Zingem Laying Fowl: A Marvel of Belgium Beauty

The Zingem Laying Fowl is a Belgium breed with a striking brown ground color, black barring, and impressive egg-laying abilities. These birds are a marvel of beauty and productivity.

Characteristics

Zingem Laying Fowl has a brown ground color with black barring and brown hackles. They were created by crossing Campines and Rhode Island Reds and inherited many of their characteristics.

Zingem birds have the intense brown ground color of the Rhode Island Red, crossed with black bands. The rooster’s breast and hackles are solid reddish brown.

They carry their tail upright, and the roosters have a couple of long black sickle feathers. Both roosters and hens have a single upright comb and white earlobes.

Here you can clearly see how the hens have their comb upright, compared to Braekel, who carry their comb on the side.

Egg Production

Zingem laying hens are proficient layers and can lay up to 220 eggs yearly. The eggs are rather large and weigh a little more than 2oz.

The color of the eggs is rather cream and tinted compared to the white eggs of the Campine and the brown eggs of the Rhode Island Red. The eggs have a darker shade at the beginning of the laying season.

The chickens are cute and have all different charming dawn patterns. Some have a completely brown head, while others have a broad brown band at the top of the head.

Zingem Laying Fowl vs. Campines

Zingem laying fowl stem from Campines and Braekels and share a lot of the same characteristics, but there are also significant differences:

• The barring pattern is less tightly delineated
• The brown bands are about the same width as the black bands
• The ground color is more intense
• Roosters have a clear chest with no signs of barring
• Zingem laying hens have an upright comb
• The birds are heavier and more robust compared to Campines

Personality

Zingem laying fowl are calm and docile birds that enjoy scratching around in outdoor runs. They are not flighty and can comfortably be housed within a 5 feet high fence.

They are robust by nature (compared to lighter Campines) and naturally resist diseases and bad weather conditions, making them easy to care for without any special requirements.

History and Origin

Zingem laying fowl is a Belgium breed created by Mr. Dion De Laporte from Zingem. At that time in Belgium, white eggs were increasingly replaced by brown eggs. That’s why Mr. De Laporte started to develop a breed similar to the Braekel that would lay brown eggs by crossing it with the Rhode Island Red.

Campines and Braekels share a tumultuous history. The Campines used to be a lighter version of the Braekel, but in 1962 the breeds were joined. However, people kept referring to the birds with both names. In most parts of the world, people refer to Braekels, but in the US and England, people refer to Campines.

Originally, the breed was mainly kept around the Zingem area by a few breeders, making it very rare. Lately, the breed is regaining popularity, and several breeding flocks have been spread across Belgium, captivating poultry enthusiasts and recreational breeders.