- Egyptian Fayoumi
Infobox Chickenbreed
name = Fayoumi
imagecaption = An Egyptian Fayoumi at a poultry show]
status =
altname = Egyptian Fayoumi
Bigawe
country = Egypt
nickname =
apa =
apagroup =
aba =
abagroup =
extinct =
maleweight = 2 kilos (4.5 pounds)
femaleweight = 1.6 kilos (3.5 pounds)
skincolor = Slate blue
eggcolor = White
comb = Single
note = The Fayoumi is abreed ofchicken originating inEgypt . Fayoumis are a very old breed in their native region, and are named for theFaiyum Governorate southwest ofCairo and west of theNile . They have been present in the West since at least the 1940s, when they were imported from Egypt by anIowa State University Dean ofAgriculture . [harv|Ekarius|2007|p=54] [cite web |url=http://www.iastate.edu/IaStater/1997/may/chicken.html |work=iastate.edu |title=Egyptian chicken plan hatches . . . 50 years later |date=May 1997 |accessdate=2008-06-12] However, they are not officially recognized for exhibition by theAmerican Poultry Association , and are not included in theStandard of Perfection .Fayoumis have been described as "jaunty" in appearance; [harv|Ekarius|2007|p=54] with their upright tails and forward jutting breast and neck, they are sometimes likened to a
roadrunner s. [harv|Ekarius|2007|p=54] They are a light-weight fowl, with roosters weighing in around 2 kilos (4.5 pounds) and hens 1.6 kilos (3.5 pounds). They appear in a single variety: in roosters, the plumage is silver-white on the head, neck, back and saddle, with the rest in a black and white barring. Hens have heads and necks in the silver-white hue, with the rest barred. Fayoumis have a single comb, earlobes, and wattles are red and moderately large, with a white spot in the earlobes. They have dark horn colored beaks, and slate blue skin. Their appearance is remarkably similar to the Silver variety of the Campine breed ofBelgium , and the Campine may be descended from a Fayoumi-like chicken brought north in Europe by the Romans. [harv|Ekarius|2007|p=48]Fayoumis are a hardy breed, and particularly well suited to hot climates. [harv|Heinrichs|2007|p=67] The breed, through poultry
genetics research and anecdotal reports, is thought to be especially resistant toviral andbacterial infections. [harv|Ekarius|2007|p=54] They are also very good foragers, and if left to their own devices on afree range basis they can fend for themselves in a nearlyferal manner. Fayoumi hens are good layers of small, off-white eggs. They are not given to broodiness aspullet s, but can be when they reach two or three years of age. The breed is fast to mature, with hens laying by four and half months, and cockerels crowing at five or six weeks. [harv|Ekarius|2007|p=54]Footnotes
References
*
*External links
* [http://feathersite.com/Poultry/CGD/Fayu/BRKFayoumi.html Fayoumis] at feathersite
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