A Bielefelder Thread !

[Great Dane Lover]

I'm sorry you've had such a negative experience with this beautiful breed. I suspect that not only are many "breeders" ignorant of the genetics and standards, but many probably don't care. They enjoy the birds and making money off of selling eggs and offspring. I also know for a fact that some "breeders" simply will not cull birds because they can't stand the thought of killing any of the culls. I get it. Killing the birds I've raised from egg is the hardest part of breeding for me, and I often find myself making every possible excuse not to butcher a bird I've become fond of. And if they sell the culls to someone else, then THAT person may breed from them. It's a vicious cycle, and unfortunately one that's far too easy to fall victim to.

Also, please remember that the more sagacious breeders will always tell you that you need to hatch hundreds of chicks to find those two or three that are of true breeder quality. That's a lot of birds being invited to dinner for the sake of a few to breed. Just food for thought...no pun intended. When I first hatched my Biels they were are just about perfect in my eyes. Once I began to really examine them I finally started noticing the flaws that kept them from being good breeders, and yet I had these birds with amazing personalities that just seemed too sweet and friendly to cull. Being objective and acting on that objectivity is the hardest part of the job. My best hen, the one that was actually worthy of breeding, died of heat stroke. My best rooster that comes closest to standard still has the flaw of an extra sprig on his comb...still not perfect. All but one of the other boys were invited to dinner, leaving me with two flawed roosters that I could never hope to breed to standard. Luckily for me, this breed isn't compatible with my environment anyway so I've abandoned any nature of breeding pure Biels. Instead I have one rooster I adore to the point of allowing him to live in my bathroom during the worst heat of summer, one rooster that's about to come to dinner, one hen that's about to come to dinner, and one hen that received a stay of execution because she suddenly started giving me jumbo dark eggs on a regular basis. Maybe...just maybe I'll cross her with one of my Naked Necks to preserve her best qualities before she's invited to dinner.

 

[renk777]

So much truth in all you say! Fortunately, I have no intention to breed and I don't need a perfect chicken. I think it's important to have a standard to breed to and I am grateful for those that take on this task because with some breeding towards perfection, it probably increases the chances of the rest of us getting 'nice' birds even if they would be considered culls in a breeding program. If no one bred to a standard, I can't imagine the resulting mess that would be sold as Bielefelders! In my case, I knew I wasn't buying perfection but I was under the assumption I was getting Bielefelders and the type/temperament/eggs they're known for.

I did contact seller and she admitted she noticed the same with her grow-outs. She offered me free replacements for which I am grateful. Unfortunately, our space is small so I couldn't take her up on her offer this year as we have the maximum # of birds we feel our space is suitable for. So I asked for a rain check.

Sadly, Bean (the more golden of the 2) passed away today at around 18 weeks old. No clue why. She was fine this morning and looked so healthy and happy. We were out most of the day and when I found her this evening, she was on her side in the run...stiff. Her mouth was closed... vent was clean. No sign of a struggle. Feathers all in place and other birds seemed happy and quiet. The only odd thing was her wing was missing. The entire thing. So we're thinking a rat took that because it was easy access. I know she wasn't a Bielefelder but once I understood what she was, I got excited about the possibility of some dark, speckled eggs. And she was such a soft little thing. So I'm sad tonight. Whatever she was, she was sweet and gentle and I'll miss her :'(

 

[Sylvester017]

@renk777 I'm so desperately sorry for your Bielie loss -- After 9 years of backyard hens I still can't bear the loss of any for whatever reason.

 

[renk777]

@renk777 I'm so desperately sorry for your Bielie loss -- After 9 years of backyard hens I still can't bear the loss of any for whatever reason.

I love all animals but it never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to get attached to a chicken! ❤❤

 

[LittleDinosaur]

These little chonkers are 46 days old. Second generation hatched on my farm
I'm excited to see them grow.

 

[shober]

I bought 18 eggs on EBay and only 1 hatched......a rooster. They are not allowed in my city. I’m going to train him to wear a diaper and keep him with me. Let’s see how it goes! Got 8 in the incubator now set to hatch Aug 1. I got so attached to him. His name is Jake and he is 2 weeks old

 

[Sylvester017]

Awwwww! Jake is so CUTE!!!!! Bless you for not turning him into dinner!!!!!

 

[SBFChickenGirl]

They may look cute.... but they have a personal grudge against my belt loops XD.

 

[abpatchy]

I like my Bielefelder hens... I am breeding Sulmtaler for show and I wanted some egg laying hens for those times I am collecting hatching eggs. (can't go back to bought eggs, you know)
A friend got me 15 hatching eggs for free. When he handed me the eggs he was upset because the person who gave him the eggs left them in the coop at below freezing temperatures. He was convinced nothing will hatch.
So I gave it a try... 5 out of the 15 were alive... one was a quitter . 4 miracle chicks hatched... 3 girls and 1 boy. The boy was sold off to be butchered. He was pretty but I just don't have the room for more roosters.
They are 23 weeks old now... and hopefully will start laying soon. Their combs and faces are turning red.

I just moved them into the adult hen pen. They are still getting pecked. I find them more vocal than the Sulmtaler... they like to throw their feed to get to the best morsels (they get pellets now)... When I am passing out treats they are always in first row.

 

[shober]

The Bieles I have are still babies 4 weeks and 1 roo that is 6 weeks. These are the sweetest birds I’ve ever encountered! My little guy wears a diaper and hangs with me in the house. They love the attention and love showered upon them!