Chickens in our country are by far the most popular bird, but many farmers do not like how noisy they are. However, there are exceptions to any rule, so you should pay attention to the Bielefelder breed – its representatives are distinguished by a rather quiet and calm behavior. The good qualities of the breed do not end there, because it is worthy of a more detailed study.
History of origin
To date, the Bielefelder chicken is one of the best solutions for a number of characteristics, which already hints at the artificial breeding of the breed. Indeed, not so long ago, it did not exist half a century ago – it was brought out only in the 70s. 4 breeds are considered to be the ancestors of the Bielefelders at once – New Hampshire and Rhode Island chickens, Welzummers and striped Amrox, as well as other relatively “nameless” German breeds of chickens, the admixture of blood of which is insignificant. The authorship of such a complex selection is attributed to Herbert Roth.
Large-scale mixing resulted in large birds that are able to independently and at the same time successfully resist most known diseases, and most importantly, give a large number of tasty eggs.
We have already said that such living creatures do not like to make noise, it is also worth noting that all the colors of the ancestors were mixed in this breed, because its plumage is distinguished by its accentuated variegation.
A rather unusual characteristic was given to these birds by the English professor Reginald Punnet – thanks to his selective developments, Bielefelder chickens, having reached the age of just a day, leave no doubt about their gender even among inexperienced farmers.
Features of the breed
The description of a typical Bielefelder must comply with the breed standards, which were established in 1980 by the specialized German organization involved in the registration of new breeds of poultry. According to the document, representatives of the breed are distinguished by an elongated body with a short but powerful neck, pressed wings and a large belly.. The body is distinguished by broad shoulders and the same chest, it is topped with a pointed tail.
Emphasized red earrings should be elongated, scallops always have exactly 4 cloves. The beak is medium-sized and rather big, slightly brownish, rounded eyes are painted in a coral tone. Short, yellowish limbs with straight, widely spaced fingers are devoid of downy covering. Representatives of this meat and egg breed have a characteristic color, which is called “krill”. This coloring involves a combination of characteristic black, silver and gold stripes, while only one additional color of the two named is equally combined with black.
It is noted that females in general have a darker color than males.
Productivity and egg production
The big advantage of the Bielefelder is that their owners do not have to choose between egg and meat breeds – such a chicken provides both. An adult bird of this breed has a rather impressive weight – a young one-year-old rooster already weighs 4,5 kilograms, and its egg girlfriend is 3,5-3,8 kilograms. White meat has a high density and is praised for its juiciness.
Such a product very much resembles broiler meat, especially since representatives of the breed are very similar in size to them. At the same time, the bird does not spend much time gaining weight – in general, by the age of six months, it is already gaining about 3 kilograms.
At about the same age, that is, about 6 months old, Bielefelder females reach puberty and begin to lay for the first time. In a young individual, the eggs will be slightly smaller, but in the near future they should reach their average weight, which is usually in the range of 60-70 grams. The productivity of the female is at a very high level – during the year you can expect about 200 pieces of light brown eggs, some individuals provide even more.
In many ways, the intensity of egg production depends not so much on the chicken itself, but on the conditions of its living and nutrition, however, in general, farmers praise the Bielefelder for rarely failing, providing fresh and tasty eggs in all conditions. The above-described scale of egg production persists for the first 2-3 years, after which the female begins to age, and the indicators fall.
On average, the number of eggs further decreases by about a third annually, but practice shows that everything is individual here – the decline can be both sharper and slower.
Advantages and disadvantages
For all their prevalence and good reputation, Bielefelders are still not an uncontested option for poultry, which means that representatives of some other breeds can compete with them. German chicken, like any other species and breeds of livestock, has its own advantages and disadvantages, which must be taken into account when choosing.
Consider them to do without unpleasant surprises, but let’s start with good qualities.
- Delicious meat and large eggs. For poultry, the main criterion is productivity, and in this regard, the Bielefelder is definitely worthy of close attention. The versatility of these chickens does not affect their productivity in the meat or egg sectors in any way – in both cases, the living creatures show their best side.
- Good health. A significant part of the cost of maintaining a chicken coop can be spent on vaccines, vaccinations and treatment of diseases, while part of the population will inevitably die anyway, or at least reduce productivity. With Bielefelders, the situation is a little simpler – they are distinguished by remarkable health, and although they are unlikely to do without vaccination at all, you can not be afraid of pestilence in combination with it.
- Low requirements for conditions. Representatives of this breed are undemanding in everything else – they do not need any special care that is different from the care of any other chickens. Representatives of this breed are not even very afraid of frost, therefore there is no need to build a year-round heated barn for them.
- good looks. This, of course, is the tenth thing, but many farmers want their wards to be not only productive and useful, but simply beautiful.
Of course, such a popular breed has fewer shortcomings, but this does not mean that they do not exist at all. The first thing you should pay attention to is the relatively short period of maximum egg productivity. If you, having seen impressive numbers of egg production, decided that a small population will be able to provide you with eggs for many years, you are mistaken – peak rates last a maximum of three years, after which the Bielefelder turns into an ordinary laying hen.
Another problem is the underdeveloped incubation instinct – it will not be so easy to get chickens at home.
Conditions for keeping
The large size of the Bielefelder puts forward special requirements for strong perches, in addition, the average population needs a slightly larger walking area than other breeds. In all other respects, the content does not imply anything unusual. The enclosure for keeping such a breed should be quite spacious, since the Bielefelder likes to actively seek food for himself and be constantly on the move.
Even if you know that there is really no food in the aviary, the chicken still needs movement, otherwise it will get fat from constant sitting in place, and this has a bad effect on egg production.
Contrary to its avian nature, such a laying hen very rarely seeks to take off, even to a small height, because she simply does not need high fences. The space inside a low fence is usually covered with sand to avoid the formation of dirt – and the aviary is ready. Alternatively, the area can be sown with greenery, which at the same time will be food for the bird, but Bielefelders are voracious and will quickly eat everything.
Some farmers, if space permits, divide the enclosure into 2 parts – while the chickens eat the grass on one half, fresh greens grow on the second. Although the fence may not be high at the top, it should be a good half a meter dug into the ground, since ferrets do not sleep.
As a rule, the Bielefelder aviary is also closed from above – this protects pets from birds of prey and does not allow sick pigeons that can transmit infection to common feeders.
In an ordinary barn, Bielefelders are able to withstand very low temperatures, up to 15 degrees below zero, therefore it is advised to think about special insulation or heating only if you know that such indicators are not yet the limit for the local winter. The chicken coop should be spacious – it is undesirable to settle more than 3 representatives of the breed per square meter, because this will not end with anything other than an increased risk of infection transmission.
Given the impressive weight of the layers, multi-storey perches for Bielefelders are not equipped. A deep box is usually fitted under the nest, the bottom of which is lined with hay or straw – one such perch is enough for four females.
It happens that the chickens do not want to rush into the box, but lay their eggs in another place – this means that they somehow do not like the location you have chosen, so the perch needs to be rearranged.
Representatives of the breed do not need much warmth in winter, but they will appreciate it positively, and in combination with artificial lighting for 12 hours a day, this will ensure year-round production of fresh eggs. At the same time, it is important to line the chicken coop from the inside with straw, dry peat or sawdust of a large fraction. – such a litter prevents the spread of dirt and helps to retain heat, it will only need to be replaced in a year.
The final touch to a perfect chicken coop is good ventilation with no drafts.
Care and feeding
The fast-growing organism of the Bielefelder needs a large amount of regularly supplied calories, while the emerging skeleton of young individuals must be ready for significant loads, which means that proteins and calcium must be present in the diet. If the nutrition was not adequate during the growth stage, do not be surprised that the bird grew up weak and sickly, and its egg production never reached the expected level.
In order for chickens to grow as quickly as possible, their diet should include foods that are somewhat atypical for chickens – for example, cottage cheese, fish, and even eggs. At the same time, of course, the basis of the menu should still be cereals and greens.
In grown-up young individuals, the diet changes somewhat, now it is based on cereals (wheat, millet, oats) and sunflower cake, greens should be considered as additional “dishes” (weeds from the garden are allowed), meat and bone meal and fine gravel. Birds still need protein, they can get it from soy or corn, or even from boiled fish.
You can give chickens and waste from the human table, while we must not forget about vitamin and mineral supplements.
In order not to select a diet for the household, you can completely transfer the birds to feeding with compound feed. A good modern composition can include everything you need, and is balanced on its own without requiring any additives. At the same time, you need to understand that there are good feeds, and there are cheap and low-quality fakes, which, at best, will turn into weakness and soreness of living creatures.
Finally, one more curious fact: in recent years, many experimental farmers have begun to add dog food to the diet of young chickens, which supposedly contains all the necessary vitamins and proteins.
Breeding
Bielefelder females are good laying hens, but bad hens, so home breeding without an incubator is almost impossible. In order for the intensive development of the chicks to take place in a summer rich in warmth and vitamins, eggs are usually laid in an incubator in February-April. For equipment, uninterrupted power supply is fundamentally important – even a short power outage can kill the chicks. Eggs for “hatching” should be chosen only selected ones – then at least 70% of them will eventually turn into chickens.
If you bought eggs, it is advisable to treat the shell with special solutions for disinfection. A drug like “Monclavit”, involves immersing the eggs themselves for a few seconds before placing them in the incubator, as well as processing the incubator itself inside. As a result, a characteristic yellowish film forms on the shell, however, it does not harm the embryos. Hatched young need warmth, a good temperature for them will be 30 degrees.
Additional heating can be provided by a lamp, while keeping an eye on the behavior of the babies – if they huddle together, it means that there is still not enough heat, and if they hide from a heat source, then you overdid it.
A common mistake is keeping chicks in boxes made of Styrofoam. – babies can peck at harmful synthetics. For this reason, it is better to choose boxes made of natural and fairly hard materials, lined with natural bedding, which is changed twice a day. “Young people” need food 6-7 times a day, they must have access to fresh water constantly, at any time.
You can determine the sex of the chicken in a maximum of a day – even then the main signs appear. Future cockerels have a lighter and at the same time more variegated color than relatively dark and uniform hens. If you have a good example in the form of adult birds, you will surely figure it out with chickens. At the same time, experienced farmers do not advise culling all males at once – only one male is needed for 9-12 females, but a young individual may die in the process of development, therefore three males are usually left for the same amount of the weaker sex.
Due to the general friendliness, Bielefelder males who have grown up together will not fight among themselves.
Common diseases
Representatives of this breed are famous for good immunity, but this does not mean that you should completely rely on it and abandon the minimum care for the bird. At a minimum, no one canceled timely vaccination, in addition, care should be taken to maintain the proper level of hygiene in the chicken coop and aviary.
Another factor that ensures the high resistance of this breed to any problems is well-formulated diet.
Given that well-groomed birds are immune to most diseases, parasites are the main problem for them. Bielefelders are distinguished by dense fluff, which is very interesting for lice and fleas – such uninvited guests are a particularly big problem for rare hens, which, due to constant bites, cannot normally perform their main work. This jeopardizes the birth of new chicks, so the owner of the farm is interested in protecting his wards as much as possible. To this end, it is necessary to conduct periodic inspection of the livestock, trying to identify the problem at an early stage.
Often there is a point in preventive treatment, which is carried out even before the appearance of the enemy.
Reviews
It is not in vain that Bielefelders quickly became a very common breed – judging by the reviews on thematic forums, this is almost an ideal poultry. In particular, many breeders write that at first the vaunted breed seemed too expensive for them, but when they decided to try it, they realized that it was worth it. This bird is good even from an aesthetic point of view – it is pleasant to look at it, and it does not create unnecessary noise.
Many farmers prefer to take Bielefelder chickens – there are no problems with choosing the right proportions of chickens and cockerels, since gender differences are clearly visible even in green young animals. Even when buying eggs and their subsequent “incubation” in an incubator, extra cockerels will not be a big problem – until autumn they will be comparable to broilers, therefore they will fit for slaughter.
The productivity of this breed is also characterized from the best side. In a properly organized household, such birds are an uninterrupted source of tasty and healthy eggs in quantities sufficient to provide for the whole family. Even a relatively short period of maximum productivity is not such a problem, because in the extreme case, a losing bird can be put on meat.
True, for this purpose it is still better to use cockerels, since young individuals give a more tender and tasty product, but from this point of view, representatives of the breed in question are very good in terms of extremely rapid weight gain.
For information on how to maintain and care for Bielefelder chickens, see the following video.
