Faverolles Chickens
Meet the Faverolles: a gentle, five-toed dual-purpose breed from our backyard quality range. Calm enough for kids, hardy enough for a cold winter.
Faverolles are a French dual-purpose breed known for a fluffy beard, muffs, feathered legs and, unusually, five toes instead of four. They're calm, sociable birds that suit families and first-time keepers, and their dense feathering handles cold winters well. Hens lay three to four, medium sized, tinted or light brown eggs a week and keep laying through the colder months better than many breeds. We breed backyard quality Faverolles periodically throughout the year. Join our Poultry Waitlist to hear when well-started birds, from day-old chicks to point of lay, are ready
Some breeds are hard to miss, and the Faverolles is one of them. Between the beard, the muffs, and the extra toe on each foot, it's a bird that looks like nothing else in the yard, and behaves like one of the gentlest breeds you'll keep.
Developed in the French village the breed is named after, the Faverolles was bred to lay well through winter and hold its own at the table. What's carried through into backyard flocks today is a calm, curious chicken that gets along with children and keeps laying when a lot of other breeds slow right down.
Here's what to know about the breed, and how to join our backyard poultry waitlist for well-started Faverolles chickens.
What makes a Faverolles a Faverolles
Faverolles are hard to confuse with any other breed. A full beard and muffs frame the face, feathered legs run right down to the toes, and where most chickens have four toes, a Faverolles has five.
It's a heavy-set, cloddy bird with a broad body and a small, tidy comb, which also happens to be a sensible feature for a cold climate. Less comb means less risk of frostbite through a cold winter.
Salmon is the colour we breed, and the one most keepers picture when they think of a Faverolles. Creamy white and soft brown through the hens, with darker, more dramatic plumage on the roosters.
Black, blue, buff, cuckoo, ermine, and white varieties also exist, though salmon remains the most widely kept colour in Australia.
Faverolles temperament
If you want a chicken that will follow you around the yard, the Faverolles is a good bet. They're inquisitive, easy to handle, and genuinely enjoy being around people, which is part of why they've become a favourite with families and first-time keepers.
That same easygoing nature has a downside. Faverolles rank low in the pecking order and can get pushed around by bossier breeds, so they do best in a flock of similarly gentle birds, or kept as their own group. A Standard Light Sussex or an Australorp makes a reasonable yard mate, a flock of ISA Browns probably doesn't.
Faverolles hens and pullets
Faverolles hens lay around three to four medium-sized eggs a week, tinted to light brown, and they keep laying through winter better than many breeds manage.
Broodiness comes up often with this breed. Hens sit reliably and make attentive mothers, so a Faverolles hen is a useful bird to have if you're hoping to hatch your own chicks down the track.
Our well-started Faverolles pullets are raised on our own feed, with room to range and grow properly before they go to a new home.
Faverolles roosters are calmer than most. Aggression is rare, even during breeding season, which makes them a reasonable choice for a family backyard where children are around the birds.
They carry the same beard, muffs, and feathering as the hens, with darker, more contrasting colouring through the chest and saddle.
Our Faverolles roosters are available by request only, and only occasionally. Get in touch if you're after one.
Why choose Faverolles chickens?
PERFECT FAMILY PETS
Calm and easy to handle, and comfortable being around children.
Eggs through winter
Keep laying tinted, light brown eggs when other breeds slow down.
DISTINCTIVE BY DESIGN
A beard, muffs, feathered legs, and five toes rather than the usual four.
Broodiness
Broody hens that make attentive mothers if you want to hatch your own chicks.
Winter plumage
Dense feathering and a small comb suited to a colder Australian winter.
Ready to buy backyard quality Faverolles chickens in Australia?
Whether you're after a family-friendly breed or a reliable winter layer, Faverolles are worth a look. We offer well-started backyard quality birds, from day-old chicks through to point of lay. As with all of our birds, availability depends on hatching season and demand.
If you'd like to be one of the first to know when our Faverolles are available, join our waitlist and we'll be in touch. Got a question before then? We're always happy to talk chooks. Get in touch and we'll help you work out whether a Faverolles is the right fit for your yard.
Join Our Backyard Waitlist →Frequently asked questions
Are Faverolles good for beginners?
Yes. They're calm, easy to handle, and forgiving of beginner mistakes, which is part of why they're such a popular choice for first-time flock owners and families with children.
How many eggs do Faverolles chickens lay?
A Faverolles hen lays around three to four eggs a week, or roughly 150 to 200 a year. Eggs are medium sized, tinted to light brown, and hens tend to keep laying through winter better than many other breeds.
Do Faverolles get along with other chicken breeds?
They can, but they're gentle birds that rank low in the pecking order and can be bullied by pushier breeds. They do best alongside similarly calm breeds, such as the Standard Light Sussex, or kept as their own flock.
Are Faverolles suited to the Australian climate?
Their dense feathering and small comb make them well suited to cold, wet winters, though they'll need shade and dry ground over the warmer months to stay comfortable.
Do you deliver Faverolles chickens outside NSW?
Yes. We work with trusted transport providers to get well-started birds to keepers across Australia, not just locally.
Where can I buy Faverolles chickens in Australia?
We raise backyard quality salmon coloured Faverolles on our Southern Highlands farm and can work with most transport providers to get birds all around Australia. Join our waitlist to be notified as soon as well-started birds are available.
Join Our Backyard Waitlist
Tell us what you're after and we'll be in touch as soon as Faverolles are ready.