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Karel

CULTURAL LIVING HERITAGE
‘the last of their kind’

A series about endangered pet breeds

Kraaikop Karel

Karel, a gentleman fowl with feathered legs and a head reminiscent of a crow. Karel is therefore a Kraaikop (Dutch for crow’s head), a breed that used to be common in the provinces Gelderland and North Brabant. Without crest and comb, but with beautiful long vulture heels and erect posture it is a special appearance. A chicken that the nobility and wealthy bourgeoisie liked to show off. For example, it is believed that a Kraaikop can be seen on ‘De Hoenderhof’ by Jan Steen, a painting from 1650.

Despite good egg yields, the Kraaikop was especially popular for its meat. That was mainly to do with the large size of this fowl. ‘Giant among the old Dutch fowl breeds’ is also called the Kraaikop. While English speakers prefer to speak of ‘Breda fowl’, Germans about ‘Gelder Huhn’ or ‘Breda Huhn’ and French about ‘Poule de Breda’ or Poule Bec de Corneille. Just to indicate that this ‘Gelderse Brabo’ has also earned his spurs across the border.
The Kraaikop was the first chicken breed that has almost disappeared that the breeders of the Nederlandsche Hoenderclub (N.H.C.) started working after it was founded in 1900. Not for nothing there is a Kraaikop on the club’s emblem. The N.H.C. still makes a lot of effort to preserve the endangered breed – now exclusively kept by sport breeders – for the future.

“I wanted to present the Kraaikop in a blooming old fruit orchard, as people used to do at stately farms and country houses in Gelderland – especially the Betuwe – is known for it. I finally found this beautiful orchard near Wadenoijen. The blossom is only really beautiful for a short time, so timing was very important. I chose morning light, which meant getting up (very) early several mornings. But it was definitely worth it. The farm is a typical Betuwe T-farm.

Status: endangered
Number of hens: 270
Trend in the last 15 years: stable

Thanks to:
Jan Jore (BKU club), Wim van Dijk (owner of Karel) and Dick Baars (apple orchard).

Short about the series
CULTURAL LIVING HERITAGE
‘the last of their kind’

A series on rare pet breeds; the first domesticated (agricultural) pets in danger of extinction. The process of disappearing varieties and crops has accelerated greatly in the last 70 years. I want to stimulate that awareness and the discussion about animal welfare in a positive way through this project. The series should give a nice insight into the different races and their identities. An ode to the dying breed with recognition for the cultural landscape of the provinces where the breed originated or was common. By showing how it used to be or looked like, or should look like, connecting with now.