Bruges Fighter
About the Breed
The Bruges Fighter is the sibling breed to the Liege. The biggest difference is in appearance - instead of a lean, tall game bird, the Bruges is a heavily dense, more stout version. Virtually every other identifying aspect aside from body type is the same, with the exception of occasional fibromelanistic skin in Bruges. A dark purple or black face can be found in some Bruges, which is a beautiful and fascinating difference between the breeds. It is not known with certainty how fibro was introduced to them exclusively. Bruges are confident chickens, easy to handle, friendly towards humans, and gentle with kids much like the Liege Fighter.
The Bruges Fighters lay white tinted eggs, with hens laying every day or every other day. They will not lay in the winter, even in mild climates. Unlike Liege, the hens are fairly similar in size to the roosters due to their lack of height in comparison. They are relatively hardy but need a well-insulated, dry area in places with a harsh winter. Place roosting bars low to prevent leg injuries from hopping down - they are heavy birds like the Liege!
Breed History
The Bruges Fighter is a kind of Belgian game bird that originated in Western Europe, named after the city of Bruges. Belgian and Asian game fowl were selectively bred together to ultimately create this one of a kind breed, much like the Liege Fighter, except a different approach was taken towards a heavier bird for combat style. While these Bruges were originally bred to fight and dominate in the cockfighting pit, they were also valued as a meaty supper when needed. Only three Belgian game fowl remain, including the Liege, which is our specialty, and the Tirlemont, of which has not yet been imported into the United States and likely won’t due to their extreme rarity even in their home country.
About Our Flock
Our Bruges stock came from Greenfire Farms, being the only current importer/source for the breed. Since they were just imported in 2021, their quality is lesser known both in terms of vigor, and towards the Belgian Standard of Perfection for the Bruges Fighter.
Black Gold Variety
Partridge Variety
Rookie, the dark red rooster shown above with his two hens, Chicane and Chassis, were the foundation of our Bruges breeding program. They are black gold variety, similar to black gold neck in Liege. While they are impressive and we are overall satisfied with this start, some improvements need to be made. Those include lighter eye color and smaller comb seen in Rookie. I wanted to see some bigger overall body size, and wider shoulders in our girls as well. These birds are closer to the Bruges standard than our Liege are/were upon import. Overall these made for an excellent start for the Bruges breed in the United States for us. A successor called Wolff, now takes Rookies place, the black gold cockerel shown above (lighter red) complete with a darker eye color as desired, and small comb and waddles. Chassis was also replaced with an improved pullet.
In 2023, we raised a gold Partridge Bruges cockerel, called Wankel, to begin breeding the Partridge variety. We received the lovely Partridge pullet, named Apex, to pair with Wankel. Apex was a trade with another dedicated Bruges and Liege breeder, in exchange for a promising Liege cockerel we produced. Both have exceptional features so far, and are a welcome addition to the program. Unlike other varieties of both Bruges and Liege, the Partridge plumage will have blue legs instead of slate, and a lighter eye color rather than dark. They hatch as brown chicks, and the males eventually turn mostly black with only hints of brown in the wings and saddle, while the females will stay a brown into adulthood. This variety will be available along with Black Gold starting in the Spring of 2024!