Uses: Utility / eggs.
Eggs: 180-220 white or cream.
Origin: Egypt.
Weight: Cock: 1.81Kg, Hen: 1.36 – 1.58Kg.
Bantam: Cock: 430g Hen: 400g.
Colours: Gold Penciled, Silver Pencilled.
Useful to Know: Fast to mature, selected for egg laying. Extremely active, flighty very well suited to coping in the heat. A rare breed in the UK but still found in Egypt where they originated and have existed for around 4000 years.
Photo: A Silver Pencilled Fayoumi hen.
Fayoumi chickens originate from an area to the south west of Cairo in Egypt and are believed to have evolved over 4000 years into the birds they are today. There is little known about Egyptian breeds and very few ever get exported out of the country. Information is scarce.
The Fayoumi was imported into Britain in 1984 by the Domestic Fowl Trust. It has never really taken off with fanciers and I see very few in the rare breed sections of even the largest poultry shows.
The Fayoumi is hardy, quick to mature and a very active breed that can be quite flighty, easily clearing a tall fence if they put their minds to it. They were selectively bred for producing eggs and can be still found in Egypt but are extremely rare in Britain. If you are considering keeping them, they should be handled regularly from an early age so that they will build their confidence and not take off when approached. Their plumage pattern is similar in appearance to the Brackel from Belgium.
Photos
Sorry, no photos yet. If you keep Fayoumi chickens, please get in touch, we would love to get some photos.
Books
The following books are available. Links take you to the Amazon or other sellers’ pages for the books.
- Rare Poultry Breeds – D. Scrivener – P.79
- British Poultry Standards – P.115
Breed Clubs
These are the breed clubs for the Fayoumi