Salmon Faverolle Chicken: Breed Information, Care Guide, Meat and Egg Color

Salmon Faverolle chicken may sound like a delicious French menu for you. But before you think of ordering one, you should realize that it’s a chicken breed developed in France. This extraordinary breed is funny, entertaining, and also a great egg layer. In fact, their appearance alone is enough to wish you have one in your backyard So, don’t just sit there. Read this comprehensive guide so you know everything about this salmon favorable chicken breed.

Salmon Faverolle Chickens History

As mentioned above, the Salmon Faverolle chicken breed originated in France. This backyard clown has a very rich history. As a matter of fact, Faverolles is the name of the town where this breed was developed back in the 1860s. It is located southwest of Paris, just so you know. But first, you should know how to pronounce “Faverolle” properly as French people do. First of all, “Faverolle” should be spelled with the letter “s” just like the town where the breed came from. The letter “s” is also included in the spelling whether it is plural or singular. But once you say it, you should omit the letter “s” because it is silent. Also, the correct pronunciation of “faverolles” is “fa-ver-ol.” However, it is not like when we pronounce “favor.” Instead, the “a” is pronounced just like we say “apple.” On the other hand, the “o” should be pronounced the way we pronounce “open.” Now, repeat after me – “Fa-ver-ol.” Very good, children! But because a lot of people have already gotten used to spelling “Faverolles” without “s”, then you will read “favorable” in this entire article. To continue with the Salmon Faverolle’s history, did you know that the breed was developed using different breeds? This includes Brahma, Dorking, Houdan, Flemish Cuckoo, French Rennes, and Malines. Apparently, this is no official records explaining their exact genetic composition. Therefore, the source of the crossbreed is unknown. Sometime in 1886, a new breed was developed and it had a distinct color consistency in its feathers and was the one with the Houdan breed. However, they became aggressive when caging chickens became a tradition. The French chicken breeders then switched to the Faverolle breed, which was more tolerant when caged. After a successful introduction in England in 1894, exporting them to the US immediately followed. This Faverolle chicken breed had a wide variety of color patterns. However, only the Salmon and the White varieties captured the attention of the Americans at that time. Later, the Salmon variety became more than the white one. By the way, did you know that the Faverolle breed is the only chicken that has a salmon color pattern? According to the classification of the American Poultry Association (APA), salmon favorable chicken is a continental breed. On the other hand, both the American Bantam Association (ABA) and the Poultry Club of Great Britain (PCGB) classified it as a feather-legged and soft feather, heavy, respectively.

Salmon Faverolle Chicken Appearance

Both male and female Faverolle chickens have a lighter color than their counterparts in other breeds. Other color patterns of the Faverolle chicken followed later, such as black, blue, and buff. All of them are available in the US. However, they are very rare, and the Salmon Faverolle chicken became the most popular color pattern among them all. For their physical appearance, male Faverolle chickens are very different from their female counterpart. They have black chocolate feathers on their fluffy beard, belly, and tail, along with feathered legs that add to their charismatic look. Some of them may have a white beard, head, and neck, while others have more white than black. On the other hand, female Faverolle chickens are light, pink salmon from their feathers to beaks. Their backs have the same colors, only darker. Some of them also have this color spreading down to their wings. They also have a red line on their heads which somehow resembles the famous hair of Mr. T (from the A-Team). Interestingly, both of them have their earlobes hidden behind their muffs. They also look big because of their fluffy feathers. And while most breeds have four toes, favorable chickens have five toes. Overall, you might not recognize that the males and females both belong to the favorable chicken breed. Nevertheless, chicks are usually yellowish with dark markings.

How Heavy are Salmon Faverolle Chickens?

Salmon Faverolle chickens have two sizes – medium-sized and bantam (small.) Medium-sized males weigh about 8 pounds, while females weigh about 6 pounds. On the other hand, their male bantam version weighs about 30 ounces (1.8 pounds) and their female counterparts weigh about 26 ounces (1.5 pounds) only.

How do Salmon Faverolle Chickens Behave?

The Faverolles are very talkative and expressive chickens, especially the hens. However, most males crow more frequently than while the others crow louder. But in general, these noisy chickens are very friendly, gentle, and docile. They are also very sociable, love to sit on laps, demand attention, and like to be touched. These French breeds are also inquisitive and will come close to you as if they’re going to ask something. They are very curious about everything, incredibly active, and enjoy communicating with humans. Not to mention, they are affectionate, easy to bond with and have a very funny personality. But that of course, if you treat them properly. When it comes to pecking order, most of them prefer to be in the lowest rank and don’t bully other breeds. Instead, they can easily get bullied by dominant breeds such as the Speckled Sussex chickens. Nevertheless, they can easily get along with other breeds that have the same behavior as theirs. Also, they tend to be protective of other breeds. In some cases, Salmon Faverolle chickens can be shy once introduced to other breeds. They may create a distance from others and will prefer being alone. But once they feel comfortable, you will be surprised to see that they are very sociable and easy to get along with. In fact, they love to chat and crow as if they are telling some stories. Broodiness seems to be inconsistent with Faverolle hens. They are usually broody but tend to change their minds easily and leave their eggs without a warning. In short, they go broody but only for a short time. This is probably because of their being naturally active. Hence, most of them are excellent mothers and are very caring to their chicks. These fluffy chickens are also good foragers and although they don’t complain about being confined, they prefer being free-range. At some point, their curiosity can pose a health risk. Because they tend to eat everything they see, they are prone to digestive problems. With that, they may need more food supplements than the other breeds.

Are Salmon Faverolle Chickens Heat Tolerant or Cold Hardy?

Salmon Faverolle chickens are remarkably cold and hardy and can even continue to lay eggs during winter as compared to other breeds. This is not surprising since they got used to winter in Paris. However, some roosters have large combs making both of them susceptible to frostbite. But in general, Salmon Faverolle has medium-sized combs. On the other hand, they are so tolerant of heat. This is probably because they don’t only have crowded feathers on their bodies. As mentioned earlier, they also have feathers on their muffs, beards, and legs. You might notice them panting a lot during summer. It’s like wearing a thick leather jack the whole day under the sun. Imagine that!

What and How Should You Feed Salmon Faverolle Chickens?

There’s nothing special about feeding Salmon Faverolle chickens. You can give them anything that other breeds eat. This includes starter feed, grower feed, and layer feed. They also eat anything they can scratch on the soil. While this is a good habit, they tend to be obese. Therefore, don’t give them too many chicken scratches and monitor their weight regularly. But more importantly, make sure their water is full of clean, fresh water.

Are Salmon Faverolle Chickens Great Egg Layers? What is the Color of their Eggs?

Faverolle hens are generally good egg layers and can lay 150-200 eggs a year or 3-4 eggs a week! These comical chickens mature a bit late and can lay their first egg once they reach 20 weeks (5 months) of age. Their eggs are usually light brown, but you may also see pale pink and creamy white. Egg size is mostly medium but a few of them can be smaller or bigger. Note, however, that those bred for exhibitions will lay fewer eggs.

Are Salmon Faverolle Chickens Good for Meat Production?

Faverolle chickens were originally bred for meat production and therefore, are excellent table foods. This is quite obvious because of their solid, deep, and compact bodies. However, you might not be able to maximize their potential because they are hard to find these days. This breed was previously considered a critically endangered species. The Livestock Conservancy Priority List declared it as “threatened” which means they are rare. A chicken breed is declared “threatened” when it has less than 1,000 breeding birds in the US, with seven or fewer major breeding flocks, and has a worldwide population of less than 5,000. Nevertheless, Faverolles remain as dual-purpose chickens.

Do Salmon Faverolle Chickens Have Health Issues?

Faverolle chickens are generally healthy. But because of their scaly and feathered legs, they are prone to mites, lice, and other harmful parasites. Feathers are great hiding places for pests, so it’s quite hard to find them unless they have already caused damage. This is especially true in the muffs and beards of your beloved chickens. Their thick, fluffy feathers also make them less tolerant against the summer heat and are prone to heatstroke. They have an expected lifespan of 5-7 years but could be less if you don’t give them proper ventilation, nutritious feed, and a continuous supply of clean, fresh water. They are also sometimes careless eaters and tend to eat dirty foods.

How to Take Care of Salmon Faverolle Chickens?

Taking care of Faverolle chickens is not really hard; just remember that they have thick and crowded feathers. Therefore, they need a lot of space, a shaded dust bath, and trimming of feathers. You will notice that they need trimming when they can hardly see where they are going because their feathers are already blocking their eyes and faces. Trimming of leg feathers is also recommended during the winter and rainy seasons. If their legs and feet got wet and covered with snow, your poor chickens are likely to have frostbite, and you don’t want that to happen. However, you are unlikely to trim them a lot if you are breeding them for exhibitions. Just make sure they are free from diseases. Faverolle chickens can socialize with other breeds but are submissive when it comes to aggressive ones. To avoid bullying, you may want to mix them with gentle breeds such as Brahmas, Buff Orpingtons, and Cochins. And because they are very noisy, they can also easily attract predators. Make sure their coop is well-protected. On the other hand, their baby chicks may not be as strong-built as compared to other breeds. Therefore, you should watch their growth very closely. Make sure you give them proper nutrition, clean water, and a quality air supply. To avoid stress and bullying, you also might want to keep them away from adult chickens of other breeds.

Salmon Faverolle Chickens Pros and Cons

In general, raising Faverolle chickens have more pros than cons. However, it’s good to still list them so you can check them for yourself.

Advantages of Raising Faverolle Chickens

• Very gentle, friendly, and sociable
• Hyper-active, a great companion
• Super attractive, great for exhibitions
• Ideal for families with small children and other pets
• Docile, love human attention
• Not bully to other breeds
• No issues with free-range and confinement
• Very cold hardy, and can lay eggs even during winter
• Good for egg and meat production
• Great mothers (not so broody)
• The gender of baby chicks is easier to know, based on their feather colors

Disadvantages of Raising Faverolle Chickens

• Very noisy; beware if you are in urban farming
• They eat too much and eat almost anything. Prone to obesity
• Messy eaters and can easily get dirty
• More susceptible to parasites than other breeds
• Not so heat tolerant
• Prone to frostbites and heatstroke; trimming is recommended
• Better accompanied by gentle breeds
• A bit late in laying their first egg
• Baby chicks and younger chicks tend to be not very robust
• Very rare, hard to find especially outside the US and UK
• Most of them are raised only for exhibitions and novelty

Conclusion

Salmon Faverolle chickens are undeniably ideal for breeding. Their appearance alone makes them great therapy birds. Their friendly behavior is very impressive so you don’t have to worry even if you have small children or big dogs such as German shepherds. They are also not pushy to other breeds which can help you if you have new ones to introduce to your existing flock. But still, they seem to be prone to be victims of bullying. Their stunning feathers are not only for our eyes, they also help us differentiate males from females. Therefore, you cannot easily be fooled by scam dealers. Nevertheless, you will be a big help to their population growth if you decide to raise a couple of them. And because they are now declared a “threatened” species, it would be nice to see more of them in the coming years. After all, they are worth your time and money.