Campines “It is pronounced KAM-PEEN. The word CAMPINE is French (Flemish) and the method of pronouncing it is above. We in English are accustomed to the word pine for the kind of a tree and at first 80 per cent of the people pronounced it as if it were KAM-PINE, but really the INE is pronounced as EEN in queen ....” --. by Rev. E. Lewis Jones, Hayope Rectory, Knighton, Radnorshire, England (as quoted to M. R. Jacobus, Ridgefield NJ, USA)
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Apparently, these birds caught the eye of the Ancient Romans during the time of the Empire of Julius Caesar, in fact he is said to have taken a shine to them and brought several home with him after a spate of looting in Belgium.
Breed Information:
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Origin -
The Campine was found originally in La Campine, Belgium. It is derived from Turkish fowl. The Campine are very much like another breed that comes from the same area, the Braekel. They were imported to the United State around the late 1800’s but did not take due to their inability to adapt to harsh conditions and their durability. They did, however, take in Great Britain. British Campine breeders had heard about the hen feathered males in Belgium, but didn't have any. They wanted some, so they could then concentrate on what Hamburgh breeders called 'pullet breeders', thus only requiring a single strain. J. Wilson of Penrith obtained the first hen feathered male, from some Belgian imported eggs, which he exhibited in 1904. The sons of this cockerel were spread around the country, one of the few documented cases where a whole breed was significantly changed by a single bird. |
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M.R. Jacobus was the first to import to the U.S., from England, what he called "Improved Campines" and was largely responsible for the major "boom" in Campines in the era before WW1. He was also almost singlehandedly responsible for the establishment of the now defunct American Campine Club and the drafting of the first American standard for the English type/Hen-feathered/Improved Campine for the A.P.A. He bred Silvers, as well as Goldens (which he considered well behind the Silvers), on his 100 acre farm at Ridgefield, New Jersey (just outside New York City) and could best be considered the "Father of Campines" in the United States.
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Physical Attributes:
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Bird Size -
Rooster: 6 lbs Hens: 4 Egg Coloration: White Color Varieties: Golden Silver Chamois |
Appearance:
Males are “hen-feathered”, meaning that unlike normal cockerels who have longer feathers in their neck, saddle and tail areas, Campine cockerels have the same feathering as the female. The Campine are known for their solid colored plumage on the head and neck areas which then fade into a barring of black and the solid color. The Campine is smaller than the Braekel. The male and female look very similar since the male lacks sickle, hackle, and neck feathering at the tail and upper chest. The hens do not tend to go broody and are non-sitting fowl. They have white earlobes and single combs. |
