North Holland Blue

The North Holland Blue, Dutch: 'Noord-Hollandse Blauwe' or Noord-Hollandse Hoen, is a Dutch breed of domestic chicken originating in the province of North Holland. It is a heavy meat breed, and was created to supply the high demand for white chicken meat from the city of Amsterdam, particularly from the Jewish community in that city.[4]

North Holland Blue
North Holland hen
Other names
  • Dutch: Noord-Hollandse Blauwe
  • Dutch: Noord-Hollandse Hoen
Country of originNetherlands
Standard
Usemeat
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    Standard: 3.5–4.0 kg[1]
    Bantam: 1000 g[2]
  • Female:
    Standard: 2.75–3.25 kg[1]
    Bantam: 900 g[2]
Comb typesingle
Classification
PCGBrare soft feather: heavy[3]

History

The North Holland Blue was created in the area around Purmerend in about 1900 to supply the city of Amsterdam with white chicken-meat. It derives from the Belgian Malines.[5] Malines birds had been imported for the purpose but did not do well in the poor conditions of North Holland. They were therefore crossed with local chickens.[4]

A breed standard was agreed in 1934 by the Noord-Hollandse Blauwenclub van Nederland, a breeders' association, and in 1950 was adopted with minor changes by the Nederlandse Hoender en Dwerghoender Bond, the national association of poultry breeders.[6]

In the years after the Second World War the North Holland Blue was supplanted as a commercial meat breed by faster-growing imported American breeds. The last large North Holland Blue farm closed in 1977.[4]

A bantam version was also created in the Netherlands, but was first shown in Germany.[5] The North Holland Blue is recognised in eight European countries.[7]

Characteristics

The North Holland Blue has only one colour, Cuckoo.[7] It has a quiet, docile temperament, and lays 180–240 eggs per year. In the Netherlands and New Zealand it is clean-legged; British breed standards call for lightly feathered legs.[8]

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See also

References
  1. NHDB standaard: Noord-Hollandse hoenders (in Dutch). Assendelfter en Noord-Hollandse Blauwen Club. Accessed August 2014.
  2. NHDB standaard: Noord-Hollandse krielen (in Dutch). Assendelfter en Noord-Hollandse Blauwen Club. Accessed August 2014.
  3. Breed Classification. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 12 June 2018.
  4. Noordhollandse Blauwe of Noord-Hollandse Hoender (in Dutch). Stichting Zeldzame Huisdierrassen (Dutch Rare Breeds Survival Trust). Accessed August 2014.
  5. Noord-Hollandse Hoenders (in Dutch). Nederlandse Hoender en Dwerghoenderbond. Archived 28 August 2013.
  6. Noord-Hollandse Hoenders: Geschiedenis van het ras Archived 2014-07-23 at the Wayback Machine (in Dutch). Assendelfter en Noord-Hollandse Blauwen Club. Accessed August 2014.
  7. Liste des races et variétés homologuée dans les pays EE (28.04.2013). Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.
  8. Chris Graham (2006). Choosing and Keeping Chickens. London: Hamlyn. ISBN 9780600614388. p. 165.
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