Barnevelder Chickens

Use: The striking Barnevelder chicken lays dark-brown eggs year-round and is a gentle addition to backyard flocks.

History: The Barnevelder chicken breed originated in the Barneveld region of the Netherlands, an area famous for its poultry. Local Barneveld chicken breeds were crossed with Asiatic chicken breeds, including the Langshan, Cochin, Brahma and Maleier, resulting in the Barnevelder. Breeders selected these chickens for their ability to lay well year-round, even during the long, damp Northern European winters. They were also looking to increase production of coppery, dark brown eggs. The Barnevelder was accepted into the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection in 1991.

Conformation: The iridescent appearance of the Barnevelder chicken breed’s plumage comes from the lacing of bronze on the greenish-black feathers of the neck, head and back and the lacing of greenish-black on the bronze feathers of the saddle and breast. The male shanks are dark yellow and the female shanks are yellow with reddish-hued scales on the front. Barnevelders have a bright-red single comb that stands straight and upright with five well-defined points. Wattles and earlobes are medium-sized and bright red. Barnevelder cocks weigh 7 pounds and hens weigh 6 pounds.

Special Considerations/Notes: Barnevelder chickens are an ideal choice for hobby and urban farmers, as they are excellent layers, hardy, quiet and comfortable in both free range and confinement. Their lively, active and friendly nature is also great for children hoping to keep chickens as pets. Barnevelders are poor flyers, so a garden fence will help keep them contained. Highly susceptible to Marek’s disease, farmers should be sure to vaccinate Barnevelder chicks before adding them to the flock.

Use: The ornamental Booted Bantam chicken makes a striking appearance at poultry exhibitions. Hens are decent layers, considering their bantam status, and provide very small, creamy-white eggs.

History: Michael van Gelder, a fancier from the town of Uccle in Belgium, developed the Booted Bantam chicken breed by crossing Bearded d’Anvers chickens with other feather-legged bantam-chicken varieties. The breed arrived in North America by way of Germany during the early 20th century. It was admitted to the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection in 1914.

Conformation: The Booted Bantam chicken breed has a compact build, feathered legs and unique feather hocks, and long feathers that stick out from the lower back-thigh area. The APA recognizes five colors: Mille Fleur, Non-bearded Black, Porcelain, Self Blue and White. All have standard plumage. Shanks are various shades of slate, and the breed’s single comb and wattles are bright red. Earlobes, medium-sized in males and small in females, are also bright red. Booted bantam hens will go broody and make great mothers, though their clutches do not produce many chicks. Booted Bantam cocks weigh 26 ounces and hens weigh 22 ounces.

Special Considerations/Notes: The calm and friendly Booted Bantam chicken breed is a great choice for fanciers, children, and hobby farmers and urban farmers with enough space for a nice-sized enclosure. The breed is not entirely opposed to confinement; however, as good fliers, Booted Bantam chickens will need fairly tall fencing around yards and coops. If given free range, the chicken’s feathered feet will help to discourage any damage to gardens and flowerbeds, as the feathers prevent the bird from scratching easily.

Use: The energetic Campine chicken is a dependable layer of medium-sized white eggs. In North America, the Campine is prized as an ornamental chicken breed, as well.

History:

With origins dating back to the time of Julius Caesar, the petite Campine is a very old and rare chicken breed. In 1893, Arthur D. Murray of Maine brought the Campine to America. The breed had some difficulty reaching popularity due to its lack of hardiness but was finally admitted into the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection in 1914.

Campine numbers saw a severe decline after World War II, and the chicken breed almost became extinct. A small group of Campine chicken breeders were able to bring the breed’s numbers back to stability; however it’s still quite rare. Originally a farmyard chicken breed, the Campine chicken’s genes played a major role in the development of today’s commercial system, providing rapid feathering and growth for the meat industry and auto-sexing for the egg-laying industry.

Conformation: Close-fitting feathers cause the Campine chicken breed to appear even smaller than it is. A Campine rooster possesses a form of “hen feathering,” in which he does not develop long sickle feathers in the tail, hackle and saddle feathers. The development of long sickle and hackle feathers in a Campine chicken disqualifies it from shows. The APA recognizes two colors: Golden and Silver. Both varieties are solid-colored on the head and neck and display black barring on the body and tail. The chicken breed’s single comb and medium-sized wattles are bright red. Its bright-white earlobes sit close to the head. Shanks are leaden blue. Standard Campine cocks weigh 6 pounds and hens weigh 4 pounds; bantam Campine cocks weigh 26 ounces and hens weigh 22 ounces.

Special Considerations/Notes: The Campine chicken is capable of foraging for its food requirements. The breed is listed in the Critical category of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy’s Conservation Priority List.

Use: Brahma chickens are dual-purpose chickens known for their regal stature, enormous size, feathered legs and calm, easy-going disposition. Like other heritage chicken breeds, they mature more slowly than modern hybrid broilers, but they have delicious, firm flesh, and hens lay a respectable number of large-sized, brown eggs. They are also ideal pet chickens, described by the International Brahma Club as “children-friendly.” Brahmas come in both large-fowl and bantam sizes.

History: Although a lot of theories exist, the exact origin of the Brahma is uncertain. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy postulates that they were developed in America from large fowls imported from China via Shanghai with additions of Malay blood, hence the Brahma’s small pea comb, and to a lesser degree, Chittigong chickens from India. The Brahma breed originally was known by many names, particularly the Brahma Pootra, which was shortened to Brahma around 1850.

Cochins and Brahma chicken breeds fueled a craze that swept America and England around 1850 known as “Hen Fever,” an obsession for poultry, especially chickens. In 1852, poultryman George Burnham presented nine of his best Brahma chickens to Queen Victoria of England, an avid poultry breeder in her own right. According to the ALBC, this event caused Brahma chicken prices to jump from $12 to $15 per pair to $100 to $150 per pair overnight. (That equals $2,860 to $4,300 per pair by today’s standards, calculated using today’s Consumer Price Index).

Brahma chickens were considered America’s premier meat breed from the mid-1850s though the 1930s, after which point the industrialization of the American chicken made heritage breeds obsolete. It’s recovered enough to be considered an uncommon, but not endangered, breed. The Brahma chicken breed is currently listed in the ALBC’s Watch category.

Conformation: Historically, Brahma hens reached average weights of 10 to 12 pounds, and some roosters tipped the scale at an astounding 18 pounds. Today, the American Poultry Association Standard calls for 12-pound cocks and 9½-pound hens.

Brahmas have yellow skin and come in three colors: light, dark, and buff. The light and dark variations were accepted into the American Poultry Association Standard in 1874, and the buffs in 1924. They have feathered shanks and toes, pea combs, smooth-fitting plumage, blocky bodies, and broad, wide heads with “beetle brows” jutting out over their eyes.

Special Considerations/Notes: Brahma chickens are excellent free-range chickens but don’t tend to range as far afield as other foraging breeds. Because their leg feathering picks up mud and ice, they thrive best on dry, well-drained soils. They also bear confinement well and can’t fly over chicken-run fences easily. Their profuse, close feathering with a lot of down underneath, coupled with a small pea comb, makes them very cold hardy. They are superior winter layers of large-sized, medium-brown eggs, averaging three or four eggs per week. Hens are broody and good mothers, but because of their size, there is a trampling risk the first few days after birth. Brahma chickens are among the most docile chicken breeds, and they make great pets. It’s hard to beat the Brahma as an all-around hobby-farm bird.

Use: Cochin chickens are popular exhibition fowl, but they’re also productive, dual-purpose meat and egg makers. Their impressive size and aristocratic demeanor make them standouts in any crowd, while their fluffy plumage and docile natures help them excel as huggable pet chickens. Cochins come in full and bantam sizes, in a wide range of colors.

History: Cochin chickens (once called Shanghais or Cochin Chinas) were an instant hit when they arrived in America and England in the mid-1800s. Queen Victoria, who adored fancy poultry, acquired five pullets and two cockerels in 1845. When fowl from Victoria’s Royal Aviary were exhibited at the prestigious Royal Dublin show in 1846, everyone wanted to own Cochin chickens. Cochins were included in the first volume of the American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection, published in 1874. Although they never met with commercial success, Cochins were raised for meat prior to the industrialization of the American chicken. As a heritage breed, they are included on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy’s Conservation Priority List in the Watch category, making them an uncommon but not critically endangered chicken breed.

Conformation: The APA Standard of Perfection for full-sized Cochins calls for 11-pound cocks and 8½-pound hens, but their soft outer plumage lays over a massive amount of down, making them appear larger. Bantam-sized Cochin cocks average 32 ounces and hens average 28 ounces. Underneath the feathers and fluff, the Cochin chickens have strong, broad bodies with short wings and well-rounded breasts. They have yellow skin, a medium-sized single comb, and profusely feathered legs and feet.

Although the first Cochin chickens were more or less buff-colored, today they come in an array of colors, including buff, partridge, white, black, silver-laced, golden-laced, mottled, birchen, blue, brown, red, columbian and barred. They also come in a frizzle variety, in which their soft cover feathers turn outward.

Special Considerations/Notes: Cochin chickens are fair layers of large, light to medium-brown eggs, averaging 150 to 180 eggs per year, and they lay through the cold winter months. Cochins shine as broody hens; they hatch even turkey and duck eggs with ease. They don’t fly, they adapt well to confinement, and they’re comparatively quiet fowl – all qualities that make them an excellent choice for in-town chickens. While they enjoy room to roam, they’re fairly lethargic, so this isn’t a breed that can forage its own diet.

Although they’re hardy, their feathered feet and legs pick up mud and ice, so they should be kept indoors when it’s muddy or snowy outside. Because Cochins can’t fly very well, they require low roosts. Their unique looks, hardiness and lovable dispositions make them a best-bet breed for novice chicken keepers.

Use: Dual-purpose Dominique chickens lay a respectable number of small- to medium-sized, brown eggs yet are meaty enough to roast when young or stew in old age. Historically, Dominiques were expected to forage their own feed and still excel as fend-for-yourself, free-range fowl or in pastured-poultry situations. Because of tightly arranged feathers, they resist frostbite. Dominiques are also able to adapt well to hot climates. They come in both large fowl and bantam sizes.

History: The exact origin of the Dominique chicken breed is uncertain, but the American Poultry Association postulates that the Dominique’s ancestors original ancestors were hawk-colored or gray fowl imported to New England from Europe. The APA also refers to Asiatic and Hamburg bloodlines.

Barred chickens with both rose and single combs were well-established in the eastern United States by 1750, where they were known as Dominics, Dominickers or Dominiques. In 1871, the New York Poultry Society decreed that only chickens with rose combs would become the standard of the chicken breed and that chickens with single combs were to be called Plymouth Rocks.

Dominique chickens remained popular until the post-World War II industrialization of poultry breeds rendered most heritage breeds obsolete. By 1970, only four known flocks of purebred stock remained. When the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy published reports about their plight, chicken keepers so rallied behind America’s first breed that even though it’s still uncommon, the Dominique no longer faces extinction. It’s currently listed in the ALBC’s Watch category.

Conformation: The American Poultry Association’s standard for Dominique chickens calls for large-variety cocks to average 7 pounds and hens to average 5 pounds. Bantam-variety cocks average 28 ounces and hens average 24 ounces. They come in a slate-and-white barred pattern known as cuckoo or hawk-colored, which serves as camouflage to protect them from predation. Roosters have rose combs that rise to a distinctive, slightly-upturned spike at the rear; hens’ rose combs are smaller. Dominiques are broad-bodied, meaty and yellow-skinned chickens. Their abundant but close-lying feathers, along with their smallish rose combs, serve to make this a cold-hardy breed that also adapts to hot, humid climates.

Special Considerations/Notes: Dominique chickens are calm and gentle. Ideally, they should live in free-range conditions, but they also tolerate confinement well. Hens are decent layers of light- to medium-brown eggs, and historically average 230 to 275 eggs per year. Hens brood their own chicks and are attentive, protective mothers.