The Barbu d’Uccle, also known as the Belgian d’Uccle or Ukkelse Baardkriel, is a breed of bearded bantam chicken native to Belgium. In the first decade of the 20th century, it was originally developed in the Belgian town of Uccle, which is located in central Belgium and is close to Brussels. It is one of eleven legitimate bantam breeds in Belgium and does not have a standard-sized large fowl counterpart.
Description
The Barbu D’uccle has fluffy, feathery legs, which are a hallmark of the bantam breed. They seem lovely with their boot legs, but they tend to gather muck and filth more than clear scaled legs do. Their unusual body form makes them easy to recognise. Instead of being shaped like a “U,” the tail extends downward from the back in the shape of a “V.” They have a large chest with a puffed-out beard, and they hold their head and tail high in the air.
With 28 specified variations, Barbu D’uccles come in a wide range of color options. The Mille Fleur, which has a mottled or speckled coloring, is the most prevalent. The Barbu D’uccles are frequently referred to as the Mille Fleur or just Milles since this color variant is the most well-liked.
As Pet
Housing
Active chicken breeds include Belgian d’Uccles. They perform well collecting food through foraging. You must give your hens the space they need to roam even if you don’t want to let them go free. Make sure your chicken run has lots of room so they may exercise properly and avoid becoming bored. To prevent fighting, your coop must also have adequate roost area for each bird to spread its wings. You will need to acclimatize to bantams if all of your prior experience with hens has been with standard or large breeds.
You may believe that a fence four or five feet high will be sufficient to keep them out, but this is untrue. Because they are lighter than other standard breeds, Belgian d’Uccles can fly better. If you’re keeping them in a run, you’ll need to cover the run to keep escapees from happening.
Feeding
You’ll need to have more food and water stations accessible unless you manage a flock that is just made up of bantam breeds. A fully developed Belgian d’Uccle rooster may weigh between five and eight pounds in larger chicken breeds.
If they have no other options, they may be easily scared away from food and water. A chicken that is hungry and thirsty is considerably more likely to become ill and pass away. A chicken that is hungry and thirsty is considerably more likely to become ill and pass away.
Grooming
Compared to chickens with clean legs, those lovely feathered feet are more vulnerable to mites. Your d’Uccles can easily become infested with mites by having feathers that touch the ground. Chickens take a dust bath to ward against mites. Parasites are knocked away by rolling in the dirt, where they suffocate between the chicken and the earth. Make sure there is adequate space for numerous chickens to take a dust bath.
Temperament
They grow incredibly docile very soon and appear to like interacting with people. It is best to keep them in a covered run because of their feathery legs so that the feet and feathers don’t become matted. Females become excellent moms and become broody extremely quickly; in fact, they are most famous for being broody. If you plan to breed these adorable little chickens, only maintain a male because the females might be violent during the mating season.
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