Considering Bielefelder

[Legbar Lover]

California. The one I found won’t have any till spring.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

You could check out Alchemist Farms, she's in Northern California! She has really pretty Bielefelders. She's super helpful too and will answer any questions about her birds you have. I got some Bielefelder hatching eggs from her, the chicks are gorgeous and huge.

 

[aliciaplus3]

I got hatching eggs from a guy in Utah about a year ago, I am in Colorado so I was looking for someone close, I bought them off ebay. I paid for 12 eggs he sent 17, managed to hatch 10. One died first couple days, one was poorly colored for auto sexing, so I sold it to a pet home. Ended up with 3 roos and 5 hens, some had undesirable characteristics by the proposed standards so I sold 2 of the hens and gave away one rooster. We did get to butcher 1 roo and 1 hen both around a year old, they had quite a bit of fat but taste great. My best roo died on us so I am waiting on the 5 or 6 young roos to mature so I can see if one will work for breeding.
I plan to hatch some more probably in the spring.

 

[Legbar Lover]

Thanks, going to look up that farm

I bought some legbars on line shipped. I was not at all happy. I need to do the research on the farms.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

This is her FB page: https://www.facebook.com/alchemistfarm/

Thanks, going to look up that farm

I bought some legbars on line shipped. I was not at all happy. I need to do the research on the farms.

 

[Eggscoozme]

I am considering Bielefelder chickens. I love my cream Legbars and will alway have some but would also like a multi purpose bird. I raised the Cornish cross for meat once. It was heartbreaking to me, I won’t do it again. At 7 weeks they had a miserable exsistance. I tried naked necks but my family did not like their meat. I liked it, but killing chickens is very hard for me so I don’t want to do it just for myself. I did get the naked necks from a hatchery though so maybe they were smaller??? They really are cute and funny birds I enjoyed watching.

Anywho, I have been doing a little research on Bielefelders. I love autosexing chickens so that is a point in their favor. Are they broody? Not fond of broody at all. What is the meat like? How do they do in the heat? Any info pros and cons would be great.

Hi Legbar Lover!

We raised Bielefelders and Legbars about 4+ years ago. The only reason we got out of it was because, the initial Bielefelder stock from Greenfire Farms got tainted. Across the USA, Bielefelders were proven to be bogus with little exception. Before we knew that, we purchased more Biels across the states to add different bloodlines. As a result, Biels were coming out tainted: white earlobes, much smaller egg size, lighter colored eggs, and hens were much smaller. The "Gentle Giant" roosters have been heard to become mean. Ours never did become mean, but our rooster may not have been tainted as we kept an original from GFF's 2011 stock. He was HUGE, fertilized anything that walked around , and was a gentle giant. He flopped over dead in the coop one Winter when he was nearly 2yrs old. No apparent reason. Just heard a LOUD sqwauk in the coop one night - no predators in sight, no marks on him, just flopped over dead.
True Bielefelder Hens lay consistent extra large to jumbo, medium brown eggs. They do NOT lay chocolate colored eggs, nor small eggs. True Biels take about 6-8mths before they start laying, not 5-6mths like the tainted ones. True Biels also have red earlobes, plump, NOT a big comb, and are gentle. The tainted ones are skittish, can have white earlobes, and lay VERY early. Not as plump either.

The only reason we got out of Cream Legbars is because they lay eggs wherever they want - frequently not the nesting box, their eggs look smaller because they are more round than oval/teardrop - so for selling, hmmm, AAAAAAND, we never had a Cream Legbar that laid a blue egg. All green, thank you GFF (some people have had ones that lay true blue).
The Cream Legbar roosters were gentle and beautiful though!

PS. - heard the meat of Bielefelders were VERY GOOD by someone who DID raise them for meat. They do take longer to mature, though.

 

[Eggscoozme]

I had 3 bielfelders and I love them! Great egg producers and only one was broody. Unfortunately I lost 2 to a raccoon a few weeks ago. Never ate them so can't comment on meat production...

How much did your eggs weigh? Where did you get them from?

 

[PattyNH]

How much did your eggs weigh? Where did you get them from?

I didn't weigh them but can tomorrow. I got mine as 1-2 week old pullets from a local breeder here in NH.

 

[gunslinger33]

Eggscoozme

How do you know if you have good Bielefleders? I bought 7 Biels (6 pullets and 1 cockerel) in mid May. I have one laying , 3 others look close and 2 still have a ways to go. I do not supplement with light, so I don't know if it's timing our if they are later bloomers as you described. They all are large and plump (not as plump as my Orp but they probably weigh more). They are very affectionate birds , calm and confident. They have red earlobes. Some have darker faces than others. Their conbs are fairly small. Some otheir hackle feathers are a lighter yellowish versus a darker mahogany. The one that is laying (every other day) is laying a large egg medium orange / brown egg that started fairly average medium. She has been laying for about 3 weeks (right at 6 months). The Cockerel is much better than my Orp cockerel. Very alert to predators , tells the girls where good eats are and is not aggressive towards us.

My Biels all roost together , separate from my Orps.

Thank you

 

[Eggscoozme]

I didn't weigh them but can tomorrow. I got mine as 1-2 week old pullets from a local breeder here in NH.

Did you weigh them?