Affectionately known as “Creves,” these striking birds hail from the Pays d’Auge region of Normandy in northwestern France and are considered one of the oldest French chicken breeds. Originally valued for their excellent meat quality and large size, the Crevecoeur later became prized for its ornamental beauty, distinguished by its impressive crest, beard, and horn-shaped comb. 

Though their exact origins remain uncertain, it’s believed they descended from crested hens near Padua, Italy, before being imported into Belgium and spreading to France during the reign of Louis XI (1423–1483). Some accounts even suggest that as early as the 12th century, tenants paid their rent with two Crevecoeur capons. The breed’s prestige endured through the centuries, earning honors at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1855 and later being described in detail by Louis Bréchemin, an influential figure in poultry farming, in 1894. 

The Crevecoeur reached the height of its fame in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. An official standard was accepted in 1909. During this period, breeders favored extravagant plumage, selecting for birds with impressively large crests. However, these oversized crests often impaired the birds’ ability to forage and defend themselves from predators. As more practical and productive foreign breeds were introduced, the Crevecoeur gradually fell out of favor, regardless of their excellent meat quality. By the mid-20th century, the breed had nearly vanished. A determined poultry enthusiast named Jean-Claude Périquet revived the breed in the 1970s, earning grand prizes at poultry exhibitions for his exquisite Creves. 

The Crevecoeur was first imported to the United States in 1852, 1867, and again in 1870, but it never achieved widespread popularity, as it was considered “too sensitive” for many American climates. The black variety was later recognized by the American Poultry Association in 1874. 

Crevecoeurs come in four color varieties, black, blue, white, and cuckoo, with black being the original color variety of the breed, and cuckoo the most rare. At Greenfire Farms, we offer the blue and white varieties. Their most distinctive feature is the striking V-shaped comb, often earning them the nickname “the chicken with the devil horns”. Combined with their full crest, beard, and pronounced nostrils, the Crevecoeur has a truly unforgettable face! 

Creves are large, impressive birds, with mature roosters weighing 8-9 pounds and hens 6-7 pounds. Mature roosters are notably dense and full-bodied, making them a perfect choice for homesteaders or poultry enthusiasts who appreciate hefty roos! Hens begin laying at around 6-7 months of age, producing approximately 120 white eggs per year. They rarely go broody, so a quality incubator is recommended if you plan to hatch chicks. Occasionally, some roosters may exhibit aggression toward people. We recommend excluding these boys from breeding, instead selecting for milder temperaments, as is more in line with their breed standard. Crevecoeur hens, on the other hand, are very sweet and, with regular handling (and perhaps a few treats), can become quite easy to manage! 

These birds are generally not very flighty, as their large crests can often hinder their vision. We will periodically trim the hens’ crests to help them navigate and forage more effectively. We’ve found that maintaining a rooster-to-hen ratio of 1:8 works well in promoting higher fertility in our flock. While this breed was once regarded as “sensitive” to climate, modern Crevecoeurs are much more hardy and resilient in both hot and cold conditions.

The Crevecoeur has several distinct characteristics that help accentuate its uniqueness among other breeds. Both hens and roosters are adorned with large, fluffy crests, full beards, and a striking V-shaped comb, reminiscent of devil horns. According to the French standard, birds should have gray legs free of feathers, white earlobes, and cavernous nostrils (formed by their unique comb shape). While the American standard calls for red earlobes, the French breed standard favors white or “mother-of-pearl blue”, which is the guideline our flock follows.

For a more detailed look at the Crevecoeur’s history and breed standard, visit the links below! The first two links are in French, so you will need to translate them to English. 

20_CREVE-COEUR.pdf

Crevecoeur.pdf

Crevecoeur Chicken - The Livestock Conservancy

We incubate at 99.5F and 55% humidity. Typically an 80% to 90% hatch rate is common from eggs that have been placed into our hatcher. They normally hatch on time, on day 21. Since we are focusing on the blue and white varieties you should expect to see chicks that are different colors: dark gray, light gray, and yellow. From the chicks that hatch you should thoroughly inspect each chick for a beard. It sometimes happens that they will hatch beardless and unfortunately, should be culled. Also, you should check the chick's legs to make sure you don't see any feathers on the leg.

When hatching Crevecoeurs, each chick should be inspected to ensure it has the characteristic feathered beard. Chicks lacking this trait should be excluded from breeding programs, though this occurrence is rare and easily managed through structured selection. It’s also important to check that chicks are clean-legged, with no feathers on the legs or between the toes, as this deviates from the breed standard. At Greenfire Farms, we carefully monitor and cull for these traits, so when you order day-old chicks from us, you can rest assured that these standards have already been met.

As of 2024, Greenfire Farms will focus exclusively on the blue and white Crevecoeur varieties to help strengthen and expand the available gene pool. The black variety, now more widely available, will no longer be a primary focus. As we work to expand our breeding flock, current numbers remain small, so availability of both hatching eggs and day-old chicks will be very limited. 

Import Notes

A Crevecoeur expert once told us that it had been over a century since new bloodlines of this rare breed were brought from France. In 2017, Greenfire Farms changed that by importing both black and blue varieties of Crevecoeurs from one of the top exhibition breeders in their native country. Today, our efforts are devoted exclusively to refining the blue and white lines.