Barnevelder

A fellow poultry raiser gave me an excess Barney roo to add to my flock of Australorp hens. I had decided to let them free range and wanted a roo to help protect them. When he first joined the flock, Thenardier was fairly nervous and a bit hen pecked. A few weeks in, he was master of the house and all my eggs are fertile. He's gentle with the ladies, laid back and calm. He's certainly a handsome devil. Geese at his old home had plucked his tail feathers, but they look like they are growing back in. He's good with the grandkids and defers to me. I'm not sure how great a defender he'll be. He doesn't seem to be the most vigilant roo, but he's good about calling the ladies when he finds something tasty.

Pretty, friendly, and not flighty. I was shocked by the very late laying age. Not the best choice if you want a reliable productive layer of large eggs. I wish I had know before buying about the very late average laying age. 8 months is my experience but many say up to 10 months to get the first egg.

A very nice chicken with beautiful feathers (mine is double-laced gold). However, my Barny does not have the yellow legs they're supposed to have and nor are her eggs dark brown. So I guess there's some other type of chicken in her family tree. She is full of personality though and loves to dig. Digging is her very favourite thing to do. She thinks a two hour dig to find one bug is a great way to spend time. She's not hungry (they eat proper layer food all the time and treats every day too), she simply loves to dig. Very good at tolerating the heat and takes good care of herself, even drank the water with levamisole in it.

Well she is only a pullet but when we introduced our Ancona she was very nasty to her the poor girl. Other than that Dutchess the bird had been a absolute delight I hope that she will be a beautiful bird when she grows up

I have one darling Barnevelder, Hazel. She's a lovely bird, very skittish around me, however I think it's just her personality. Her eggs are a lovely chocolate brown colour . They're very curious! Hazel is like a little Houdini, she's an unstoppable force, whether it be constantly jumping on top of my coops or managing to squeeze herself into the smallest bush in my yard, she always keeps me on my toes!
Overall, a fabulous breed, I would definitely recommend them to any new chicken owners!

We have a small flock of 4 Barnvelder bantam girls (plus roosters that live elsewhere) that we adore. I've noticed several people mention that the Barneveders are not friendly but ours follow us around like puppies and are generally ok with being handled. I suppose I enjoy watching them more than handling them so maybe it's just perspective...

The girls have just started laying and I'm impressed that the eggs are already averaging 37g. Compared to larger breeds I find these birds to be very attractive, sweet, quiet, clean, easy on my yard and fun to be around. They really are beautiful and have been an excellent addition to our home. The 4 hens should reduce (but not entirely eliminate) our need for organic store bought eggs.

These are currently rare in the US and as such are expensive as well as hard to get. The effort and expense were well worth it for us though. We plan on expanding the flock and sticking with this lovely little breed once we move out of the city limits and have more space.

Very pretty Breed, calm gets along with other breeds. Will be at the bottom of picking order.

If you like the look of wyandottes, you'll love the look of Barnevelders. My Barnevelder is a great addition to my flock. She's very quiet (but when she does make noise she honks like a goose-hilarious!) and sweet to other chickens. She is sweet to us when she wants to be around, but she tends to be pretty aloof and doesn't enjoy socializing too much. My only complaint is that she is the only one of my girls who isn't laying yet and they're 8 months old. Holding out hope for springtime, though! In all, I would definitely get this breed again and would recommend them to anyone.

I HIGHLY recommend this breed. Some people mentioned in their reviews that a lot of the chicks died, that they're skiddish, that they don't bear as well with illness, etc, but really it depends on who you get them from, and each bird, no matter the breed, breeder, or how good/bad you treat them, will have it's own personality, whether it's bolder or skiddish. My breeder personally works very hard on making sure her birds are healthy, and friendly, she hand feeds the chickens she'll be selling all the time. I myself have never seen any signs of them being sick, nor have they ever shyed away, they love the attention.
I myself spend a little too much time socializing with my chickens, even sitting them on my lap while I read. Whenever I go outside to check on them, feed them, etc, I always call "chickie chickie chicke" in a very high pitched voice, letting them know it's me, and that they'll probably get a treat. I recommend this if you want your flock to come running in your direction, not the other way.
If you're interested in Barnevelder's from my breeder here's the link: http://northwoodspoultry.com/blue-double-laced-barnevelder.htm
(Although she does not have Splash listed as an option, if you want one, just mention it to her when ordering chickens and she'd be happy to throw one in.)

I currently only own 2 barnevelder pullets, who have long way to go before I can see if their egg color will be the dark color every expects or not, and to see their glorious filled out bodies.
It's just a shame that in the U.S only Double Laced Partridge is a recognized variety, I really wanted to show my blue barnevedler, since she has beautiful vibrant yellow legs, the broad chest, full body, the correct tail, everything the breed requires, EXCEPT.. these beautiful colors aren't recognized (although I see more commonly blue and black double laced vs double laced partridge, but what can you do?)


My Splash Barnevelder Poulet, Doodle:

I don't know why people aren't as fond of this variety, when she's finished growing she will be an absolute beauty!
Her build (compared to my Blue Barnie) was a little less filled out in this photo, but recently she's been catching up to her sister!
(That pose though)

My Blue Double Laced Barnevelder, Archer:

Archer is currently in the process of her feathers base color changing from black to blue. I recently thought I prefereed the black more, but I think she'll be just as stunning blue.
(Though I do plan to go back to my breeder for a black pullet this time, since I raised these guys from chicks and had no idea what color Archer would be).


Archer is deifienty the bolder of the two, Doodle being the sneaky one. I love watching the two, Archer will snatch the food right from my hand and then Doodle will run in from behind and steal it.
I HIGHLY recommend this breed. Some people mentioned in their reviews that a lot of the chicks died, that they're skiddish, that they don't bear as well with illness, etc, but really it depends on who you get them from, and each bird, no matter the breed, breeder, or how good/bad you treat them, will have it's own personality, whether it's bolder or skiddish.

Love my Barnvelders, I will always have a few of these nice pretty chickens.

I bought 15 and I'm down to 9. 3 died from cocci and 6 caught it from whatever. My areas are clean - didn't get it. Anyhow, they are all fine now, but skittish. At four months old they are very pretty. I like 'm. We'll see if they last.

I have one Barnevelder hen in my flock. She is never mean to the other chickens. She is definitely my best looking chicken. Whenever anyone looks at my flock, they always point her out as their favorite. Most are surprised "a chicken could look like that!". However, she is very shy and nervous. She is the last to try any new treats and is the lowest on the pecking order. I held her very often as a chick and even after that she is still cautious around me. I would recommend this breed if you are prepared to work a lot with it at a young age!

We purchased our Barnies August of 2014 as feathered out chicks, from a breeder in N.C. we collected our first egg on Christmas day! We have five hens and two roosters, all housed together in a large coop with large attached run. The run is covered with netting because while they're young they can fly over a four foot fence,as they mature they're much heavier so I don't think they could manage it now! I'm very happy with this breed including the roosters. They get along well together and are not aggressive to us.The Brown eggs have increased in size quicly to large to some extra large. they are very beautiful and would be a good choice for anyone who wants a fairly quite good natured flock of great laying hens. Also dual purpose

i really want this chicken

I have 2 Barnvelder hens. They couldn't be more unlike each other! One is very personable, has moved her way up the pecking order quickly. She's friendly and very talkative, curious too. The other is very reticent, shy & quiet. She will allow me to touch her, but briefly only. Their plumage is stunning in the sunlight. The beetle green sheen is absolutely gorgeous! They have both been laying on a regular basis, beautiful brown eggs. I will be getting more next year.

I Purchased a 1.5 year old Double Blue Laced hen from Just Struttin Farm several months ago. At that age, she should be laying, but I still have yet to see a single egg from her and I am very disappointed considering I paid a pretty penny for her. At first I assumed it was the stress of the move that had halted her production, but months later, she is still eggless.

She is beautiful and mellow and I wont just be getting rid of her for lack of eggs, but I sure am disappointed considering all I had heard about the prolific laying and dark brown eggs.

I chose a Barnevelder because of their friendly reputation and their lovely colour. My Barnevelder is definitely beautiful, but while she used to be friendly her temperament flipped at around 10-12 weeks and now I can't even get near her. She screams if I even manage to touch her, and if I need to catch her? It takes at least two people to get her cornered and once you get your hands on her she will scream and thrash around. I know this is the opposite of how they are supposed to be, so I would say that if you want the breed for its good temperament take your time and buy from a breeder who selects for that.

I love my barnvelder she is really sweet