The Houdan is one of the oldest of French Breeds and definitely one of my all time favourites.  Originally produced as a high class table fowl, the Houdan is non broody, very hardy, is thrifty on the feed & a good layer of medium sized, white eggs.  

Pronounced 'oodan'  the Houdan has a glossy black feathering with white mottling.  There are also pure white & pure black versions available, however they are not recognised by the Australian Poultry Standards.

Originally the Houdan was a breed kept by many local farmers living in the vicinity of the market town Houdan, near Paris. 

They were believed to have been developed from the Ancona (hence the colouring), Dorking (hence the fifth toe) & Polish (which has the crest & the horned comb - which when crossed with a straight comb fowl i.e., the Ancona, produces the butterfly comb).

A Bantam version of the Houdan was developed in England during the Second World War when the acute shortage of grain and corresponding urgent need for eggs and meat necessitated small, economic livestock. Both the bantam and large Houdan are available here in Australia in limited numbers.

The Houdan has a lovely large crest and beard. In addition to these distinguishing features they also have five toes on each foot and the leaf (or butterfly) comb which gives the effect of two branched antlers in the front of the crest.

We have found the Houdan to have an extremely docile nature, and if obtained whilst still very young, will give young children a great deal of pleasure as they are great pets and seem to enjoy the attention. The hens make the best pets, as the males can be flighty due to a more limited range of view due to their large crests.  

The standard calls for short,  mottled legs. A full tail,  with long sickles on the male and a large crest that is full, compact, round on top & not split or divided.  Like so many other mottled breeds, the birds tend to become whiter (or "gayer" as it is more commonly known) with increasing age and may not be suitable for showing after the first two seasons or so.