Cherry Creek Canadians - Chantecler Chicken History

CHERRY CREEK CANADIANS

Chantecler Chicken History

Article by Wayne Smith

The Chantecler has the most unique beginnings of any of our present fowl.

The exact development of most breeds of poultry is either not known, or the exact method of their development blurred by time and circumstance. Some breeds just seemed to happen as a the result of the efforts of many people trying to improve the production qualities of the birds on their farm. Eventually these breeds gained recognition from poultry men and standards were developed.

In August of 1907 at a French speaking agricultural college in Oka, Quebec, Canada a humble Cistercian monk, Brother Wilfred Chatalain, had a visit from his father. Brother Wilfred, having been in charge of the poultry section of the college for several years, took his father on a tour of the flocks. He showed him the many breeds of chickens that were kept by the collage at that time. After observing the Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, and several other breeds the elder Chatalain said; " This is all very well, but the Canadian breed-where is it?" As a result of his fathers question Brother Wilfred decided to create a unique Canadian breed.

The Chantecler was indeed a unique bird. From it's inception it was designed to fit into the Canadian climate and at the same time to have good production qualities. To avoid freezing the comb had to be small with proportionately small wattles. White plumage would cover a body abundant in meat and able to lay eggs in abundance during the cold Canadian winters. Characteristics of purely fancy character where to be avoided so that production qualities could be concentrated on.

In 1908 having first fixed the image of the bird he wished to create in his mind, the creation of the Canadian hen was begun with the crossing of a Dark Cornish rooster and a White Leghorn hen in one flock and the crossing of a Rhode Island Red cock and a White Wyandotte hen in another flock. Plymouth Rock blood was added in later breedings.

In 1918 the war in Europe ended and in Canada "The Association of the Canadian Hen Chantecler" was formed. The members of this association were the only people allowed to breed this new chicken and they were controlled by some very stringent rules. 1) Members could not sell, lease, lend, give or exchange any live birds or hatching eggs to anyone not a member of the association. 2) Each member was required, on request, to give the directors of the association a complete list of all their birds with as far as possible a detailed description of each bird. 3) Each breeder was required to bring or send all his birds in their first year to an annual meeting.

Here judges appointed by the association directors would examine the birds. Birds deemed unfit for breeding were killed and the money paid to the owner of the bird. 4) The breeder must keep for breeding only the birds approaching standard type and breed only Chantecler.

In 1919 a registration system was started. A sealed leg band bearing the initials of the association was placed on the leg of each bird conforming to the standard.

One can see how it was possible to bring the Chantecler from non-existence in 1908 to acceptance in the APA's "Standard of Perfection" in 1921 a mere 13 years.

Although, around 1979, some individuals thought this marvellous breed to be extinct this belief was based on research done at the hatchery level. The small farm and back yard breeders in Quebec and Ontario were not consulted and therefore their birds were overlooked. It is my opinion that the original Oka strain exists to day, along with a strain that was recreated from Brother Wilfred's writings.

According to Rare Breeds Canada's figures for the year 2003 there are between 1750 and 2250 Chanteclers worldwide. Most of the population outside of Canada is in the United States.

The current Canadian population is estimated at between 1000 and 1500 with most of the birds Quebec and Ontario. As the figures show more breeders are needed if this breeds genetic diversity is to be maintained.

About the author: Wayne Smith is a hobby farmer in South Western Ontario Canada. He got his start in poultry from his father in law Kenneth LeNeve around 1962. Wayne has authored several articles about poultry and related subjects. You may read some of these articles on his web site at http://Jubileeacres.fateback.com or contact Wayne at: wordsmith@fastmail.ca

CHANTECLER CHICKEN HISTORY

Article by Hans L. Schippers

The Chantecler is the national poultry breed of Canada. A Trappist monk by the name of M. Wilfred Chatelaine (1876-1963) created the breed. His goal was to compose a dual-purpose breed with good meat and egg production qualities. He also succeeded in breeding them with little combs and wattles to suit the colder Canadian climate.

Around 1910 an Indian Gamecock was crossed with a white Leghorn hen and a Rhode Island Red cock was crossed with a white Wyandotte hen. The hens from the first crossing were then mated to a cock of the second crossing. From those crossings, hens were selected on egg and meat qualities and they were paired to a white Plymouth Rock cock. From the following generations, only the best white dual-purpose birds were selected and those were hence known as Chanteclers.

The Oka Agricultural Institute in La Trappe, Quebec, Canada, first showed them and in 1921, they were officially recognized as a breed. Later on the partridge variety was developed in Edmonton, which was recognised as a breed in 1935.

DESCRIPTION:
The type is slightly elongated, bold and deep, sloping downwards to the tail. The Comb is small and compact and the wattles are very small and connected by a small dew-lap. The head is short and broad; the eyes are round, of medium size and red brown in colour. The face is bright red. The small, oval ear lobes are not pure white. The short, powerful, slightly curved beak is yellow in the white variety and dark horn-coloured in the partridge variety. The neck is of medium size and slightly curved and carries abundant plumage, which rests on the shoulders. The back is long and broad with profuse but close plumage. The tail is of medium length and is carried at an angle of around 30 degrees above horizontal. The broad deep, well-rounded breast is carried well forward. The yellow legs are placed well apart and the medium long and the yellow toes are well spread.

CHARACTERISTICS:
A quiet dual-purpose bird with much breast and thigh meat. The chicks grow fast on a low food intake. The breed is very suitable for colder climates. They are very good layers, also in winter months, with an average egg production of 200 a year that weigh around 60 grams. The egg colour is pale brown. Apart from the utility qualities, it's exterior qualities makes it a beautiful show bird as well, therefore deserving more attention than it has been receiving so far. It is a friendly breed that is reliable towards it's fosterer.

WEIGHT:
Depending on sex and age, they weigh around 2500 to 3850 grams [5-9lb].

Making of The First Canadian Standard Breed

From: The Meaning of Standard Bred by Wayne Smith

Part of the history of the matings and crosses used in perfecting the Barred Rock is rather misty, but the general facts are as outlined in the preceding section. More definitely known are the methods adopted by Brother Wilfrid, of La Trappe Monastery, Quebec, with the Canadian Chantecler. He was anxious to develop a breed that would be a good producer of both meat and eggs in the rigorous Quebec climate, and started with a determination to make the color of the proposed breed white, to reduce the comb and wattles to I minimum and to combine winter laying characteristics with a body capable of putting on flesh when consigned to the fattening pen. In 1908 a Dark Cornish male, with plenty of vigor and small comb and wattles, he mated it with a good White Leghorn hen to obtain high general laying qualities in the offspring. To obtain the winter laying qualities, a second cross was made between a Rhode Island cock and a White Wyandotte hen.

The Chicks from these two crosses were mostly white, with some splashes of gray and black, conflicting with the then popular belief that color is transmitted by the male and shape by the female. The next season, the whitest pullets of the Cornish/Leghorn crosses were mated with a male, which resembled a Columbian Wyandotte from the Red/Wyandotte, cross. One of the best females from these crosses, weighing 7 ¾ pounds and with four winter months record of 91 eggs, was mated with a 10-pound White Rock cock. This mating increased the number of single combs in the progeny, but careful selection, the work of developing the new breed was kept up, and in 1918 the Chantecler was first presented to the public and was admitted into the Standard of Perfection in 1921. This is a only 13 years from the time the first matings took place to the breed being admitted to The Standard of Perfection.

From: The Meaning of Standard Bred which can be read in it’s entirety at: http://jubileeacres.net/themeaningofstandardbred.html

For information on our farm, poultry, horses, or on the Canadian Horse breed in general, please feel free to contact us.

If you will be in the neighbourhood and want to come see our horses and farm,
please feel free to contact us to set up a time, and to get directions. We always welcome visitors!

Updated Monday May 17, 2010