Lakenvelder

Origin:  The Netherlands & Germany

Category:  Softfeather Light

Egg Colour:  Tinted

Sitter:  No

The Lakenvelder is an old established breed of German/Dutch origin, having been known in that country since the eighteen thirties. About 1860 it was bred to a considerable extent in Westfalen and the Northern part of the Rhine province and has been exhibited off and on since that time. First exhibited in England in 1902. The combination of upright, graceful carriage together with the striking sharp color contrasts of black and white plumage arrests attention.

ECONOMIC QUALITIES

Primarily bred for egg production and classed as a nonsitter. Color of skin, white ; color of egg shells, white, sometimes tinted.

SHAPE—MALE

COMB: Single; fine in texture, of medium size, firm and upright, somewhat rounded slightly following the head, not too deeply serrated. The American Standard of 1947 requires five distinct points. The Australian Standard just says evenly serrated.

BEAK: Medium in length, strong, nicely curved.

FACE: Clean cut, free from wrinkles.

EYES: Rather large, bright, full and prominent.

WATTLES : Medium length, well rounded, free from folds.

EAR-LOBES: Small, oblong (almond shaped), fitting closely to head.

HEAD: Fairly strong, broad but fine.

NECK: Medium length, well arched, carried upright. Hackle—full and flowing.

BACK: Medium in length, moderately broad its entire length, nearly horizontal, rising with a concave sweep to tail. Saddle feathers—abundant, filling in well in front of tail.

TAIL : Main tail feathers—long and broad ; carried rather high, but not upright - approximately 45 degrees, well spread. Main Sickles—of good length and breadth. Lesser Sickles—abundant.

WINGS: Strong, well folded, carried well up and close to body so that the bow is covered by the neck hackle and the tip by the saddle hackle.

BREAST: Full, well rounded, carried well forward.

BODY AND FLUFF : Body—moderately long and well rounded; carried nearly horizontally. Fluff—rather short.

LEGS AND TOES : Lower thighs—rather short, strong, set well apart, closely feathered. Shanks —smooth, of medium length. Toes —four on each foot, of medium length, straight, well spread.

SHAPE—FEMALE

Similar to that of male, with a full hackle, straight comb and abundant feathering on the back forward of the tail; allowing for natural sex difference of plumage in hackle, wing bows, saddle and tail.

COLOR— MALE

COMB, FACE AND WATTLES: Bright red.

BEAK: Dark horn.

EYES : Deep red.

EAR-LOBES: Enamel white.

HEAD : Plumage, rich black, the blacker the better.

NECK: Plumage, rich black, the blacker the better.

BACK: White. Saddle - white with heavy black ticking.

TAIL: Deep, lustrous black.

WINGS: Surface plumage, white.

Flights — lower web, white; upper web black, which runs around the end of feathers. Secondaries—lower webs, white; upper webs, black, sufficient to give a white surface when the wing is folded.

BREAST : White.

BODY: White.

LEGS AND TOES : Lower thighs— white. Shanks and toes — slate or slate/blue.

UNDERCOLOR: Light grey that does not interfere with a clean white surface in those sections where it is required.

COLOR—FEMALE

COMB, FACE, WATTLES, EAR-LOBES, BEAK, EYES, WINGS, SHANKS AND TOES : Similar to that of the male.

PLUMAGE : Surface color in all sections white except head, neck and tail, which should be deep rich black, the blacker the better.

STANDARD WEIGHTS

Cock 5-6 lbs. Hen 4-5 lbs. Cockerel 4 lbs. Pullet 3 1/2 lbs.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

Colour other than black or white in any part of the plumage.

References:

The American standard of perfection, illustrated. A complete description of all recognized varieties of fowls as revised by the American Poultry Association, inc., at its seventy-sixth convention in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, 1949; seventy-eight convention in Roanoke, Virginia, 1951; seventy-ninth convention in Fort Worth, Texas, 1952. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009169010

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/22835242