The Chantecler was the first breed of chicken originally bred in Canada. They are highly valued in Canada for their eggs, meat and attractive appearance. While generally classified as a dual-purpose breed, the Chantecler is considered by some to be tri-purpose because of its qualities as a show bird.

A friendly animal, the Chantecler is generally rather quiet and well mannered. They are highly valued for their breast and thigh meat, which is of the highest quality. Chantecler chicks are capable of growing very quickly on very low food intake. When grown, they can lay as many as 200 eggs per year. The Chantecler is well suited to cooler climates. The Chantecler is a friendly, reliable animal that is not only an excellent meat bird and laying bird, but also a beautiful show bird.

With a slightly elongated yet compact body, the Chantecler at first appearance seems to be a small, yet powerful animal. This assumption is only enforced by the powerful, curved beak, which is yellow in white chickens and dark in the partridge variety. The short, wide head of the Chantecler is accented with moderately sized, round, red-brown eyes set into a vibrant red face. This unique head is placed upon a slightly curved, heavily feathered neck. The moderately long tail is carried slightly above horizontal to the ground. The Chantecler's legs are yellow and long with spread toes. The Chantecler has small combs and wattles. The Chantecler appears in two varieties: white, with white plumage, and partridge.

The Chantecler comes from the Province of Quebec in Canada. The goal of the breeders was to produce an energetic, hardy animal with a thick winter layer and small combs and wattles. In 1908, a Cornish male was bred with a White Leghorn female and a Rhode Island Red male was bred with a White Wyandotte female. The female chicks of the first mating were then bred to males from the second. The female chicks that resulted from this mating were then bred to a White Plymouth Rock male to produce what would become today's white Chantecler. The partridge variety of the Chantecler was later bred in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was bred by crossing the Chantecler with the Partridge Wyandotte, Partridge Cochin, Dark Cornish and Rose Comb Brown Leghorn breeds.

There is currently no special care information in our databases for this animal. To submit care information that is specific to this animal please click here.

There is currently no special breeding information in our databases for this animal. To submit breeding / propagation information that is specific to this animal please click here.