What color eggs do La Fleche lay?

**White** eggs — La Flèche is a white-egg layer, producing large to extra-large white shells. Sources report roughly **140–220 eggs a year**, laid mainly from spring through fall, with some hens continuing through winter.

Are La Fleche good for showing?

Yes, for breeders who love a rarity. They're exhibited in the APA's **Continental** class, with **Black** the recognized U.S. large-fowl variety, and are judged largely on that distinctive **two-horned V comb**, glossy black plumage, and clean white earlobes. Because they're critically rare, a good show bird is also a valuable conservation bird.

How hard are La Fleche to hatch?

No harder than any chicken to incubate — **99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch**, with no breed-specific quirks. The catch is availability: because the breed is on The Livestock Conservancy's **Critical** list, sourcing fertile eggs or started stock from a conservation breeder is the real challenge, not the incubation itself.

Why is the La Flèche called the 'devil bird'?

Because of its **V-shaped comb** — two upright red horns that, with the glossy black plumage and red face, look devilish. It's also called 'Satan's fowl' and the 'fowl of Le Mans.' The comb, not any temperament, is the source of the name.

Do La Flèche hens go broody?

Rarely. La Flèche are described as **non-broody and poor mothers**, so plan on an incubator or a broody hen of another breed if you want to hatch their eggs. This is consistent across sources.

How rare is the La Flèche?

Very. The breed is listed as **Critical** by The Livestock Conservancy — among the rarest chicken breeds in North America. It reached the U.S. in the 1850s but was largely abandoned for hardier, more productive breeds, and today survives mainly through dedicated conservation breeders.

La Flèche: The 'Devil Bird' with the V-Shaped Comb

Verified September 2026White eggs

The short version

The La Flèche is a critically rare French breed shown in the APA's Continental class, instantly recognized by its distinctive V-shaped comb — two upright red horns that earned it nicknames like 'devil bird.' In the U.S. it is exhibited in a single variety, glossy black, lays white eggs, and is a flighty, active forager that rarely goes broody. Recognized by the APA in 1874, it remains on The Livestock Conservancy's Critical list, so most flocks exist through conservation breeders rather than hatcheries.

APA class: Continental

Egg color: White

Broodiness: Rarely broody

Varieties: 1

Egg-color genetics

La Flèche lay a clean white shell with no blue-egg (oocyan) gene and no brown coating, so there is no green/olive potential in the breed — a straightforward white layer despite the glossy black plumage.

Why is La Flèche called the 'devil bird'?

The nickname comes entirely from the comb. Instead of a single or rose comb, La Flèche carries a V-shaped comb — two bright red, upright horns set close together above the beak. Combined with the breed's glossy black plumage and bright red face, the two 'horns' gave it folk names like 'devil bird,' 'Satan's fowl,' and 'fowl of Le Mans.' The breed name itself is French for 'the arrow,' commonly linked to the arrow-like comb, though it actually traces to the town of La Flèche in the Sarthe department of France's Pays de la Loire region.

Is La Flèche a good backyard breed?

It depends what you want. La Flèche is an active, flighty forager that avoids human contact, resists taming, and flies well — high fencing is a must, and it is not a lap chicken. In exchange you get a hardy, weather-tolerant bird that lays a good number of white eggs, historically prized in France as a table fowl. For most keepers the real reason to keep them is conservation: with the breed rated Critical, keeping a breeding flock of true-to-type birds is itself a contribution to the breed's survival.

Breeding notes

The two-horned V comb is the breed's signature: aim for two clean, upright, symmetrical red spikes ('devil's horns') set parallel above the beak, with no crest and no single-comb or cup-comb throwbacks — comb faults are the first thing a serious breeder culls.
Breed for depth of glossy, beetle-green-sheened black plumage over slate shanks; purple barring or dull, rusty black in the hackle and tail is a color fault to select against.
This is a slow-maturing, hardy dual-purpose breed that is deceptively heavy under tight feathering — give birds time to fill out before making final breeder selections rather than culling young.
As a critically endangered breed, prioritize genetic diversity: keep multiple unrelated bloodlines and hatch enough birds each season to make meaningful selection possible while conserving the line.

Showing notes

La Flèche is exhibited in the APA's Continental class; in the U.S. the recognized large-fowl variety is Black, so enter as 'Black La Flèche, large fowl.'
Judges look hard at the V comb — two well-formed, upright horns of even length and a bright red face, wattles, and comb against clean white earlobes. A malformed, crested, or lopsided comb is a decisive fault.
Condition the black plumage for a green sheen and keep the white earlobes clean; because the breed is flighty and dislikes handling, train show birds to the coop and to handling well in advance of the show.

Hatching & incubation

No breed-specific incubation requirements — treat La Flèche eggs like any chicken egg: 99.5–100°F forced-air, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch.
Chicks are known to mature slowly, so expect a longer grow-out before birds reach their full deceptive weight and adult type; this is a rearing trait, not an incubation one.

Recognized varieties

Black

Frequently asked questions

What color eggs do La Fleche lay?: White eggs — La Flèche is a white-egg layer, producing large to extra-large white shells. Sources report roughly 140–220 eggs a year, laid mainly from spring through fall, with some hens continuing through winter.
Are La Fleche good for showing?: Yes, for breeders who love a rarity. They're exhibited in the APA's Continental class, with Black the recognized U.S. large-fowl variety, and are judged largely on that distinctive two-horned V comb, glossy black plumage, and clean white earlobes. Because they're critically rare, a good show bird is also a valuable conservation bird.
How hard are La Fleche to hatch?: No harder than any chicken to incubate — 99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch, with no breed-specific quirks. The catch is availability: because the breed is on The Livestock Conservancy's Critical list, sourcing fertile eggs or started stock from a conservation breeder is the real challenge, not the incubation itself.
Why is the La Flèche called the 'devil bird'?: Because of its V-shaped comb — two upright red horns that, with the glossy black plumage and red face, look devilish. It's also called 'Satan's fowl' and the 'fowl of Le Mans.' The comb, not any temperament, is the source of the name.
Do La Flèche hens go broody?: Rarely. La Flèche are described as non-broody and poor mothers, so plan on an incubator or a broody hen of another breed if you want to hatch their eggs. This is consistent across sources.
How rare is the La Flèche?: Very. The breed is listed as Critical by The Livestock Conservancy — among the rarest chicken breeds in North America. It reached the U.S. in the 1850s but was largely abandoned for hardier, more productive breeds, and today survives mainly through dedicated conservation breeders.

Sources

La Flèche Chicken (breed profile & conservation status) — The Livestock Conservancy (Reference)
La Flèche chicken (breed standard, varieties & history) — Wikipedia (Reference)

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