[5] From about 1900 these were selectively bred by Raymond Lecointre at Anché, to the south of Poitiers in the département of the Vienne.
Care was taken to avoid consanguinity, but the poor understanding of genetics of the time meant that the breed deviated from the original pre-War standard.
This deviation was recognised at the conference of Châtellerault in 1998, and a new breeding objective was established: to return to the 1928 standard.
Cocks weigh about 800 grams and hens about 600 g.[8] A single colour, partridge, is recognised for the breed.
[6] Pictave hens have been used in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region (now part of Hauts-de-France) to help in re-introduction of partridge.