We saw a post on a Facebook group a few months ago talking about Bielefelder chickens. We hit up Google and did some research on this breed and was very happy with what we saw. Bielefelders have earned the title Uber Chicken due to their massive size for meat, huge eggs, and prolific laying ability. They are also auto-sexing which is very helpful as we chicken people well know! It's nice to eliminate the guessing game.
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| Enjoying the garden |
They were developed in Belefeld, Germany sometime in the 1970s. Greenfire Farms brought them to the United States for the first time in 2011.
Bielefelders have been said to have gentle temperaments. While our current babies are still young and therefore I don't have a great testimony of this, I have noticed a definite difference in their demeanor. In the coops with the eleven Bielefelders I have four White Leghorns and five Crested Cream Legbars (most recent additions and more to come about these). The Leghorns are the least "friendly" of all. As you step into the run the Leghorns squeak and run in the opposite direction, while the Bielefelders come right up to you. The Crested Cream Legbars are the newest and after only two weeks are starting to eat out of our hand. They are a pretty laid back breed too, from what I can tell. The Bielefelders will let you pick them up with only a little objection. It's really in HOW you pick them up. If they don't feel supported they will flap. But overall I'm very pleased with their nature.
I did visit a lady's farm who had a sizable flock of Bielefelders. There were 4 or more roosters to about 18 hens. I was well within striking range of those nasty talons on the roosters, but unlike my experience with several other breeds, these guys were not aggressive at all. I was even able to hold one of the hens! The roosters, while on alert, did not try to get overprotective and attack. Now this might not be a trait that appeals to some. I know of people that prefer an aggressive rooster with the opinion that he will be a better protector. But in my experience that isn't necessarily true. To each his own though! I'd rather not have a rooster that bites the hand that feeds him. I'm very interested to see how these guys grow up and have a better testament to their nature.
The males and females are different colors from the time they are born, making them sex-links. The females have a chipmunk stripe down their back and around their eyes. While the males are a more solid color with a white dot on the head. Females also have more brown in their feathering, the males have more gray.
I did visit a lady's farm who had a sizable flock of Bielefelders. There were 4 or more roosters to about 18 hens. I was well within striking range of those nasty talons on the roosters, but unlike my experience with several other breeds, these guys were not aggressive at all. I was even able to hold one of the hens! The roosters, while on alert, did not try to get overprotective and attack. Now this might not be a trait that appeals to some. I know of people that prefer an aggressive rooster with the opinion that he will be a better protector. But in my experience that isn't necessarily true. To each his own though! I'd rather not have a rooster that bites the hand that feeds him. I'm very interested to see how these guys grow up and have a better testament to their nature.
The males and females are different colors from the time they are born, making them sex-links. The females have a chipmunk stripe down their back and around their eyes. While the males are a more solid color with a white dot on the head. Females also have more brown in their feathering, the males have more gray.
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| Male - Notice the white dot on the top of the head |
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| Female - You can see the stripe by the eyes |
In this picture it's easy to see the coloring difference in the male and female. Can you tell which is which?
Our oldest Bielefelders are now almost 10 weeks old. We did have two males and one female in this group. Unfortunately, we decided to cull one of the males. He had vision problems from day one, and was not growing as quickly as the other two. I do not want to breed these traits into my flock. The other group is 5 weeks old. It will be several more weeks before we can introduce them all together.
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| 9 week old male |
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| 9 week old female |
So far this breed is proving to be a great addition and we look forward to sharing it with others! Go like our Facebook page Rocky Hill Farm - Facebook as we will be posting when eggs and chicks for this breed and the others are available.
NEW Upcoming Breed - SERAMA - Hatchlings coming in 3 - 4 weeks.
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