The History and Aims of the Society
Named after the village of Faverolles, Faverolles were developed in the Eure et Loire region of France towards the end of the 19th Century to provide quick growing, flavoursome birds to satisfy the high standards demanded by the Parisian markets. Faverolles is both singular and plural. The British Faverolles Society was formed in 1935. Up until then there had been a club which became somewhat 'cliquey' and many members were very dissatisfied so formed the BFS which has looked after the Faverolles interests ever since. As a breed club they were very fortunate to have the secretary, a founder member Mr.J.L.Milner for forty seven years. During the last sixty eight years many significant things have taken place. First the bantams made their appearance and their standard accepted by the Poultry Club 1895 Faverolles were introduced into Britain and at that time were considered to be the best table bird ever brought into this country. 1899 THE OLD ENGLISH FAVEROLLES CLUB This ran from 1899 to 1939. There are odd surviving copies of several year books which were produced by that old Faverolles Club in the first quarter of the 20th Century. The current British Faverolles Society ran in opposition for a few years and then replaced the original club after 1945. 1904 Achieved record breaking results in egg laying tests, this continued for the next fifty years. 1935 THE BRITISH FAVEROLLES SOCIETY FORMED The BFS aimed to be more inclusive than the old club and extend the interest in Faverolles to a more diverse audience - farmers, back-yard poultry keepers, hobbyists and the commercial industry. This was in addition to encouraging exhibition standard strains. Despite the hard times it produced it's first breed book in 1936, of which a few copies still exist. 1955 Large Ermine Faverolles crosses won the B.O.C.M. broiler test. The only birds ever to have scored maximum points for body weight gained, and the most economical food conversion allied with quality. 1973 Faverolles finally removed from the Poultry Clubs `Ornamental Section' 1976 ANOTHER BREED BOOK IS POSTED TO MEMBERS Probably the third book issued by the Society, edited by Gordon Pridding, it was considered an excellent little book at that time. (there are references to a 1950 breed book; but none appear to have survived) 1982/83 THE BFS BREED STAND A distinctive three panelled breed stand appeared at the two National shows following the appointment of our current secretary. This stand made a remarkable impact which resulted in other breed clubs emulating us. Up to that time there were very few breed stands, the BFS stand raised the stakes and encouraged other clubs to do the same. Now almost every breed club has their own stand. For the last twenty odd years the BFS stand has been a social point at the Stafford Federation and Poultry Club Championship at Stoneleigh. 1985 We celebrated the Society's Golden Jubilee 1995 THE BEST BRITISH FAVEROLLES SOCIETY BREED BOOK 100 years since Faverolles came to Britain and an excellent breed book was published - compiled and edited by John Kraft and financed by the efforts of the members fundraising. This major work set the standard for other clubs to follow, and although now ten years old, it still remains the most dazzling and thorough reference work on the breed available anywhere. When first published it was extolled throughout the poultry press of Europe and America and remains unrivalled. Around 1990 the higher membership and increased bank balance combined with fund raising and members unfailing generosity turned the possibility of creating a more permanent larger scale reference book into a reality. Packed with information and illustrations, the current Faverolles Breed Book's one hundred and seventy include no less than forty one pages depicting black and white photographs, paintings or drawings and ten pages of wonderful full colour pages. The major part of it was the product of John Kraft's obsession with copying, collecting, studying, recording and summarizing all known material, articles, archives, images & memorabilia relating to Faverolles that he could beg, buy or borrow. The contents page lists thirty sections to the book, including chapters on:- I. Tracing the history of poultry keeping and the evolution of Faverolles (the only book known to bring together the oldest and the most modern English and French translations of their history). II. The development of commercial then exhibition and the introduction of bantam varieties, III. Eight separate sections are devoted to the ancestry, genetics and breeding advice covering all the different colour varieties. IV. The breed's main promoters and major show results in this country are listed plus over twenty pages of contributions from other BFS members. V. Faverolles World Wide covers European, American and Australian Faverolles. VI. A big beginners section, relevant to most poultry enthusiasts, covers housing, hatching, rearing, general management, common disorders & diseases, show preparation & judging. In short it is a MUST for anyone who is seriously interested in Faverolles. Many questions posted on the website can be answered by the 1995 Breed Book. The modest cost is £12 or £10 for members of the BFS. (for overseas mailing the secretary would appreciate a little extra). 2003 The Faverolles website was created. In 2008 The new British Faverolles Website was launched.... 

 

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