The Firerolle hen is a beautiful breed bred in France. It was bred as an economic bird in the 1860s in north-central France (near the villages of Houdan and Faverolles). And the name “Faverol” comes from the French village of Faveroll.
They are now very popular as a dual purpose breed and are also bred primarily for show and novelty. Several different breeds of chickens were used to develop this breed.
Such as Brahma, Crvecoeur, Coucou de Rennes, Dorking, Houdan and possibly Cochin. The firerolle chicken was bred specifically for meat production. But they also produce a large number of eggs, so they are true dual-purpose birds.
This breed arrived in Britain in 1886 and made its way to the United States around the early 1900s. There are many colorful varieties of fireball chicken. But not all color varieties are recognized by the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Excellence.
The Faverolles chicken-salmon variety was accepted into the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Excellence in 1914, and the white variety in 1981. There are also bantam varieties of this breed. Discover below the characteristics, behavior and complete profile of the Faverolles chicken breed.
Characteristics of firerolle chicken
The firerolle chicken is a large breed with a beard, feathered shins, a muff, and a 5th toe (instead of the usual four). The most common color of this breed is salmon. The plumage of salmon hens is mainly brown and creamy white.
But the males are darker, with black, brown and straw feathers. Other color options for the Faverolles hen include black, blue, cuckoo, ermine and splash. They have small wings and a single medium-sized vertical comb with five points and no barbs.
They have a short neck, a broad, round head, and reddish laurel eyes. Roosters are large and lush, straw-colored, black and reddish-brown. The chicks are creamy white with a muff, fluffy legs and a fifth toe.
The firerolle chicken has barely noticeable earrings or none at all. They have red earlobes and white skin color. Chickens are good with egg layers ranging from light brown to pinkish. On average, Faverolle roosters weigh about 5 kg, and hens – about 4.3 kg. Photo from Wikipedia.
Behaviour/Temperament
Chicken firerolles are gentle, friendly and calm in nature. This is why this breed has become popular to be kept as a pet. They are safe even for children. They are an excellent choice as a dual purpose breed for meat and egg production.
They are very active and alert birds. Chickens are good laying hens and can successfully overwinter. They also make very good broods and mothers. Firerolli chickens are excellent foragers, even the chicks will be ready for food from a young age.
But this breed also does well indoors. Chickens develop rapidly and grow rapidly with proper care and quality feed. Because they have a small crest and dense plumage, they are ideal for cold conditions. Their average life expectancy is about 5 to 7 years.
They are prone to bullying by other chickens if kept with other species (like many other large chicken breeds). Depending on several factors such as age, weather and food, Faverolles hens lay between 150 and 200 eggs per year. See the full breed profile of the Faverolles hen below.
| Breed name | Faverolles |
| another name | everything |
| Purpose of the breed | Dual purpose (meat and eggs) |
| Broad temperament | Calm, Obedient, Sympathetic, Robust, Easily controllable, Calm, Tolerates confinement well |
| Breed size | big |
| sullen instinct | Medium |
| comb | A |
| climatic tolerance | All climates |
| egg color | Light brown to pink |
| Egg size | medium |
| Egg performance | medium |
| feathered feet | Yes |
| scarcity | Available |
| Varieties | The most common color varieties are salmon and white. And both of these color varieties are recognized by the American Poultry Association. Other color options include black, fawn, blue, salmon blue, peekaboo, ermine, lace blue, mahogany, and splash. |
