February 2017
Calling All Basque Hen Enthusiasts!
2017 has brought not only a New Year, but also an upsurge in interest in these friendly and practical chickens! The board members of NABHA (North American Basque Hen Association) made a big decision to make it even easier for everyone interested in Basque Hens to get accurate information, friendly support, and good quality breeding stock. Membership to NABHA will be FREE in 2017! Just fill in the membership form (so we know where to email invitations to upcoming seminars), and get access to all of the resources associated with NABHA, including the online seminars! Breeders of quality Basques who would like to be featured on the Breeder’s Index can do so for a nominal ($10) fee.
Calling All Basque Hen Enthusiasts!
2017 has brought not only a New Year, but also an upsurge in interest in these friendly and practical chickens! The board members of NABHA (North American Basque Hen Association) made a big decision to make it even easier for everyone interested in Basque Hens to get accurate information, friendly support, and good quality breeding stock. Membership to NABHA will be FREE in 2017! Just fill in the membership form (so we know where to email invitations to upcoming seminars), and get access to all of the resources associated with NABHA, including the online seminars! Breeders of quality Basques who would like to be featured on the Breeder’s Index can do so for a nominal ($10) fee.
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To kick off the New Year, an online seminar is scheduled for Saturday, March 4th, at 7:30 Eastern time/4:30 Pacific time. The seminar will present photos of adult Basque Hens, and the important features of the birds will be discussed LIVE in conjunction with the photos. Audio can be accessed either on a computer or by phone. What a great way to learn about the important features (and common faults!) of this new breed from your own home!
Please get your 2017 membership forms sent in asap so we can send you information for joining the free seminar. http://nabha.weebly.com/join-nabha.html Wishing you terrific hatching!
Please get your 2017 membership forms sent in asap so we can send you information for joining the free seminar. http://nabha.weebly.com/join-nabha.html Wishing you terrific hatching!
June 2016
A few years have passed since NABHA was created, and we're very excited to see how it's grown and improved. We've also been very pleased and excited to welcome new members, especially when they share with us pictures and stories about their flocks, both large and small! We're continuing to look for new ways to promote the Basque Hen breed and create strong, friendly breeding lines, and hope that you will continue to support NABHA for years to come.
A few years have passed since NABHA was created, and we're very excited to see how it's grown and improved. We've also been very pleased and excited to welcome new members, especially when they share with us pictures and stories about their flocks, both large and small! We're continuing to look for new ways to promote the Basque Hen breed and create strong, friendly breeding lines, and hope that you will continue to support NABHA for years to come.
March 2015
Welcome to NABHA!
We are so excited to officially launch our website and even more excited to announce that our association is now open for new members! There are lots of websites about chickens around; we are so pleased that you came to visit ours. Please pull up a chair and stay a while...
The members of the North American Basque Hen Association, or NABHA for short, are a group of poultry enthusiasts located across Canada and the United States who share one particular joy: we all love our Basque Hens. The Basque Hen is a breed of chicken that originated in the Basque region of Spain. If you look on the Spanish websites, you can find pictures of the five varieties that are recognized by their standard. In Spain, this breed is referred to as Euskal Oiloa (plural is Euskal Oiloak). Honestly, we could never figure out how to pronounce it so in North America the breed is usually referred to as the Basque Hen, or Basque, or EO. All of these refer to the same wonderful breed.
Other than a shared appreciation of our Basques, our members differ widely. We come from different backgrounds, interests and geographical locations. We include show aficionados, hard-core farmers and urban enthusiasts who keep a couple of hens for eggs. When we talk to chicken people about this breed, their comment is usually something like “Wow, those must be pretty special birds if so many different kinds of people like them!” It’s totally true. Basques have it all.
Basques are beautiful birds, with a slightly more upright stance than most other chicken breeds. The boys look quite dignified with their single combs, bright yellow legs and alert postures. The girls are a little rounder and have very bright, clever eyes. Basque girls are very regular layers of beautiful big brown eggs. They lay well year-round if they are given extra light in the winter. Basques are crazy hardy even in Canadian winters; when all the other birds are hiding in the coop, the Basques will be out in the snow poking around as long as it’s not too cold.
Basques are great foragers and very happy gardening assistants if you have any pesky bugs or worms that need removal. Just be careful when you go outside if you free-range your Basques; they will often be looking through your back door trying to see what you are doing. Basques are ridiculously fertile and the chicks hatch like popcorn under a broody or in an incubator. The chicks are strong, healthy and active. The extra cockerels are very tasty and reach a reasonable table weight about the time you get tired of looking after them.
And we’ve saved the best for last. Basque hens are almost always outrageously friendly chickens. The chicks will run toward you in the brooder instead of scattering to get away from the big, scary predator. This makes them great fun for kids. The adult Basques know who their friends are; if you take a breather in their yard, they will come and sit on your leg and tell you stories about their day. They are very chatty. If you happen to have a little piece of bread, hold it above the girls’ heads and they will do jump shots to get it. Even most of the roosters are friendly! Since friendliness is one of the traits highly prized by most of the members of NABHA, we tend to select for it. This means that most of today’s Basque Hens are pretty, productive, hardy and easy to manage for poultry enthusiasts of all ages and experience levels.
People who are enthusiastic about Basque Hens seem to take after their birds; we are a friendly bunch. Please feel free to look around and ask questions. We are happy to share everything we know about this wonderful breed.
Welcome to NABHA!
We are so excited to officially launch our website and even more excited to announce that our association is now open for new members! There are lots of websites about chickens around; we are so pleased that you came to visit ours. Please pull up a chair and stay a while...
The members of the North American Basque Hen Association, or NABHA for short, are a group of poultry enthusiasts located across Canada and the United States who share one particular joy: we all love our Basque Hens. The Basque Hen is a breed of chicken that originated in the Basque region of Spain. If you look on the Spanish websites, you can find pictures of the five varieties that are recognized by their standard. In Spain, this breed is referred to as Euskal Oiloa (plural is Euskal Oiloak). Honestly, we could never figure out how to pronounce it so in North America the breed is usually referred to as the Basque Hen, or Basque, or EO. All of these refer to the same wonderful breed.
Other than a shared appreciation of our Basques, our members differ widely. We come from different backgrounds, interests and geographical locations. We include show aficionados, hard-core farmers and urban enthusiasts who keep a couple of hens for eggs. When we talk to chicken people about this breed, their comment is usually something like “Wow, those must be pretty special birds if so many different kinds of people like them!” It’s totally true. Basques have it all.
Basques are beautiful birds, with a slightly more upright stance than most other chicken breeds. The boys look quite dignified with their single combs, bright yellow legs and alert postures. The girls are a little rounder and have very bright, clever eyes. Basque girls are very regular layers of beautiful big brown eggs. They lay well year-round if they are given extra light in the winter. Basques are crazy hardy even in Canadian winters; when all the other birds are hiding in the coop, the Basques will be out in the snow poking around as long as it’s not too cold.
Basques are great foragers and very happy gardening assistants if you have any pesky bugs or worms that need removal. Just be careful when you go outside if you free-range your Basques; they will often be looking through your back door trying to see what you are doing. Basques are ridiculously fertile and the chicks hatch like popcorn under a broody or in an incubator. The chicks are strong, healthy and active. The extra cockerels are very tasty and reach a reasonable table weight about the time you get tired of looking after them.
And we’ve saved the best for last. Basque hens are almost always outrageously friendly chickens. The chicks will run toward you in the brooder instead of scattering to get away from the big, scary predator. This makes them great fun for kids. The adult Basques know who their friends are; if you take a breather in their yard, they will come and sit on your leg and tell you stories about their day. They are very chatty. If you happen to have a little piece of bread, hold it above the girls’ heads and they will do jump shots to get it. Even most of the roosters are friendly! Since friendliness is one of the traits highly prized by most of the members of NABHA, we tend to select for it. This means that most of today’s Basque Hens are pretty, productive, hardy and easy to manage for poultry enthusiasts of all ages and experience levels.
People who are enthusiastic about Basque Hens seem to take after their birds; we are a friendly bunch. Please feel free to look around and ask questions. We are happy to share everything we know about this wonderful breed.
Board Members
If you have questions or comments, please contact any of the current board members.
Michelle Sulz, President
"The Basque breed captured my interest and my heart back in 2011 and there has been no looking back since. I enjoy the friendly personality of the Euskal oiloa, and my greatest fear when around them is of stepping on one which, in my opinion, is a pretty great problem to have!
I also appreciate their usefulness for both eggs and meat production and who can overlook those pretty feathers?
At present I raise EOs in two varieties: the red cuckoo (marraduna) and the red (gorria). I am enjoying the challenge of continuing to breed and select for birds that (I hope!) will be closer to the standard while retaining their amazing personality and ability to thrive under farm conditions. As much as I love chickens in all their shapes and sizes there’s nothing that compares to a large flock of EOs all the same color and type, especially a flock running full out towards you in case you might have treats for them! I want to see flocks like that in barnyards across North America and I also believe they will be able to hold their own in the show room."
Monika Popein, Vice President
"A lovely lady by the name of Susan first introduced me to EOs in the summer of 2011. She knew I was looking for a friendly bird and thought they would suit me well. Was she ever right! I received my first shipment of eggs from Claire (Skeffling Lavander Farm) that July and then more from Susan later that same year. It was very exciting for me to be part of the early stages of both receiving EO eggs and soon after sharing my own EO eggs and birds. It didn’t take long for me to clear out all of my other standard chickens to make room for more EOs. That of course led to a new coop and runs so that I could house them safely and enjoy this wonderful hobby to its fullest! There is no looking back only full force ahead doing whatever I can to help others discover this breed and to help our group of EO lovers with the goal of having this wonderful breed accepted into the SOP."
Debbie Jestin, Secretary
Helen Waring, Treasurer
"My initial interest in having chickens was to have eggs to eat and sell. That was it, nothing more, nothing less. I joined a local forum and found out there is a whole new world of chickens out there!
I was introduced to the EO by a friend who kept insisting they are the friendliest chickens on the planet. Having spent some time with this breed since then, I have to admit to believing everything I was told. They really do come running towards you instead of away from you....especially if there is any sign of treats around!
The ladies are the best jumpers ever...especially when they hear the noise of a plastic bag crinkling, or they see me holding a bunch of grapes in the air!
I have not had any problems with my roosters and my current one just lets me walk around in the pen, petting his girls and occasionally picking one up to make sure she is OK.
One of my farm volunteers would put a hen in her lap and it would go to sleep. So far, none of my other large breeds have done that. I've had a three year old pick up and hold a fully grown EO and kiss it on its head...so cute! Now I would not be without them on my farm and I am happy to be part of the team promoting the traditional Basque Hen."
Lisa Weaver, Director
"I went to visit Claire Smith in the summer of 2011; I had recently moved to the country and had just started learning about chickens. I had purchased some Australorps from another breeder because they were described as very practical dual-purpose chickens. I hadn’t realized that show birds were not known for their egg-laying ability; I had some absolutely stately black ladies swanning around my chicken yard, laying occasionally and generally being quite stand-offish.
I arrived at Claire’s house looking for a different breed; I can’t even remember what it was now! I saw her beautiful Basques, including the lovely striped roosters and the plump, stylish hens. She called them, and they came running over to greet her! They were chatty, friendly and charming. They examined our shoes, checked our hands for treats, and told us stories about their day. I was hooked!
I took home some eggs, and they hatched so easily. I didn’t realize at the time that an almost perfect hatch rate was unusual – but not for EO’s! The chicks were utterly charming and ran toward me in the brooder box to see what I was bringing them, instead of running away from the big predator.
When they were old enough to fly a bit, one of the little pullets took to leaping out of the brooder and onto my shoulder to ride around and do chores with me. What a peach! Peachy is still with me 3 ½ years later; she is the top hen in the flock, keeps everybody else in order effortlessly and still lays regularly. And she still runs toward me every time I visit the yard and tells me stories about her day.
The Australorps have been moved to a new home – but I can’t imagine ever keeping chickens without my delightful Basques".
Stefan Gubelmann, Director
“In 2010 I was part of an egg swap on an online chicken site, and was lucky to be paired with Claire Smith of Skeffling Lavender farms. This was what I was hoping for, because I knew she had a lot of interesting breeds. Claire gave us 6 blue-laced red Wyandotte eggs and 6 EO eggs. Our intention was just to keep the pullets for laying hens. But when my wife asked “why don’t you keep one of those nice looking EO roosters?” it didn’t take me long to agree.
I still have one of the original hens that came from those hatching eggs in 2010 - she is now part of my layer flock. In 2011, I bought as many Marraduna Basque hatching eggs as I could from Claire to get a good number of EO’s to start selecting future breeders. I have been hatching many eggs every year since to get better type and better color into my flock and the last two seasons they have started to get consistent.
We get lots of large shiny brown eggs from the Basque hens and we use the extra cockerels for meat. They grow relatively fast for a heritage breed and taste great, much better than any of the other breeds that we raise. So far I have not had a single Basque rooster that I couldn’t trust around the kids. They are generally very good natured - but the roosters can still be a bit intimidating to very young kids simply because of their size and the fact that Basque hens and roosters have no fear of humans.”
Glen McCray, Director
"After doing a lot of online research, I decided on these wonderful chickens for my homestead. That was back in the fall of '11, and we haven't bought eggs or grocery chicken meat since! I love working with these birds - they are a pleasure to look at, and a welcome addition to any farm or homestead.
Some of my surplus layers have made it into backyards in town, where they are winning hearts with their dependable egg laying and 'come to you' attitude. My other breeds hit the far side of the fence when I enter their pens, but the Basques come and gather around my boots to where I have to shuffle to keep from stepping on toes."
Michelle Sulz, President
"The Basque breed captured my interest and my heart back in 2011 and there has been no looking back since. I enjoy the friendly personality of the Euskal oiloa, and my greatest fear when around them is of stepping on one which, in my opinion, is a pretty great problem to have!
I also appreciate their usefulness for both eggs and meat production and who can overlook those pretty feathers?
At present I raise EOs in two varieties: the red cuckoo (marraduna) and the red (gorria). I am enjoying the challenge of continuing to breed and select for birds that (I hope!) will be closer to the standard while retaining their amazing personality and ability to thrive under farm conditions. As much as I love chickens in all their shapes and sizes there’s nothing that compares to a large flock of EOs all the same color and type, especially a flock running full out towards you in case you might have treats for them! I want to see flocks like that in barnyards across North America and I also believe they will be able to hold their own in the show room."
Monika Popein, Vice President
"A lovely lady by the name of Susan first introduced me to EOs in the summer of 2011. She knew I was looking for a friendly bird and thought they would suit me well. Was she ever right! I received my first shipment of eggs from Claire (Skeffling Lavander Farm) that July and then more from Susan later that same year. It was very exciting for me to be part of the early stages of both receiving EO eggs and soon after sharing my own EO eggs and birds. It didn’t take long for me to clear out all of my other standard chickens to make room for more EOs. That of course led to a new coop and runs so that I could house them safely and enjoy this wonderful hobby to its fullest! There is no looking back only full force ahead doing whatever I can to help others discover this breed and to help our group of EO lovers with the goal of having this wonderful breed accepted into the SOP."
Debbie Jestin, Secretary
Helen Waring, Treasurer
"My initial interest in having chickens was to have eggs to eat and sell. That was it, nothing more, nothing less. I joined a local forum and found out there is a whole new world of chickens out there!
I was introduced to the EO by a friend who kept insisting they are the friendliest chickens on the planet. Having spent some time with this breed since then, I have to admit to believing everything I was told. They really do come running towards you instead of away from you....especially if there is any sign of treats around!
The ladies are the best jumpers ever...especially when they hear the noise of a plastic bag crinkling, or they see me holding a bunch of grapes in the air!
I have not had any problems with my roosters and my current one just lets me walk around in the pen, petting his girls and occasionally picking one up to make sure she is OK.
One of my farm volunteers would put a hen in her lap and it would go to sleep. So far, none of my other large breeds have done that. I've had a three year old pick up and hold a fully grown EO and kiss it on its head...so cute! Now I would not be without them on my farm and I am happy to be part of the team promoting the traditional Basque Hen."
Lisa Weaver, Director
"I went to visit Claire Smith in the summer of 2011; I had recently moved to the country and had just started learning about chickens. I had purchased some Australorps from another breeder because they were described as very practical dual-purpose chickens. I hadn’t realized that show birds were not known for their egg-laying ability; I had some absolutely stately black ladies swanning around my chicken yard, laying occasionally and generally being quite stand-offish.
I arrived at Claire’s house looking for a different breed; I can’t even remember what it was now! I saw her beautiful Basques, including the lovely striped roosters and the plump, stylish hens. She called them, and they came running over to greet her! They were chatty, friendly and charming. They examined our shoes, checked our hands for treats, and told us stories about their day. I was hooked!
I took home some eggs, and they hatched so easily. I didn’t realize at the time that an almost perfect hatch rate was unusual – but not for EO’s! The chicks were utterly charming and ran toward me in the brooder box to see what I was bringing them, instead of running away from the big predator.
When they were old enough to fly a bit, one of the little pullets took to leaping out of the brooder and onto my shoulder to ride around and do chores with me. What a peach! Peachy is still with me 3 ½ years later; she is the top hen in the flock, keeps everybody else in order effortlessly and still lays regularly. And she still runs toward me every time I visit the yard and tells me stories about her day.
The Australorps have been moved to a new home – but I can’t imagine ever keeping chickens without my delightful Basques".
Stefan Gubelmann, Director
“In 2010 I was part of an egg swap on an online chicken site, and was lucky to be paired with Claire Smith of Skeffling Lavender farms. This was what I was hoping for, because I knew she had a lot of interesting breeds. Claire gave us 6 blue-laced red Wyandotte eggs and 6 EO eggs. Our intention was just to keep the pullets for laying hens. But when my wife asked “why don’t you keep one of those nice looking EO roosters?” it didn’t take me long to agree.
I still have one of the original hens that came from those hatching eggs in 2010 - she is now part of my layer flock. In 2011, I bought as many Marraduna Basque hatching eggs as I could from Claire to get a good number of EO’s to start selecting future breeders. I have been hatching many eggs every year since to get better type and better color into my flock and the last two seasons they have started to get consistent.
We get lots of large shiny brown eggs from the Basque hens and we use the extra cockerels for meat. They grow relatively fast for a heritage breed and taste great, much better than any of the other breeds that we raise. So far I have not had a single Basque rooster that I couldn’t trust around the kids. They are generally very good natured - but the roosters can still be a bit intimidating to very young kids simply because of their size and the fact that Basque hens and roosters have no fear of humans.”
Glen McCray, Director
"After doing a lot of online research, I decided on these wonderful chickens for my homestead. That was back in the fall of '11, and we haven't bought eggs or grocery chicken meat since! I love working with these birds - they are a pleasure to look at, and a welcome addition to any farm or homestead.
Some of my surplus layers have made it into backyards in town, where they are winning hearts with their dependable egg laying and 'come to you' attitude. My other breeds hit the far side of the fence when I enter their pens, but the Basques come and gather around my boots to where I have to shuffle to keep from stepping on toes."
