• The Houdan hen is a rare species native to the eponymous town in Yvelines.

  • Once prized by royal tables for its flesh, the Houdan hen is now a pet for individuals.

  • In France, two million domestic hens are sold each year.

    The Magalli company, an expert in the field, sells nearly 1,500 Houdan hens per year.

In crest and feathers. Houdan's hen is back, where we least expect it. The species once prized on royal plates is making a comeback… in the gardens. Originally from Yvelines, she is experiencing a resurgence of interest, after having come close to disappearance in the 1970s, thanks to the involvement of many avicultural enthusiasts. Today, individuals do not hesitate to provide a piece of land to accommodate the henhouse of this charismatic poultry.

"It's a hen with an atypical morphology," explains Didier Langlais, aviculture expert and co-founder of Magalli, a group specializing in the sale of domestic hens, which works with different species of gallinacea.

“It is black speckled with white, with a particular crest.

Not to mention its history: by offering it to individuals, we wanted to maintain biodiversity, and prevent it from approaching disappearance again.

Originally, the hen takes its name from the town of Houdan in Yvelines, and was appreciated for the quality of its meat, in addition to being a laying hen.

"It was found in royal dishes at Versailles", laughs Didier Langlais.

More and more emotional ties between animal and owner

But today, a small revolution is taking place… "What is new is that more and more individuals wish to have chickens, unlike the traditional breeding base in rural areas," details the enthusiast. Now, it is people who live in urban or peri-urban areas who have two to three hens in their garden for their personal consumption of eggs. For others, it is a real pet. There are more and more emotional bonds that are created between animal and owner: some will never have the idea of ​​eating their hen. "

And the market for domestic hens is far from negligible.

"In France, about two million hens are sold each year to individuals", figures the expert.

As for the Houdan hen, which is a rare species, the Magalli company sells nearly 1,500 of them per year.

Once vaccinated against salmonella, the latter is sold in animal shops for between 35 and 50 euros.

All that is missing is a henhouse with a clean pen.

“If we have worked a lot with enthusiasts, we are starting to be contacted by associations of urban farms.

It is to them that we try to offer local breeds.

"

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