BRABANTER Text and photos: Piet Kroon, BKU-Club

This is the third and last article of a trilogy on the breeds of the BKU-Club, a specialty club for Brabanter, Breda Fowl and Dutch Owlbeards (in Dutch: Brabanter, Kraaikop, Uilebaard, hence: BKU). The article on Owlbeards can be found in our February 2015 issue, the one on the Breda Fowl in our April 2015 issue. In the picture you see an excellent head of a cuckoo coloured Brabanter. The crest is small, upright and properly cuckoo coloured. The beard is well developed. The beak and nostrils look good. The V-shaped comb does not show but you can be sure it is present. Also the colour of the eyes is nicely orange red.

A rich history The possession of rare poultry has been a privilege for the nobility and the inhabitants of monasteries since the year 1000. This poultry has always distinguished itself from other poultry by shape and colours. The noble courts and monasteries undoubtedly contributed heavily to the development of peculiar and rare breeds. It was possible to distinguish yourself from the ‘common’ people by having peculiar and rare breeds. They started with poultry taken by trading vessels from faraway countries. For instance countries along the Baltic Sea like Russia and Poland. It is likely that the predecessors of the Brabanter were among them. In this case the Pavlov Fowl is mentioned. Also the Sultan Fowl is mentioned. In the past it was suggested that the predecessors of the Brabanter came from Turkey. Around the end of the Middle Ages rich traders started - imitating kings and other nobility - to establish idyllic gardens and poultry yards. Several coats of arms of those days are known to have crested poultry on it. In the so-called Dutch ‘Golden Age’ (17th century) well known artists were assigned by rich inhabitants of courtyards to make paintings, which included Brabanter fowl in many varieties and colours - even birds which look like the present day Brabanters. Ancient, well known painters like J.G. Cuyp, Gijsbert d ‘Hondecoeter, Albert Cuyp, Melchoir d‘Hondecoeter and Jacome Victors perpetuated the predecessors of our Brabanter with their upright crest, beard and V-shaped comb. We even see them perpetuated in the colours: black, white, silver, silver black spangled, golden black spangled, cuckoo and partridge. Brabanters in the latter colour are no longer around.

At the end of the 19th century the Brabanter was nearly extinct. In 1900 the NHC (Dutch Poultry Breeds Club) was founded. This proved to be an impulse for Dutch breeds, including the Brabanter. Left: Part of a painting of Melchior d'Hondecoeter. In 1903 some Brabanter from Germany fell in the hands of a famous breeder of that time, Roelof Houwink. During the 20th century the breed is seen more often but never in large numbers. At present only a few fanciers are interested in this beautiful breed. This breed, in large and bantam, has only a few

breeders within the BKU-Club.

Brabanter Bantam A certain gentleman called mr. Ettenger gets the credits for creating the Brabanter Bantam. Various bantam breeds were used, for instance Dutch Bantams, Barbu d’ Anvers and Poland Bantams. In 1935, Brabanter Bantams were exhibited at a show for the first time.

Where does the name come from? Some hundred years ago the Belgian and Dutch part of the province of Brabant formed a powerful unity, trading a lot in Europe. It is suggested that the province of Brabant and its people got their name thanks to the shape of a helmet decoration carried in the past by an army unit of Brabant. Unfortunately this cannot be checked.

What does a Brabanter look like?

Above: A gold black spangled Brabanter bantam hen. A nice bird to watch. The Brabanter is a strong breed with a well developed tail and strong wings which are held close to the body. The head is the most striking feature of the breed. It has an upright crest. Also the breed has a V-shaped comb. The beak has (open) nostrils, like the Dutch Owlbeard and the Breda Fowl. Also it has a beard. The white earlobes are covered by the beard. Wattles are missing. Cocks weigh a little more than two kilos. Normally hens weigh somewhat less: slightly less than two kilos. In bantam the cocks weigh less than one kilo, the bantam hens weigh about 800 grams.

Standardized colours are: gold black spangled, silver black spangled, buff white spangled, self black, white, blue laced and cuckoo.

Below: A good-looking gold black spangled Brabanter cock. Critical viewers will have some comments. Even so, such rare breeds are judged with care and attention.

Why Brabanter? The BKU-Club asked its members a few years ago why they keep Brabanter. The main purpose was (and still is) to maintain an important rare cultural breed. Of course other factors played a role as well.

Chicks of Brabanter To start: If you collect eggs to breed the parent birds must be perfectly healthy and lively. Proper hatching eggs are white. The chicks which are hatched must be lively and above all vigorous.

Fanciers of Brabanter look for the same qualities in their developing chicks as other breeders. But, of course, the typical breed characteristics play a significant part as well.

Above: Chicks. In this photo are white and cuckoo Brabanter chicks, just out of the incubator. Some chicks still have their egg tooth. Note the typical (sex-linked) white spot on the head of the cuckoo chicks. The white chick on the left is already showing a beard. But no sign of a crest yet. Note the difference in nostrils! If we have a closer look at the breed characteristics we notice the following: Beards As soon as the chicks are dry the beards can be seen already. Even differences can be seen in the size and fullness of these beards. The beard develops slowly into a real beard. Crests The development of the crest is different. After about two weeks the Brabanter crests become visible. Similarly, differences can be seen. These differences reside most notably in the width of the crest. The best crests are narrow. The crest of a Brabanter can be too globular, too entangled or too unstable. The feathers can even be crooked on the head. Fortunately we see mainly chicks with nice crests. The chicks of the Brabanter don’t have a protuberance like the Poland Fowl. Nostrils The nostrils on top of the beak can be seen right away when the chick hatches. If the nostrils are absent they will not develop later.

V-shaped comb This comb is characterized by two points protruding from a base, called the comb flesh. The two cones stand in V-shape behind the beak. They should neither be too big or too small. If they are too big we also see too much comb flesh. It is all about the right balance. After about 8 weeks the V-shaped comb starts to develop. First noticed at the cockerels, of course. From then on breeders check the proper and balanced development of the comb. Wattles. Brabanters don’t have wattles. Sometimes they appear in adult males.

Above: This cuckoo Brabanter chick is about ten weeks old. The small upright crest is explicitly present. Please note the nostrils. The eyes don’t have the required colour yet. The cuckoo colour seems not dark enough. Right: Another chick of about ten weeks. What can be seen? The comb starts to develop. The top of the beak turns reddish. At this age you can then be sure that the chick is a cockerel.

Colour and markings Colour The Brabanter is recognised in various colours. These are described below. First, poultry has a so called ground colour. The Brabanter may have one of the following ground colours: gold, buff, silver, white, black, or blue. Some breeders

created the ground colour ‘cream’. Perhaps this colour will be standardized in the future. The ground colour of the birds must be uniform and show the proper tint. A real challenge for the breeder! In the Netherlands, the recognised Brabanter colour varieties are: gold black spangled; silver black spangled; yellow white spangled; black, white; laced blue and cuckoo.

Above: Black hen. Self black hens are not often seen. Left: Brabanter cock and hen, white. Both have a nice large beard. Also the nostrils look excellent. The crests are outstanding. The tail of the cock could be better. The eyes look somewhat light in the photo, but in real they are all right.

Marking of the Spangled Brabanter The ‘spangled’ marking of the Brabanter is unique and therefore very special. A spangled bird has a half moon colouring at the end of each feather and a differently coloured ground colour. When choosing the birds for the breeding pen, pick the birds with large spangles. There is a tendency to get smaller spangles when breeding. Non-standardized colours Some colours are not standardized but a challenge for the breeders involved. BKU-member Jan Aarnink has gold pencilled, silver pencilled, columbian and moorkop Brabanter. Joost Kaper, also a member of the BKU-Club, has lemon blue spangled birds.

BKU-member Wim Geelhoed has golden cuckoo black spangled Brabanter bantams. BKU-member C. Wisse has buff Brabanter bantams. We see these birds regularly at the specialty club or in the AOC class at club shows. Left: A cuckoo coloured birds has white-skinned legs. This can be seen in this picture. White legs with dark spots are sometimes seen, but we prefer white legs. Brabanters in other colour varieties have grey to slate blue legs.

Judging Because of the difficulty of breeding, the rareness and the cultural historic value of the breed, the Brabanter is judged with utmost care.

Information on the Brabanter Everybody who wants to know more of the rich history of this breed is advised to read the book ‘Herenhoenders’. That is: if you read Dutch! This book is still for sale. With many illustrations and many nice stories. The book costs only E 20. More information can be found at the website: www.bkuclub.nl.

Information on the BKU Club You can visit the website but you can also contact the secretary of the BKU-Club: Jan Jore. His email address is: jan.jore@yahoo.com. On August 29 and 30, 2015 members and interested people are welcome in Bourtange (northern Netherlands) to show and look at BKU-breeds. The birds will be discussed and judged. Have a look already at the website www.bkuclub.nl.

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