Barnevelder
Barnevelder
Barnevelder breed originated in Holland, a cross between Dutch Landrace chickens and Asian chickens. They lay a lot of large brown eggs, have orange eyes, yellow legs and feet. They are used as dual purpose chickens and for show purposes. They are good winter layers and are fairly docile birds.
The breed is good for free range as it is a good forager and relatively hardy. The breed is actually more of a show bird here in the U.S. so the dark brown eggs of the original variety are becoming lighter brown as the emphasis is on appearance rather than egg production and color. They have soft feathers, are reddish brown with some black feathers on their necks and tails with a beetle green sheen.
Roosters will weight around eight pounds and hens will weigh around six pounds. The hens will lay around 180 eggs per year.