendly and somewhat shy, the Brabanter chicken breed doesn’t mind handling. Its small crest doesn’t get as dirty as the crests of other chicken breeds, but owners should keep a tidy coop to preserve feather quality. The Brabanter stands at medium height and has an upright, alert stance, with a long back and a well-spread tail held high.

In the U.S., the Brabanter appears most often in Cream or Golden plumages. Most varieties have slate-blue shanks.

The Brabanter’s small V-shaped comb and wattles withstand frostbite in cold climates; both are bright red. The bird’s white earlobes often remain hidden beneath its muff.

While it’s considered an ornamental breed, a Brabanter hen will lay a decent amount of large, white eggs during spring and summer and won’t go broody.

Mature males weigh as much as 7 pounds.

Hens weigh 6 pounds.

This story originally appeared in the November/December 2017 issue of Chickens magazine.