North American Basque Hen Association

Simple Curried Chicken Recipe

1/17/2016

Ingredients

1 can coconut milk
2 Tbsps. green curry paste
2 skinless boneless chicken breasts – chopped into bite size pieces
2 Tbsps. fish sauce
2 Tbsps. brown sugar
1/4 cup bamboo shoots
1/2 cup frozen peas (or vegetables of your choice)
1/3 cup chicken stock

Instructions

Simmer your coconut milk with the curry paste for over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add your chicken breast, fish sauce, brown sugar, bamboo shoots, frozen peas and chicken stock.
Simmer 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Serve over hot rice.

Tip of the hat to Monika for this recipe.

0 Comments

What is a Mille Fleur EO?

9/13/2015

1 Comment

If you look at pictures of North American Basque Hens (Spanish name Euskal Oiloa or EO), you will sometimes see some very pretty birds that have spots. They are quite lovely, and carry all of the wonderful characteristics typical of other Basque Hens. And they have spots!

Genetically speaking the spots we see in our North American Basques are not fully understood. Even the genetics behind the true standard mille fleur pattern, characterized by evenly distributed feathers each with a white tip followed by a black chevron, are not fully known despite the fact that the mille fleur color variety has been standardized and selected for over hundreds of years in some breeds!

The mottled gene ‘mo’ is most certainly the main cause of the white spots at the feather tips and this gene will be present in two doses in any Basque that clearly has spots. It is a recessive gene which means it can hide undetected in the parents and then, like magic, show up as spotted chicks when they feather out sometimes generations later. One way to detect whether the mottling gene is present even when it is trying to hide is to look for white tips on the wing feathers. In true standard mille fleur colour varieties other genes such as the pattern gene ‘Pg’ along with modifiers are also speculated to be present and it is impossible to say at this point whether those genes are present in our Basques.

There aren’t any pictures from Spain that we’ve been able to find that shows this colour pattern. And there is lots of speculation on how the spots came to be in the North American Basque Hen. Although we will likely never know for sure, one possibility is cross breeding with the Penedesenca which is from a similar region in Spain. The Penedesenca has wheaten, partridge and crele colour varieties and crossing of the partridge and wheaten have been proven to create offspring with a ‘mille fleur’ color pattern. The Penedesenca, with its unique carnation comb, is also often blamed for the many side sprigs we see popping up uninvited in our Basques!

The spotted Basques have appeared in North America pretty much since we began breeding EOs. Since the spots can hide undetected in our birds and spotted birds will breed true, they tend to perpetuate unless actively removed from a breeding program. Since the size, shape and color of the spots is still highly variable in the Basques and can be present on birds with either the Red or Red Cuckoo background they looked very colourful!

Basques with spots have become known as millies (after the mille fleur pattern seen in other breeds) but until the colour pattern in the Basque Hen becomes more standardized it is impossible to say whether mille fleur will truly be the correct term to use. A discussion will no doubt be happening soon among people who favour this lovely colour pattern to find an accurate descriptor that we can all use for these pretty birds. Mille Fleur? Speckled? Spangled? Mottled? Spotted? This author doesn’t know. She just knows that these birds are gorgeous, friendly, and lay big beautiful eggs. Whatever the official name ends up being, the spotted Basque is a big favorite!

1 Comment

2014 Basque Hen Survey Results Summary

5/28/2015

0 Comments

The response rate for the 2014 Euskal Oiloa (Basque Hen) Survey, the second annual, was very good with 35 general Basque owners responding and 23 breeders filling out the survey. The red cuckoo variety of Basque Hen, known as marraduna in Spain, is by far the most popular with 85% of owners and 74% of breeders raising this variety.

The number of people who indicated they raise Basque Hens for pets and enjoyment increased from 2013 with 46% of owners indicating that their primary reason for owning Basques is for pets and enjoyment. Because it’s recognized that this is a very important trait for Basque owners, two new questions about the temperament of the hens and roosters were also added in 2014. For female EOs, 82% of owners indicated their girls are above the average chicken when it comes to friendliness. When it comes to the boys, 94% of owners indicated their roosters are average or above for friendliness. Only 6% of owners indicated their EO roosters were below average for friendliness; those unfriendly roosters, in particular if they are aggressive as well, always taste the best! For estimates of egg production, the second most important reasons people raise the breed, more owners indicated their EOs lay about 200 eggs per year than in 2013 with a few less indicating they lay more than 200 eggs per year.

For breeders of EOs, there was an increase in the number of people who hatched large numbers of Basque chicks in 2014 with several hatching more than 100! That said, average breeding flock sizes remain relatively small with about 60% of breeders keeping only 1-10 breeding quality hens over winter and almost all breeders keeping 5 roosters or less.

Six breeders indicated that more than 50% of their marraduna (red cuckoo) Basques raised in 2014, when all traits are considered, would meet the Standard of Perfection (SOP). This statistic represents a key measure for American Poultry Association (APA) recognition of the breed and is one to keep an eye on! There were also 18 breeders that indicated some interest in working towards APA recognition of the breed which is exciting as it would be fantastic to see the Basque Hen grace the pages of the APA SOP some day!

A big thank you to everyone who participated in the 2014 survey, please keep the upcoming 2015 version in mind as you go about the business of hatching chicks, evaluating birds, and generally enjoying your Basque flock!

0 Comments

What Colour is a Basque Hen?

4/16/2015

4 Comments

Basque Hens originate in the Basque region of Spain; their Spanish name is Euskal Oiloa. In Spain, EOs were officially recognized in five different varieties in 2001. These are:

Red (Gorria)
Red Cuckoo (Marraduna)
Black (Beltza)
White Columbian (Zilarra)
Red Naked Neck (Lepasoila)

In North America, we have successfully managed to standardize two of the Spanish colour patterns – the most common is the Red Cuckoo (Marraduna) followed by the Red (Gorria). If you are looking to increase (or start!) your Basque flock, it will be fairly easy to find both of these colour varieties if you ask the members of NABHA!

Some of our breeders are diligently working on developing the other Spanish colour patterns; it seems likely that the White Columbian will be next.

In addition to the Spanish varieties, a few other colour patterns have been observed in the North American birds. The most common is the spotted variety, sometimes referred to as the mille fleur pattern.

Less frequently, North American breeders have observed Basques that are grey or recessive white. While some breeders are working with the whites, the greys have generally been removed from the breeding lineup and moved to the layer pens. Regardless of the colour, all of the Basques seem to carry the same characteristics of friendly, regular egg-layers.

4 Comments

Steps for APA Recognition of the Basque Hen

4/7/2015

0 Comments

The steps to allow new breeds to be officially recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA) are quite clear, and have been recently revised. In a nutshell, recognition of a new breed can only occur if it is different from other accepted breeds, breeds true in the offspring, and is being bred by enough people who understand poultry that it is proven to be stable.

This means that there needs to be a very precise description of the birds that can be examined by APA judges, and enough birds need to be put in front of enough judges that they can attest that the birds are consistent with the description. Easy, right??

So, here’s how we are doing so far.

1)   We have a pretty accurate description of the Basque Hen breed painstakingly drafted after much discussion among North American Basque enthusiasts and some helpful APA judges. The latest version can be found on this website under the title “Proposed Standard of Perfection”. So we know what the birds are supposed to look like. Consultation has suggested that our Basques are sufficiently different from other breeds that this requirement should not be problematic for APA recognition (especially for the Red Cuckoo/Marraduna variety as it has a very unusual colour pattern). The Red Cuckoo will be the first variety of Basque Hen moving forward for recognition.

2)   A petition for recognition of a new breed must be sent to the APA Secretary at least one year prior to the first qualifying meet. A fee must be sent along with the petition to defray the cost of placing the text in the APA Standard of Perfection. The fee is $600.00 US for a new breed.

3)   Affidavits will be needed from at least five breeders prior to the final qualifying meet “stating that they have bred the breed for not less than five years and that it produces no less than 50% of all specimens reasonably true to type, color, size and comb”. Basically, at least 50% of the birds hatched must match the description. Clarification with APA indicated that the birds must be breeding at least 50% true at the time of the affidavit, not for the full five years.

4)   Only breeders who have been members of APA for at least 5 years are eligible to send in affidavits.

5)   Lots of Basque birds will need to be exhibited at shows to allow them to meet the requirements for acceptance. This process includes:

A judge licensed by APA will need to certify that at least four Basques in each class of cocks, hens, cockerels and pullets (minimum of 16 birds total) were exhibited in each of the two years preceding the first official qualifying meet. These judges will be asked their opinions about the quality and uniformity of the birds they examined.
Once the previous requirement is met, the APA Committee on Standards will name the two qualifying meets. The first is at a regional (local) show, and the second is at the Annual Convention. The convention can be hosted anywhere in the US. The two qualifying meets are to be scheduled at least one year apart.
At the two qualifying meets, there needs to be at least five exhibitors, all of whom are members of the APA at the time of judging.
At the two qualifying meets, not less than 50 birds need to be shown with equal numbers in the classes of cock, hen, cockerel and pullet. That means that between them, the exhibitors need to show at least 12 or 13 birds in each of the classes. A suggestion from a very helpful APA judge was to register as many birds of good quality as possible for the qualifying meets to make a good presentation. It was suggested that we aim for 75 birds; on the off chance of disqualifications, in the event of withdrawals of birds who go into unexpected moults and in case of last minute cancellations of exhibitors, we would still have the required 50 birds.

6) The breeders who sign the affidavits and the exhibitors who show the birds do NOT have to be the same people. This will be helpful as some of our longer term breeders prefer not to show their birds for biosecurity reasons, but can still take part in the acceptance process. This may also help with some geography issues for the qualifying meets.

We are already doing very well! Basques have been shown in small numbers in Canadian shows in front of APA judges for the past 2 ½ years (2013-2015). We received some very positive and helpful feedback from the judges who examined them which has resulted in some excellent breeding decisions and clarity in direction. We are well on our way to seeing our beloved Basques officially recognized!

Basque enthusiasts still have some good work to do to reach our goal. There are many ways to support this cause for those who are interested. Join NABHA. Breed your birds (especially Red Cuckoos) as close to the proposed SOP as possible. Join APA. Donate some money toward the APA fee. Promote Basque Hens through NABHA, the EO Forum and other poultry websites. Show your birds to friends and family. Exhibit at local poultry shows. Help support someone else who will be part of the effort. Isn’t it fun to think that we will leave a lasting legacy on the poultry world?

0 Comments

Why Did We Start N.A.B.H.A?

4/5/2015

4 Comments

In 2011 an online forum was started called the Euskal Oiloa Chicken Forum. This allowed people who were interested in the Basque Hen breed to come together to discuss their beloved birds, ask questions, and share observations. The wonderful dual-purpose nature of the Basque was often noted with appreciation, but the friendly nature of the birds seems to be what gets people hooked on the breed. Most people with a mixed breed flock find Basques to be a wonderful addition, and can’t imagine having a flock without a few Basques in it.

Early breeders of Basques in North America (remember, they’ve only been available since 2008!) had an interesting problem. The first chicks grew up to be a variety of colours; how did they choose which birds to breed for the next generation? Many of those early breeders decided to select for birds that would result in the colours described in the Spanish standard. This resulted in the perpetuation of the two varieties common in North America today, the red cuckoo (Marraduna) and red (Gorria) varieties. Breeders also recognized that there was much more to select for than just colour so also looked to the Spanish standard as their guide when selecting for other traits like the shape and size of their birds. One drawback of the Spanish standard for most North Americans was that it happens to be written in Spanish.

Basque Hens are such an enjoyable and productive breed of chicken that current owners of EOs are excited to share them with others. The main purpose of NABHA is to share our enjoyment and knowledge of Basque Hens with others who are interested in poultry!

One of the best ways to expose more poultry enthusiasts to this exciting breed is to take our Basques to poultry shows. To take our birds to shows, we needed to be able to communicate to the judges what Basque Hens were supposed to look like. This resulted in long discussions among current owners of EOs and consultations with poultry judges to design a good description of our Basques. In fancy poultry language this is called a “Standard of Perfection” and the proposed Basque Hen SOP is written to match the SOPs for other breeds that have already been accepted into the American Poultry Association.

We would like to see our Basque Hens receive the same well-deserved recognition as other breeds already accepted by the American Poultry Association so one of the goals of NABHA is to organize North American efforts that, with time, will allow our beloved birds to join the ranks of other officially recognized poultry breeds.

4 Comments

Simple Curried Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

What is a Mille Fleur EO?

2014 Basque Hen Survey Results Summary

What Colour is a Basque Hen?

Steps for APA Recognition of the Basque Hen

Why Did We Start N.A.B.H.A?

Links

Archives

Categories

Simple Curried Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

What is a Mille Fleur EO?

2014 Basque Hen Survey Results Summary

What Colour is a Basque Hen?﻿

Steps for APA Recognition of the Basque Hen

Why Did We Start N.A.B.H.A?

Links

Archives

Categories

What Colour is a Basque Hen?