Bielefelder

The Bielefelder Kennhuhn  is a recent import to the U.S. that originated in Bielefeld, Germany. A poultry breeder by the name of Gerd Roth developed the breed by crossing New Hampshires, Malines, Amrocks, and Wyandottes to create an auto-sexing, dual-purpose breed. 

The Bielefelder is a Heritage breed with an established standard in Germany, its country of origin. While the Bielefelder does not have an American standard, and has not been accepted into the American Standard of Perfection, it does meet all other criteria for a Heritage breed: it is naturally mating — not a hybrid or a cross, they breed true from like parent stock and are repeatable for multiple generations, and they are not bred for rapid growth and live a normal life span. 

Auto-sexing means that day-old chicks can be sexed when they hatched based on their coloring. Day-old pullet chicks have brown “chipmunk stripes” on their backs, while cockerel chicks are a much lighter shade and do not have any stripes. 

Adult Bielefelders are beautiful birds and have a color pattern similar to the crele color pattern found in other breeds. The hens have a brown ground color overlaid with faint bars of white and gray. Males have orange barred hackles, backs, and saddles with the tails and breast being black with white barring. 

Bielefelder are good foragers, cold-resistant and quiet birds, that are not very motivated to fly. They are also an excellent dual-purpose breed that lays an abundance of brown eggs while still having a well-fleshed carcass. 

Purpose: Dual-Purpose 

Production: 230 X-Large Brown Eggs/Year 

Temperament: Calm, Curious, Active, Friendly 

Mature Weight: 6-10 lbs. 

Hardiness: Cold and Heat Hardy 

Broodiness: Rarely 

Comb Type: Single Comb