Belgian Bearded D’Uccle Chicken Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Belgian Bearded D’Uccle (pronounced Dew-clay) is often referred to as the Millie Fleur. Millie Fleur is the most common and popular color variant for this breed.

It is also known as Barbu d’Uccle, Ukkelse Baardkriel or Bearded d’Uccle and it originated in Belgium in the town of Uccle. Uccle sits on the outskirts of Brussels in Central Belgium.

This short stocky little chicken sports a full beard, muffs, short stocky neck, very broad back and a low posture.
This little chicken has a well-furnished tail which it carries almost perpendicular to its back.

There are many different color variants of the beautiful feathery chicken with its fluffy legs. Such as Lavender, blue quail, blue, mille fleur, porcelain, mottled, silver quail, white, etc.

The American Poultry Association only recognizes seven colors and those are golden neck, mille fleur, porcelain, self-blue, white, black and mottled.

They are often mixed up with the Booted Bantam, and although they are related the Booted Bantam’s do not have a beard or muffs and have some other distinct differences.

As a Bantam breed they have an ideal recommended weight that the bird has to be in America the APA recognized the following weight ranges:

Female Pullets should be approximately 20 Ounces (570 grams)
Female Hens should be approximately 22 Ounces (620 grams)
Male Cockerels should be approximately 22 Ounces (620 grams)
Male Cocks should be approximately 26 Ounces (740 grams)

Country of Origin:	Belgian
American Poultry Association:	Recognized as a breed of chicken in the United States
Chicken Category:	Bantam
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Chicken Class:	Feathered Legged
Bantam Variety Available?	Only a Bantam variety
Good Starter Chicken?	If looking to include Bantams into your flock this lovely natured Bantam would make a good start.
IDENTIFICATION ⇒	Appearance/Body: The Belgian Bearded d’Uccle bantam has a stubby short body which is heavily feathered. The chicken has muffs, a beard and its legs are also heavily feathered. Color(s) The first color to be recognized by the APA was Mille Fleur. Related COLOR VARIETIES THAT ARE FOUND IN A LOT OF THE VARIOUS CHICKEN BREEDS Comb: They have a single comb Ave. Weight: Pullet/Hen 20 – 22 Ounces. Cockerel/Roosters 22 – 26 Ounces.
PURPOSE ⇒	Eggs: Not particularly good layers. They lay small cream/tinted eggs up to 104 per year They will lay all year round and make excellent sitter hens. They do not mind sitting in for other hens. They start to lay eggs from around 20 to 22 weeks old. Related CHICKEN BREEDS THAT LAY BROWN, BLUE, GREEN, OLIVE, PINK OR DIFFERENT COLORS EGG Meat: Not good table birds Breeding: They can be bred the hens are excellent broody sitters. A good choice of Bantam to breed. For advice on breeding please check our guide to breed poultry. If you are a first-time breeder it is best to get professional advice from your local animal shelters, poultry farmers or vet. Foraging:These feathery hens do love to scratch and forage about. They may even follow you are the garden and have a little natter. Show Bird: They are great show birds Pets: Their docile calm friendly nature make them good pets. Other: Weeding and ridding the garden of pests is a great past time for these chickens. They will give your organic garden a lot of nutritious fertilizer to ensure great blooms and tasty vegetables.

HISTORY

The Belgian Bearded d’Uccle was developed by Michel Van Gelder from the town of Uccle in Belgium.

Poultry Historians believe that Michel Van Gelder crossbred a single Dutch Sabelpoots Bantam with the rose-comb Antwerp in the late 1800’s. These two Dutch chickens produced the small booted single comb Bantam that came to be known at the Mille Fleur variety of the Belgian Bearded d’Uccle.

This Bantam was accepted into the American Poultry Association Standards of Perfection in 1914.

The name Mille Fleur means “one-thousand flowers” and the feathers of the Bantam are black spangled with a white V-shaped tip with the rest of the feather being a rich golden mahogany brown.

These little birds are strong fliers and their abundance of feathers do not do to well in wet weather. It is best to make sure that their coops and runs are protected as best as they can be to stop foot disease from setting in.
These little hens are great brood hens and do not mind hatching other chickens eggs they also make excellent mothers/foster-mothers.

Mostly bred for exhibition purposes or ornamental they will lay a few small cream or tinted colored eggs a year.
The Belgian D’Uccle and Booted Bantam Club were originally founded in America in 1956. A non-profit organization which was then called “International Mille Fleur Bantam Club”. It was changed to “Mille Fleur Bantam Club” in the 1960’s and finally became what it is called today in the late 1970’s. The club has been going for a good fifty years and is one of the top poultry breed clubs in the United States of America. The club strives to have American breeders breed the Bantams to the Standard of Perfection as set out by the American Poultry Association.

CHARACTERISTICS
Life Expectancy:	The average lifespan is 5 years some can live longer.
Health:	They do not have any great health issues but due to their abundance of plumage it is best to monitor them closely in the hotter weather.
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Temperament:	Sweet, docile and friendly chickens that like their human’s company.
Flyers?	Excellent flyers and do love to fly.
Noisy Birds?	They can be quite noisy especially if in a flock of bigger chickens.
Interaction with other chickens:	These Bantams socialize well with other breeds although they can get a bit cheeky if picked on. As with any flock if you are introducing new birds it is best to slowly socialize them with the flock.
Good with kids?	They are good with children and do not mind the attention.
Socialize Behavior?	They do not mind other domestic animals but may be a little skittish around the bigger ones.
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Known predators:	It is always best to keep an eye on dogs and cats, especially as they are not as big as other chickens. If hawks and or foxes are in your area it is always best to take precautions. Check with local animal shelters, zoos, vets, animal control and or pet stores about common predators in your area.
Conservation Status:	Not listed in the conservation list. Checking the conservation status of livestock and or poultry in the USA can be done on the National This can be checked with your local or national conservation centers website.

IDEAL ENVIRONMENT
Garden Size:	These great birds adapt well to any garden size and do well in confinement. However, as with any animal they love to roam free and free-range.
Ideal Climate:	They do not mind the cold and whether the wintery months well. They are a very hardy bird and adapt to any weather or climate.
Ideal Coop:	The rule of thumb for any coop is 50 cm x 50 cm per hen/rooster in the coop. Ensure there is a good space for the nesting boxes and nightly roosting rails at least 1.5 inches wide. Good ventilation for air but not too drafty especially in winter. It is always a good idea to raise the coop off the ground to give the birds a dry place to roost and lay especially in wet weather.
Ideal Coop Run:	Belgian Bearded d’Uccle are excellent flyers so the coop run needs to be completely covered to protect your chickens.
Ideal Flock Size:	They like to socialize so there should be more than one in their flock.
Special Instructions:	Show birds may have special grooming requirements and they do not have health issues and are quite a low maintenance breed.
Accessories:	The following accessories are ideal for your coop: Nesting boxes Straw for the boxes and roosting area Roosting rails Perches Water troughs/bowls Food bowls/feeders Heating lamp(s) Animal carrier for transport purposes
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WHERE TO FIND THESE BIRDS TO ADD TO YOUR FLOCK

Belgian D’Uccle Bantams can probably be found at most live poultry outlets and farms but checking with the Belgian D’Uccle & Booted Bantam Club one can find registered breeders. The website and club also has a host of interesting and informative information about the breed(s).

CARING FOR THE BIRD(S)

Please click here for our full guide to “Taking care of chickens”. This is a comprehensive guide to owning chickens. It covers where to start from choosing your ideal flock, the coop that would best suit your garden, your bird and you to buying and bringing your bird(s) home.

GENERAL

These are the most precious pets and can live to a good old age with good care and attention.
As they are a very weather hardy chicken they do not have a lot of special requirements except for the usual TLC you would afford any family pet.

GROOMING

As they love the attention it is quite easy to check your Bantams for mites, lice and various other parasites at least once a week. De-worming the chickens should be done at least once a month or check with your local vet for the best de-worming medication and advice for your Bantams.

DIET AND NUTRITION

These little chickens love fruit or vegetable table scraps but, be sure to feed them their regular food first thing in the morning. Their regular food should be something like chicken pellets, grains, chicken mash or grain mix from 8 weeks old and older.

For baby chickens, the best is always Chick Starter when they are under 8 weeks old.

Laying hens should get extra protein and calcium in their diets to ensure the quality of their eggs and to keep them in tip-top health.

Please see our comprehensive guide to “Feeding your chickens” for more information of the different types of chicken feed for chicks, hens, laying hens, roosters, etc. and where to buy the feed and approximate cost of the feed.

SOCIALIZING THE BIRD(S)

They may be little birds, but they can also be feisty little creatures especially if they are in a flock with a bigger breed. It is always best to check with breeders, vets or poultry famers for advice on which breeds are best to mix with your Bantams before you get them. Try not to get very aggressive breeds especially if they are a bigger breed of chicken as this could be detrimental to your Bantam(s).

Try some of the gentler more docile breeds like the Barnevelder or Plymouth Rock.

As with any newcomer to the roost, you will have to quarantine the bird for 7 – 31 days to ensure it does not have any unwanted critters or disease that could spread to your current flock.

Even though they are friendly sociable birds, even they have a pecking order, so it is advisable to socialize them slowly and determine when it is right to allow them to become a permanent part of the flock.

NOTES / SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

They are currently not listed on any conservation listing and are readily available through the correct breeders and or poultry suppliers.

For breeders, it is imperative that you always check your bird’s bloodlines and ensure you are buying your birds from a reputed breeder/farm. In order to sell birds of such stature, they have to be recorded and documented, always check with local animal breeding organizations for these records.

These legitimate documents are also required should you wish to show your bird(s) in various poultry shows/competition showings.

For information and advice on adopting rescued animals, you can visit or contact your local animal welfare center.