Barnevelder

The Barnevelder is a Dutch chicken breed from the Barneveld area of the Netherlands, developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for brown eggs and a useful farm body. The best-known variety is double-laced brown, in which hens show dark feathers edged with rich brown lacing, while males are darker and glossier. Barnevelders are medium-heavy, calm chickens with yellow legs and a reputation as a practical dual-purpose breed.

In backyard and small-farm flocks, Barnevelders are valued for steady laying, manageable temperaments, and better substance than many light egg breeds. Their eggs are brown, though depth of color varies by line and season, and modern birds are not always as dark-laying as old advertisements suggest. They do well in roomy coops and enclosed runs, especially where a heavier, less flighty chicken is useful. Breeders usually select for clean double lacing, correct body shape, fertility, and shell color, because show quality and utility quality do not always improve together.

Colors: Barred, Birchen, Black, Blue, Brown, Buff, Columbian, Crele, Cuckoo, Double Laced Blue, Double Laced Brown, Duckwing, Gold, Gold Laced, Laced, Lavender, Mille Fleur, Mottled, Partridge, Penciled, Porcelain, Red, Silver, Silver Laced, Spangled, Splash, Wheaten, White