Poularde de Bruxelles

Malines

Malines cock and hen, illustration from circa 1900
Conservation status	endangered
Other names	Dutch: Mechelse Koekoek Coucou de Malines Mechelse Hoen Poularde de Bruxelles Poulet de Bruxelles
Country of origin	Belgium
Distribution	nationwide
Traits
Weight	Male: 5 kg Female: 4–4.5 kg
Skin colour	white
Egg colour	tinted
Comb type	single
Classification
EE	yes
PCGB	soft feather, heavy
Chicken Gallus gallus domesticus

The Malines, Dutch: 'Mechelse Koekoek', is a Belgian breed of large domestic chicken. It originates from the area of Mechelen (French: Malines), in the province of Antwerp in Flanders, for which it is named. It was created in the nineteenth century by cross-breeding local cuckoo-patterned farm chickens with various different types of imported Oriental chicken. With the Jersey Giant, it is among the heaviest of all chicken breeds. It is valued for the quality of its meat, which is pale in colour and fine-textured.

The Malines originates in the southern part of the province of Antwerp and the northern part of the province of Brabant, in eastern Flanders. It derives from cross-breeding of local cuckoo-patterned farm chickens with several of the various types of Oriental chicken that began to be imported to Europe in the nineteenth century. From about 1852, cuckoo-patterned local chickens were crossed with birds which had been brought from Shanghai, China, to the zoological gardens of Antwerp. Later, Brahma, Langshan and Cochin birds were also used. The resulting birds had the large structure of the Oriental chickens, but retained the meat quality of the local stock. Selective breeding for type and colour began in 1891, and in 1898 the Malines received official recognition.