Barbu d'Uccle
The or Belgian d'Uccle, , is a Belgian breed of bearded bantam chicken. It was first bred in the town of Uccle on the outskirts of Brussels, in central Belgium, in the early years of the twentieth century. It is a true bantam, with no standard-sized large fowl counterpart, and is one of eleven Belgian true bantam breeds. History The Barbu d'Uccle was created by Michael Van Gelder of Uccle, Belgium, in the early years of the twentieth century, with help and advice from Robert Pauwels and Louis Vander Snickt. It is thought, but not known for certain, that he cross-bred the existing Sabelpoot and Barbu d'Anvers bantam breeds. The Barbu d'Uccle was first shown in 1905. The first colours were millefleurs and porcelain, but black, white and cuckoo were soon added; by 1909 the breed was well established. The Barbu d'Uccle was first exported to the United Kingdom in 1911. The millefleur variety was added to the Standard of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 1914. From that time, partly as a consequence of the First and Second World Wars, it gradually declined. A breed society, the Club belge du Barbu d’Uccle, was formed in 1969. In the