Description of the Barnevelder chicken breed and how to care for birds

Recently, farmers are increasingly paying attention to universal chickens for meat and egg production. These include Barnevelder chickens, which are still quite rare in Russia. They are undemanding in terms of housing conditions and feed, highly productive, have a decorative appearance, and therefore are quickly gaining popularity among private poultry farmers.

Origin story

The breed was bred in Holland, in the city of Barneveld. In 1893, breeders decided to produce chickens that would lay chocolate-colored eggs.

To create a new breed, indigenous Dutch, Indian fighting chickens, representatives of the Brahma, Langshan, Rhode Island and Cochin breeds. From the latter, the Barnevelders inherited the unusual color of their eggshells.

In 1910, a standard was developed, and in 1923 the breed was officially recognized.

Description and characteristics of the breed

Barnevelders are large birds, the weight of roosters is 3-3.5 kg, chickens are slightly smaller. They are strong, neat and compactly built, with a medium-sized head, medium-length feather cover and wings adjacent to the body.

Standard and differences in different countries

The ratio of Barnevelder body depth to length is 2:3. The line of the back is raised upward. The chest and shoulders of chickens are wide and rounded. Hips are powerful. The legs are yellow; in females they may have a smoky tint.

The neck is of medium length, with dense plumage. The front part of the head is unfeathered. The beard is short and rounded. The comb is medium-sized, leaf-shaped, has 4-6 teeth, and is scarlet in color. The beak is short and yellow. The eyes are reddish-orange.

The rooster's tail is richly feathered and of medium, medium-high or high length. The chicken's tail is wide.

Barnevelder dwarf chickens have been bred. Roosters weigh 1-1.2 kg, chickens - 0.8-0.9 kg. Otherwise, there are no differences from standard size Barnevelders.

Colors

The feathers of Barnevelder chickens have a characteristic double edge: one stripe borders the edge of the feather, and the other runs parallel to the first in the form of a ring.

Typically, chicken feathers are red-brown in color and have a black outline. In the light they shimmer blue-green. The tails of roosters are black, and those of chickens are lace-colored.

The color of the plumage of chickens can be from coffee-chocolate to rich red with a golden sheen. There are Barnevelders of light colors - from pure white to creamy and silver with dark edging, as well as completely black individuals with light splashes.

Red and white chickens were bred in Great Britain; in the Netherlands this color is unrecognized. There are birds with lavender feather edges due to a lack of melanin. There is an autosex color in the breed that is not recognized by most countries.

Barnevelder chickens are black, brown or reddish in color with gold flecks on the body and a yellow breast.

Inadmissible vices

Chickens are not allowed to be bred if they have the following defects:

• narrowed chest;
• thin bones;
• weak physique;
• shortened or narrowed back;
• low or high body position;
• poorly feathered tail;
• unacceptable color;
• feathered legs;
• whitish coating on the earlobes.

Chicken productivity

Puberty in pullets occurs at 6-7 months, and physiological maturity at 12 months. The gain of muscle mass is rapid; by the age of one year, Barnevelder chickens reach their maximum weight.

In a year, one hen can produce up to 200 eggs, which the hen lays continuously, including in winter. The weight of 1 egg is 60-80 g, the color of the shell is from terracotta to dark brown.

Barnevelder dwarf chickens lay eggs weighing 35 g. You can get 110-130 eggs from a chicken per year.

Maternal instinct

Maternal instinct is well expressed in 90% of laying hens. Hens incubate the eggs throughout the incubation period and take care of the chicks.

Character of Barnevelder chickens

Barnevelders have a calm, easy-going character.They live peacefully in the same chicken coop with other birds and are friendly towards humans. Roosters of this breed rarely fight, preferring to resolve conflicts with the power of their voice. Barnevelders do not like to be alone and usually stay in a pack.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of the breed include:

• versatility;
• decorative appearance;
• calm, peaceful character;
• good maternal instinct of hens;
• high egg and meat productivity;
• undemanding to living conditions and feeding.

Disadvantages of chickens of this breed:

• frost intolerance;
• the need for large areas for physical activity;
• the ability to fly to great heights.

Content Features

Chickens of the Barnevelder breed quickly adapt to a new place, easily adapting to new living conditions and unusual feed.

Chicken coop

A spacious, dry room is used as a chicken coop. The ceiling height needs to be small - up to 2 m.

It is important to organize good ventilation without drafts. Air humidity is within 60-70%.

To protect from cold northern winds, the chicken coop is located on the south side relative to other buildings. The building is placed on a hill so that during rains and melting snow, water does not accumulate in it.

Barnevelders cannot be kept in cages. Chickens should have enough space for physical activity. At 1 m² 3-5 heads are placed on the floor area.

The floor is made of clay; this material warms up better. A deep layer of straw, sawdust or peat is placed on it, to which slaked lime or wood ash is added. It will protect chickens from the cold in winter. In this case, there is no need to heat a room built of wood.Litter consumption rates are 15 kg per head per year.

Brick chicken coops and cinder block buildings it is necessary to insulate and warm up in the cold season. The air temperature should be maintained at 18-25 °C.

Chickens love light, so the windows in the chicken coop are placed on the south side. To achieve the best egg production, daylight hours for laying hens should last 17 hours.

A hole with a vestibule and doors is installed in the wall of the chicken coop. It is placed at a height of 20 cm from the floor.

Perches with a diameter of 5 cm in increments of 30-35 cm are placed at a height of 1 m from the floor. The nests are placed in a dark place and filled with sawdust, straw and fluff.

Inside the chicken coop there is a box measuring 50x50 cm filled with wood flour or a mixture of sand and ash. Dry baths help chickens get rid of ectoparasites and maintain their plumage.

Walking area

For Barnevelders, it is necessary to equip a walking area 3-4 times larger than the area of ​​the chicken coop.

Representatives of the breed are capable of flying 1.5-2 m upward, so the walking area should be fenced with a fence or mesh more than 2 m high. A canopy is installed for protection from the sun.

Barnevelders tolerate cold quite well, so in winter, if the temperature exceeds 0 ° C, they can be released for a walk.

Drinkers and feeders

Drinkers and feeders are placed inside the chicken coop. They should have a closed top to prevent chickens from getting inside and scattering the contents. Separately equip a feeder with chalk and a container with gravel.

Shedding

Moulting in chickens It takes place once a year in the fall and lasts 2-2.5 months. During this period, egg laying stops.

What to feed?

Barnevelders are not picky and will eat any food.They can be fed ready-made mixed feed or create their own diet from natural products.

The diet should contain:

1. Cereals. Various easily digestible grains should make up at least 60% of the diet. Barnevelders especially love corn.
2. Legumes. Source of vegetable protein.
3. Greenery. In winter, it is necessary to feed chickens with dried plants and grass meal pellets.
4. Vegetables, raw or boiled.
5. Cottage cheese, skim milk, chopped boiled egg, meat and bone meal.
6. Yeast. The additive is prepared at the rate of 30 g of fresh yeast per 3 liters of water. The mixture is left in a warm place for 8 hours to ferment, after which it is fed to chickens in the amount of 15 g per day.
7. Sprouted grains.
8. Mineral supplements. The body of laying hens often lacks calcium; chalk, shell rock, crushed eggshells or bone meal should be given along with the feed.
9. Gravel. Necessary for the normal functioning of digestive processes.

Barnevelder chickens require 75-150 g of feed per head per day. Birds are fed at the same time - in the morning from 8.00 to 9.00 and in the evening from 16.00 to 17.00.

Breeding specifics

Breeding Barnevelders is not particularly difficult. Eggs are characterized by a high level of fertilization (up to 95%), and the hatchability and survival rate of chickens of this breed reaches 94-95%.

Hatching eggs

Thanks to a well-developed maternal instinct, chickens independently incubate eggs throughout the incubation period. However, during incubation, the chicken stops laying eggs. If the farmer is faced with the task of obtaining the maximum number of eggs from a laying hen, the clutch must be moved to an incubator. Egg incubation lasts 3 weeks.

Chick care

After hatching and drying, the chicks are moved from the incubator to the brooder. Until 1.5 weeks of age, they are fed every 2 hours, and then the frequency of feedings is gradually reduced to 5 times a day. The bedding is replaced daily.

In the first 2 days, the lighting is not turned off at night. The temperature in the brooder must be at least 35 °C. After the chickens reach a week of age, they begin to gradually lower it by 1-2 °C per day, bringing it to standard parameters.

Chicken diet

On the 1st day after hatching, the food for Barnevelder chickens consists of chopped boiled eggs. The pieces are sprinkled with semolina to prevent them from sticking to the fluff and paws. From the 2nd day of life, chickens begin to be fed steamed corn grits, chopped clover, quinoa and nettles, vegetables and cottage cheese with added vitamins. On the 4th day of life, gravel and mineral supplements are offered.

Whole grains and other “adult” feeds are introduced into the diet only after the chickens reach one month of age. At the same time, the birds are transferred to three feedings a day.

Planned herd replacement

After 3-4 years, the intensity of egg laying of laying hens begins to decrease, so by this time it is necessary to prepare replacement young animals. If chickens are kept for meat, they are slaughtered no later than 2 years of age. With age, the taste of meat deteriorates.

Diseases of the breed

To protect against infectious diseases, chickens must be vaccinated in a timely manner. This is especially important for young animals obtained from other farms.

In order to prevent cannibalism and hypovitaminosis, the diet should be carefully composed taking into account all the nutritional needs of birds.

Parasitic infestations can be prevented by timely administration of antiparasitic drugs to chickens.

Barnevelders often have joint diseases and muscle atrophy resulting from a sedentary lifestyle. To prevent these diseases, it is necessary to avoid crowded and caged housing, and also organize a walking area.