Barnevelder breeders lets work together and improve the breed

[Happy Chooks]

Love that egg color Trisha! And that boy is very nice looking. He looks like he is going to have a nice, wide tail.

I've hatched and my broodies are still hatching bunches of Barnie chicks. (8 broodies so far this year and most of them 1st timers) I've got to start weeding out the keepers vs. the freezer bound soon. (Easter Hatch, so I have a bit more time) My coops are busting at the seams, but everyone is getting along fine. I'm hoping for great pullets and a few really nice cockerels.

 

[Delphinium98]

I had a gorgeous Barnevelder that I got a few years back, but sadly she died of a hernia this winter. Last month a got another Barnevelder pullet and she seems to have a different coloring. She's about nine weeks now and her feathering is dark brown, almost black, with coppery brown feathers here and there.
I love the breed and am pleased to see people trying to improve it!

 

[redbudchix]

Hey all! I've spent a good part of the morning figuring out that there was not a Barnie Club anymore...or message board...or anything! Then, I found this. I should have known to look here first. I've been a member here for years, mostly lurking and learning. But now that I finally got my Barnies...I want to learn everything I can! I LOVE them! I want to seriously breed them, and I want to do it right! I have many chickens, but I now have four blue splash pullets and two cockerels. It looks like one of the boys is a blue splash, and the other is a black? Is this a good place to start? I'm sure read for some help!
Thanks all!

 

[bonnylass79]

Hey all! I've spent a good part of the morning figuring out that there was not a Barnie Club anymore...or message board...or anything! Then, I found this. I should have known to look here first. I've been a member here for years, mostly lurking and learning. But now that I finally got my Barnies...I want to learn everything I can! I LOVE them! I want to seriously breed them, and I want to do it right! I have many chickens, but I now have four blue splash pullets and two cockerels. It looks like one of the boys is a blue splash, and the other is a black? Is this a good place to start? I'm sure read for some help!
Thanks all!

There are also a couple Facebook groups, but this one is the most active.

Splashes aren't great to use for breeding because you really can't see the pattern on them, so it's difficult to know what you'll get. However, it is a starting point and you can certainly build from there. My recommendation would be to breed the black to the splashes. The resulting chicks will be blue, which will be easier to work with.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Hey all! I've spent a good part of the morning figuring out that there was not a Barnie Club anymore...or message board...or anything! Then, I found this. I should have known to look here first. I've been a member here for years, mostly lurking and learning. But now that I finally got my Barnies...I want to learn everything I can! I LOVE them! I want to seriously breed them, and I want to do it right! I have many chickens, but I now have four blue splash pullets and two cockerels. It looks like one of the boys is a blue splash, and the other is a black? Is this a good place to start? I'm sure read for some help!
Thanks all!

There is a Barnvelder Club, here it is:
http://www.barnevelderclub.us/

 

[redbudchix]

Thanks. Is anyone here a member? I'm Leary of sending someone money, that I don't know. Can anyone vouch for them? I've got some pics of my birds. If I can figure out how to post them, would you please tell me what you see? I was just thrilled getting them. They are not hatchery birds, but that's about all I know. Do the "quality" birds all have to have the double barring? I'm such a beginner for this breed. I keep reading and reading, but I'm having trouble hitting the bulls-eye on what to breed for. I know that's a grey area..but, it can be overwhelming! Does anyone have a good way of posting pics? I have the pics on my phone right now... Thanks so much everyone!

 

[redbudchix]

Thanks for the advice. I have one black, and the rest? Is there anyway I can get pics on here so people more knowledgeable can help me identify what I have? I'm not sure if I have blue or blue splash...

 

[bonnylass79]

Thanks for the advice. I have one black, and the rest? Is there anyway I can get pics on here so people more knowledgeable can help me identify what I have? I'm not sure if I have blue or blue splash...

There should be a picture icon. It looks like a little scenery. Click on that and you can post pictures.

The breed in general is still fairly inconsistent on quality, especially in the blues. Some breeders are doing better than others. Most should be double laced, but single lacing does pop up sometimes. Genetically, they are a very complicated breed. The best we can do is start with the best birds we can and work to improve each subsequent generation.

 

[redbudchix]

Ok...so, these aren't great, but if you enlarge the pics, can you see enough to identify?

 

[bonnylass79]

They look like blues. Some are just lighter than others. I tend to prefer the darker blue. The color on splashes is almost white. Can you get a closer picture of one of the pullets? That will make it easier to see the pattern. For instance, this is the wing on one of my black laced pullets.