Coucou Picarde
Coucou Picarde is a French cuckoo-pattern chicken associated with Picardy, the northern region between Normandy, Champagne, and Flanders. It is best understood as a regional farm breed or landrace-derived utility bird: medium to fairly large, barred grey in appearance, and historically kept for eggs and table use on small holdings. Its name is sometimes rendered as Coucou de Picardie, and documentation can be thinner than for better-known French breeds.
Small conservation flocks should treat the Picarde identity carefully, since ordinary barred chickens can look similar at a glance. Selection usually centers on the local standard, sound legs, steady laying, fertility, and a carcass that fits the breed's dual-purpose background. Like other northern French poultry, these birds can be hardy in cool weather, but damp litter and crowded winter housing still lead to foot and respiratory problems.
Colors: Barred, Birchen, Black, Blue, Brown, Buff, Columbian, Crele, Cuckoo, Duckwing, Gold, Gold Laced, Laced, Lavender, Mille Fleur, Mottled, Partridge, Penciled, Porcelain, Red, Silver, Silver Laced, Spangled, Splash, Wheaten, White
