The Crèvecœur is among the oldest French breeds, a solid black crested bird kept as a table fowl long before a meat industry existed. It carries a large crest, a beard, and a small V-shaped comb hidden beneath, on a compact heavy body. Hens lay 120 to 150 white eggs a year and are calm but easily startled, since the crest limits what they can see coming. It adapts to most climates provided the crest and beard are kept from freezing wet, and the Livestock Conservancy lists it as watch.
Cold hardy
Heat tolerant
Broody
Flighty
Egg colorWhite
Egg production120–150 / year
TemperamentFlighty
BroodinessOccasional
ClimateCold hardy, Heat tolerant
PurposeEggs, Show
Weight
Large fowl (Standard size)
Hen5 lb
Rooster6.5 lb
Bantam (Miniature size)
Hen1.4–1.8 lb
Rooster1.7–2.1 lb
How to spot it
CombV-shaped
Small V-shaped comb, largely hidden by the crest
Crest
Large and rounded, with a beard and muffs beneath
Plumage
Solid black with a beetle-green sheen
Look for
An all-black crested bird with a beard — the Houdan is mottled, the Polish unbearded in most varieties
V-shaped
