Lyonnaise
The Lyonnaise is a French chicken breed associated with the Lyon region and maintained mostly in specialist poultry circles. It is best treated as a regional farm breed with a recognizable local identity rather than a mass-production layer or broiler. Like many French regional chickens, it reflects older farmyard use, local markets, and the work of breeders who kept traditional types alive after commercial poultry displaced many small flocks.
Modern keepers usually approach the Lyonnaise as a conservation and fancy breed. It needs secure housing, room to move, well-drained ground, and feed that supports steady condition without forcing growth. Breeders should work from reliable French or specialist stock, compare birds with any accepted standard available to them, and keep careful family records. Rare regional breeds can lose type quickly when numbers are small or when similar-looking farm birds are crossed in without documentation.
