In recent years, types of poultry meat and egg direction have become popular among breeders due to their versatility in care. They are distinguished by high egg production and rapid weight gain. Holland-bred Barnevelder chickens are rare species on farms, but have excellent productivity and meat quality.

In the description of the Barnevelder chicken breed, it says that Indian, Vietnamese and American chickens took part in the selection of this breed. The aim of the hatchery was to obtain a herd that produces dark chocolate eggs. The specialists were not lucky, and the laying hens still lay eggs, which are distinguished by a red tint. But in the course of the experiments, a breed with a high aesthetic value and colorful plumage of two shades was formed, which led to the popularization of this breed. The breed standard was adopted in 1910.

Breed characteristics

Barnevelder is a breed of chickens that is distinguished by its decent weight and strong constitution. The body is large, with a wide sternum. Females differ from males in a raised back. Males also have significantly denser thighs. The neck is not long, there is a small head on it, practically without feathers, under it there is a neat beard. Barnevelder's scallop is regular, flat, bright red. The beak and legs are bright yellow.

Barnevelder - chicken breed

During the selection, several colors appeared:

  • typical black and red color;
  • silver;
  • chocolate;
  • the black;
  • brownish-red color, which is the most common. In this form, the chicken is covered with many feathers with a double border of various colors.

Important! Adult males grow up to 3.5 kg, females up to 3 kg. Egg sizes are larger than those of ordinary breeds, and the weight reaches 80 g. Laying hens are characterized by high productivity even in winter. The female can produce up to 180 reddish eggs.

The breed is characterized by low resistance to frost, but to increase productivity it is best to provide a room with an acceptable temperature, a large area, lighting and the absence of cold drafts. The litter should be changed as often as possible.

With a sufficient size of the site, you can keep chickens in warm weather on pasture, feeding them grain twice a day. Thus, the Barnevelder diet is not unusual.

Breeding and care

Chickens are characterized by caring and increased maternal instinct, due to which up to 95% of chicks hatch during incubation. For breeding, it is better to use eggs weighing more than 60 g. If necessary, you can incubate, but this is rarely required. Planting a brood hen on the nest produces a large number of chicks.

Barnevelder Rooster

Master Gray: breed of chickens (description)

From the second day, chickens are fed with corn or other cereals, finely chopped clover or vegetables, fermented milk products, but not milk. Chicks require a lot of food - they must eat every 2 hours, but by the crescent, the frequency can be reduced to 5-6 times a day. In this case, it is worth monitoring the cleanliness of the drinkers.

Note! When they gain weight quickly, chicks slowly dress in feathers.

Breed advantages and disadvantages

Foxy Chick (breed of chickens): description

The breed has the following advantages:

  • high productivity with low requirements for the chicken coop and feed;
  • versatility;
  • beautiful plumage;
  • calmness of males and females.

What are the disadvantages of the Barnevelders? Their disadvantages include only a sedentary lifestyle, which leads to problems with the muscles, and the need for a large area for walking.

In general, the breed is a dream of any poultry farmer due to the large number of eggs and meat. In addition, the chickens do not try to escape from the yard, they eat everything, and there is no need to install heaters in the chicken coop.