Olandsk Dwarf Chickens

[moomoodiddy]

How rare are these now?

 

[gottaluvfriends]

Honestly, I'm unsure. I can confirm that interest in them is still going strong, there are always posts from people inquiring about them and accepting them when I post availability in the classifieds section. I know there was a period of about a year around two to three years ago that Greenfire Farms had no available stock, so only the few of us who had purchased eggs or chicks from them were able to share our stock with the others who were interested. I would say they're not as sought after as the ayam cemani, but still, not widely available. They're still sold for a premium from Greenfire Farms, comparable in price to their other ultra-exotic breeds. I hope this addressed your inquiry

 

[Sylvester017]

How rare are these now?

At one point the ODs had less than 50 known birds in the world at the time Greenfire Farms was importing them this past decade -- so I would say they are very rare like the rare large fowl Breda and both breeds are fantastic as docile birds. Any breed not sold by a hatchery or feed store I consider to be an ultra-rare breed and usually one that has not been recognized by the ABA or APA yet.

I was torn between the docile ODs or the docile Breda but since the OD was not available at the time of my search I went w/ the rare Breda. Greenfire doesn't particularly like bantam breeds but they were very impressed with the calm demeanor of Olandsk Dwarfs and wrote a nice article about how much they enjoyed the calm OD compared to the other flightier bantam breeds they had before. If you read all the past posts on this OD thread you'll see how much OD owners are thrilled with them too. If I had a very small yard I think these would be excellent pets. Not much eggs from bantam breeds but as pets and to save the OD from extinction these would be very family friendly. Most bantam breeds are broody so OD's would be raising their own young should you choose to help save this breed. I'm not zoned for roos nor have the space for breeding pens or else I would take on the hobby myself!

 

[gottaluvfriends]

They are the very best, I have very much enjoyed my pair, they're even primarily raised indoors. What's great is that my roo doesn't crow much, just after I wake up (he's really great about not crowing at the crack of dawn, but only after we're awake), to be let out in the morning, and strangers at the gate (like the delivery man or visiting friends... he's our guard chicken), and he's not very loud, our neighbors have never complained about him, honestly I'm louder than him. Very very calm birds, they do great with our cats, not flighty at all .

 

[Sylvester017]

They are the very best, I have very much enjoyed my pair, they're even primarily raised indoors. What's great is that my roo doesn't crow much, just after I wake up (he's really great about not crowing at the crack of dawn, but only after we're awake), to be let out in the morning, and strangers at the gate (like the delivery man or visiting friends... he's our guard chicken), and he's not very loud, our neighbors have never complained about him, honestly I'm louder than him. Very very calm birds, they do great with our cats, not flighty at all .

It's adorable the way bantams think they are like large fowl and fearless! I was gifted a pair of Silkies before I knew anything about bantams. I've had large fowl and bantams in-house for quarantines and enjoy the docile bantams a little better.

Some of our in-house visitors:

Cuckoo Breda and Partridge Silkie


Blue Breda, Partridge Silkie, Black Silkie


Partridge Silkie male, Partridge female, White Leghorn


Black Silkie


Blue Breda juvenile


Blue Breda cockerel


Black Silkie


Blue Wheaten Ameraucana w/ Dominique chick


Bantams and littles are so precious!

 

[moomoodiddy]

At one point the ODs had less than 50 known birds in the world at the time Greenfire Farms was importing them this past decade -- so I would say they are very rare like the rare large fowl Breda and both breeds are fantastic as docile birds. Any breed not sold by a hatchery or feed store I consider to be an ultra-rare breed and usually one that has not been recognized by the ABA or APA yet.

I was torn between the docile ODs or the docile Breda but since the OD was not available at the time of my search I went w/ the rare Breda. Greenfire doesn't particularly like bantam breeds but they were very impressed with the calm demeanor of Olandsk Dwarfs and wrote a nice article about how much they enjoyed the calm OD compared to the other flightier bantam breeds they had before. If you read all the past posts on this OD thread you'll see how much OD owners are thrilled with them too. If I had a very small yard I think these would be excellent pets. Not much eggs from bantam breeds but as pets and to save the OD from extinction these would be very family friendly. Most bantam breeds are broody so OD's would be raising their own young should you choose to help save this breed. I'm not zoned for roos nor have the space for breeding pens or else I would take on the hobby myself!

I was interested in a rare American breed but I came across some of these and learned how rare they were.

 

[Sylvester017]

I was interested in a rare American breed but I came across some of these and learned how rare they were.

I like rare breeds too and buy from sellers who are perfecting/preserving a rare breed from extinction. I like a lot of breeds for many reasons but if I were zoned to breed, I would definitely pick one or two rare breeds to keep them from extinction.

I also looked into rare Barred Hollands laying white eggs but couldn't find any. I know I spoke w/ someone who had them but can't remember it was too long ago. I think Barred Rocks took over popularity from Hollands. I personally prefer the lighter-weight friendlier Dominique but they are on the road to recovery and not as rare as they were in the '70's.

Guilderlands or Guilders or "BREDA" as they are called today were a distinctive backyard flock like Dominiques in early America but they never made it into the APA because of the confusion of being called by so many names and went extinct here. The Netherlands picked up on saving the Breda and now there's a gradual USA customer interest because of being a family-friendly docile good layer breed. I hope this once-American breed will have a chance at gaining some popularity because even though it is a lightweight breed it is a very good layer of MED-LG eggs and has a family-friendly non-combative temperament and comes in a variety of colors. This rarer breed also needs more breeder flocks for diversity and hardiness to get APA recognition at some point and get its status back into the USA where it belonged in the first place.

CUCKOO BREDA w/docile Silkies


BLUE BREDA - Breda have NO comb but a triangle crest, cavernous raven nostrils, vulture hocks, long feathered legs/toes


As for getting eggs on eBay -- If you know the breeder who's selling, it should be okay but know who it is and ask around as some customers of some eBay orders haven't had luck. If there's an Olandsk Dwarf Facebook page that possibly will be a good source to pursue. As rare as Breda are I think the ODs are rarer simply because a lot of people don't want to deal with broody bantams or small eggs so there's not much call for customer sales of these sweet little birds so they don't get bred and remain rare. Personally I think small breeds like Phoenix or Sumatra are useless for eggs too but people get them because of their exotic beauty to have eye candy in the yard. Pyncheons are another rare and pretty bantam breed that faces a shaky future -- an American breed that hasn't made it into the ABA yet as far as I can see and there are very few breeding flocks getting perfected.

I wish you luck on what breed you will pursue as there are so many USA birds and rare world breeds that need diverse breeding flocks to ensure the birds will be around for future generations. I would love to have your ability in pursuing and saving a rare breed -- and the fun of researching exactly which breed it will be!

 

[Greenslanding]

I've raised/bred Olandsk Dwarfs for 5 years now and I have to disagree with your assumption of low egg production and broodiness. Dwarfs are excellent egg layers and out perform most of my other breeds in the layer pen. Granted they're small eggs....so use two, instead of one. There are always a couple hens that go broody, once or twice, in the spring and summer, but it does not seem to be prevalent behavior in all. They make excellent mothers and the flock as a whole, are very good with new chicks.
There is a Facebook group for Olandsk Dwarf owners and people looking to be so. It's a friendly group and a good source for anyone wanting to purchase eggs, juveniles or cockerels.
I love this breed and am continually trying to improve the health and vigor through selective breeding and genetic diversity, which can be difficult because of the rarity.
There is a large demand for the rare, but I am concerned that some of that interest is only because of the resale value. I wish more folks would keep them simply for the conservation aspect instead of the assumed profit.

 

[gottaluvfriends]

I agree with Greeenslanding. Tahlia goes broody anytime I let her keep her clutch of eggs (anything above 5), and she is a fantastic mother. She also is a very consistent layer (an egg a day or every other day depending upon if she is let out daily). Production slows in the winter when we keep them indoors exclusively, or while she's raising her clutch.

 

[Sylvester017]

I've raised/bred Olandsk Dwarfs for 5 years now and I have to disagree with your assumption of low egg production and broodiness. Dwarfs are excellent egg layers and out perform most of my other breeds in the layer pen. Granted they're small eggs....so use two, instead of one. There are always a couple hens that go broody, once or twice, in the spring and summer, but it does not seem to be prevalent behavior in all. They make excellent mothers and the flock as a whole, are very good with new chicks.
There is a Facebook group for Olandsk Dwarf owners and people looking to be so. It's a friendly group and a good source for anyone wanting to purchase eggs, juveniles or cockerels.
I love this breed and am continually trying to improve the health and vigor through selective breeding and genetic diversity, which can be difficult because of the rarity.
There is a large demand for the rare, but I am concerned that some of that interest is only because of the resale value. I wish more folks would keep them simply for the conservation aspect instead of the assumed profit.

I agree with Greeenslanding. Tahlia goes broody anytime I let her keep her clutch of eggs (anything above 5), and she is a fantastic mother. She also is a very consistent layer (an egg a day or every other day depending upon if she is let out daily). Production slows in the winter when we keep them indoors exclusively, or while she's raising her clutch.

Good input and clarifications. The more breeders post about the benefits of this breed the more the word gets out. I know they are a precious breed. Greenfire certainly thinks they're the best bantam they've had at their farm. Do you happen to have a size/weight to share about OD eggs? Many people don't want to deal w/ broody bantams but don't realize they can be good egg producers -- our Silkies in their pullet year lay 5 to 6 eggs/wk, and in their old age are giving us 3 to 4 eggs/wk at 1.25 to 1.5-oz weights.

L to R: Marans brown egg, White Leghorn egg, Buff Leghorn tinted egg, and 3 tinted Silkie eggs