Barnevelder

This breed began in the district of Barneveld, Holland, and stock was imported into Britain about 1921. Their dark brown eggs were the chief attractions. At first, the birds were very mixed for markings, some being double laced, others single, while the majority followed a partridge or ‘stippled’ pattern. Two varieties were eventually standardised, the double laced and partridge or ‘stippled’. The double laced became much more popular and is still so today. A number of other colours are now also standardised. While Barnevelders might be regarded as a rare breed, they are still sought after for their rich coloured brown eggs.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

THE COCK

Carriage alert, upright and well balanced, the body appearing compact and the back concave.

Head - Carried high with a neat skull. Beak short and full. Eyes very bold, bright and prominent. Comb single, upright, of medium size, well serrated, and with a firm base, heel to follow the neck. Face smooth, as free as possible from feathers. Earlobes long and narrow. Wattles of medium size. Neck fairly long, profusely feathered, erect. Beak short and full.

Body moderately long, deep, broad and concave; broad shoulders and high-set saddle. Breast and Rump: Deep, broad and full. f full tail with graceful and uniform sweep.

Legs Thigh and shank of medium length to give symmetry, fairly stout. Shanks and Feet free from feathers. Toes (four) well spread.

Plumage Feathering fairly tight throughout and of nice texture.

THE HEN

The general characteristics are similar to those of the cock, allowing for the natural sexual differences.

COLOUR

Double Laced

Plumage of the Cock:

Hackles: (Neck and Saddle): To match for colour and definition, each feather to be black (beetle-green) with slight red-brown edging and red-brown centre quill (stem) finishing black to tip. 

Breast: Red-brown with black (beetle green) outer edging or lacing. 

Back and Cape: Red-brown feathers with very wide black lacing. 

Tail: All main feathers black, with beetle-green sickles and hangers. 

Abdomen and Thighs: Black (beetle-green) with black down. 

Wings: Wing-bow and Wing-bar, red-brown with broad lacing. Secondaries: inner edge black, outer edge red-brown finely laced with black, showing when closed as a red- brown bar. Primaries: inner edge black, outer edge red-brown. 

Saddle: black ending red with black tip. Appearance: All black feathers and lacing which are visible to show beetle-green sheen.

Plumage of the Hen:

Hackle: Black with beetle-green sheen. General Plumage: (Breast. Saddle, Back and Thighs): red-brown ground clear of peppering. Each feather with defined glossy black outer lacing, and inner defined lacing; such outer lacing to be distinct yet not so heavy as to show a black appearance to the bird in the show pen. 

Abdomen: Black with black down preferred.

Wings: Secondaries: inner edge black, outer edge brown, finely laced with black. Primaries: inner edge black, outer edge brown (when wing is closed a brown bar is formed) 

Tail: Main feathers black with with a little red-brown in the coverts. 

Under-colour: grey. 

Legs: Yellow.

Partridge

Male plumage: Red-brown neck and saddle hackles each feather with small black tip; fluff grey; shaft red-brown. Breast black with beetle-green sheen. Belly and thighs black (beetle-green) with black down. Back, cape and wing bow red-brown with wide black tip; fluff grey; quill red-brown. Wing bar black and bay brown. Primary feathers have inner edge black, outer brown. Secondary feathers having inner edge black, outer brown. Black tail, with main feathers having beetle-green sheen; coverts, upper black, lower red-brown peppered with black; black sickles with beetle-green sheen. All black plumage feathers to be enhanced with beetle-green sheen.

Female plumage: Black hackle with beetle-green sheen. Breast, saddle, back and thighs red-brown ground evenly stippled with small black peppering, clear of defined inner lacing or penciling, each feather with glossy black outer lacing, not so broad as to make the bird appear black when seen in the show-pen. Primary wing feathers: inner edge black, outer brown peppered with black; secondary feathers, outer edge brown evenly stippled with small black peppering. Tail, main feathers black, coverts peppered. Undercolour grey.

Black

Male and female plumage: Black with beetle-green sheen; lobe, red; eye, orange; leg-colour, yellow; beak, yellow, with dark point.

Silver

Male plumage: Hackle silver with black centres. Breast silver with black edging. Back and saddle black centre with white edges. Undercolour silver-grey. Wing primaries black; secondaries black edged with white. Tail black with beetle-green sheen; sickles edged with white.

Female plumage: Hackle black centre with white edges, a little rust permissible. Breast white, slightly peppered, outside edge black. Wing primaries black inside, white outside, slightly peppered; secondaries well peppered.

All colours

Both sexes: Beak yellow with dark point. Eyes orange. Comb, Face, Wattles and Earlobes red. Legs and Feet yellow.

WEIGHTS

When the Standard was drawn up by The British Barnevelder Club it was decided not to fix Weights or to give a Scale of Points, these matters being left to the discretion of the judges. Later The British Standards allocated weights, the following being published by the British Barnevelder Club. The Australian Poultry Standards Edition 2 have adopted these same weights.

Cock: 3.20 – 3.60kg (7 – 8lb)

Cockerel: 2.70 – 3.20kg (6 – 7lb)

Hen: 2.70 – 3.20kg (6 – 7lb)

Pullet: 2.25 – 2.70kg (5 – 6lb)

BANTAM

Barnevelder bantams are exact replicas of their large fowl counterparts and so standard, defects and scale of points apply.

Male: 910g (32oz) max.

Female: 740g (26oz) max.

DEFECTS

Minor: White in undercolour, flights, tails, wings, sickles or fluff.

Serious: White in lobes. Squirrel or wry tail. Feathered legs or toes. Side sprigs on comb. Crooked toes. High or roach back. Seriously deformed breastbone. More than four toes on either foot. Black legs.

Also see Disqualifications

Sources

• The Poultry club standards, containing a complete description of all the recognised varieties of fowls, ducks, geese and turkeys, ed. by William W. Broomhead. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009202629

• The British Barnevelder Club: http://barnevelderclub.uk/breed-standards

• The Barnevelder by Powell-Owen, William, Publication date 1932.Usage Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International https://archive.org/details/barnevelder00powe/mode/2up

• The Australian Poultry Standards 2nd Edition

• The Barnevelder by Powell-Owen, William https://archive.org/details/barnevelder00powe/mode/2up?q=welsummer