La Flèche is a French breed named for its comb — la flèche, the arrow — two upright red spikes set in a V above the beak. It was the premium table bird of the Le Mans market, prized for exceptionally fine white flesh, and it grows slowly to a large frame. Hens lay 140 to 220 white eggs a year and are active, flighty birds, poor candidates for confinement. The Livestock Conservancy lists it as critical and it is rarely offered outside specialist breeders.
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Cold hardy
Egg colorWhite
Egg production140–220 / year
TemperamentDocile
BroodinessRare
ClimateCold hardy
PurposeMeat, Show
Weight
Large fowl (Standard size)
Hen6.5 lb
Rooster8 lb
Bantam (Miniature size)
Hen1.6 lb
Rooster1.9 lb
How to spot it
CombV-shaped
Two upright horn-like spikes in a V, with no conventional comb blade
Plumage
Solid black with a green sheen
Body
Tall and long, heavier than it looks
Look for
The two-spiked devil's-horn comb on an all-black bird
V-shaped
