From start to finish, this short infographic should help you to understand and decipher what the poultry standards actually mean for Barnevelder
Correct coloured eb/eb based Double-Laced chicks
What makes a Barnevelder?
In order to know what you are trying to achieve, you need a recipe. A basic understanding of genetics is useful, all creatures carry either 1 or 2 copies of a gene. For example, the ‘eb’ allele in Barnevelder represents ‘brown’ as the birds’ base colour. If both parent birds carry 2 copies of this gene (eb and eb) all 100% of offspring will be homozygous for that allele (scientific meaning for two of).
Correct Double Laced Barnevelder Recipe
Base colour
Allele: eb/eb (Brown, homozygous)
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Allele: Mh (Mahogany)
Mh (Mahogany) works on the eb(brown) gene to turn the birds ground colour into a deep mahogany.
Pattern
Allele: Pg/Pg (Pattern gene, homozygous)
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Black or Melanotic Gene (Ml)
Allele: Ml/Ml (Black gene, homozygous)
This pattern gene (Pg) works together to stick the black gene (Ml) in concentric rings on the feather rather than peppering it across randomly, creating the double laced feather.
For Silver Double Laced, Blue Double Laced, and other varieties, the same rules apply as above, except where the lacing and ground colour is dictated by the genetics for colour and pattern.
The Double-Laced Barnevelder is often mistakenly referred to here in Australia as a ‘Gold laced’ or ‘Gold Barnevelder; which is wrong on so many levels. For a start, the ground colour is actually more of a mahogany or deep chestnut; they carry the ‘eb’ allele (brown) base colour and ‘Mh’ (mahogany).
Barnevelder are classed at exhibition as “Heavy softfeather” breed, and should be as such. A general rule is ‘2 thirds wide as they are in length’. Broad shoulders, big heavy birds with substance. Weedy, scrawny or narrow birds should be sold on as pets or culled (hard or soft cull)
Barnevelder females are to be double laced, not single laced like a Wyandotte. Single-laced Barnevelder does not exist.
Dual purpose qualities
Barnevelder are known to be a great egg producer, and a reasonable carcass when processed for meat as well.
If your birds don’t produce a heavy body and lay well, then they aren’t contributing to the dual purpose name, and should be avoided breeding with if possible.
Maintain strong dual purpose qualities by breeding with big birds who lay well.
Faults & cull-worthy traits
The following are undesired traits often seen in Barnevelder when trying to source birds in Australia.
When attempting to locate an initial breeding flock of double-laced, Caitlyn from Tri-Star Poultry in VIC, agonizes over finding many birds sold with ‘split wing’ or the wrong genetic makeup, making it hard to find foundation stock.
Below are things to avoid, cull, and manage when breeding Barnevelder and doing the breed justice- always keep conformation, type, size and standard in mind.
Type & Shape
The Barnevelder should be true to type, and as stated:
The body should be moderately long, deep, broad and concave; broad shoulders and high-set saddle.
Breast and Rump: Deep, broad and full. Full tail with graceful and uniform sweep.
The hen on the pictured is flat backed like a Rhode Island Red or a Sussex, which is not the right type for a Barnevelder; but she appears to be a stocky and broad hen- so could be used with a better shaped male to improve her offspring.
This hen here exhibits a far better type – with a high set saddle, graceful sweep of the tail and a ‘U’ shape to her backline which is desirable in the breed.
Head defects
Barnevelder combs are single, upright, of medium size, well serrated, and with a firm base, heel to follow the neck – anything out of this is considered a fault or defect and should not be used.
Pictured is a Splash cockerel with multiple side sprigs and conjoined serrations- this bird is not good to continue breeding on with and would be disqualified at a show.
Keep in mind, in the scheme of things, type and size, colour and pattern come before combs – so if we have to nitpick, leave combs until last.
The bird here has a nice medium sized, well serrated comb which follows his neck. The serrations are evenly split, neat and tidy and sit firm at the base. His wattles are also of even length and medium size with a consistent size. The earlobes on a Barnevelder are red, medium and free of any white enamel (such as in the leghorn)
Split wing
Caused by the absence of an axial feather, when the wing is extended there is a gap or ‘split’ between the primary and secondary wing feathers. This is an enormously bad defect and male birds should be hard culled, females can be egg producers for eating eggs but not to breed with, otherwise more Barnevelder will be born with this fault.
Feathers on the shanks, legs or toes
Due to the Barnevelder’s history and creation, the breed sometimes will throw back to the Langshan, Cochin or Brahma – all of which have feathers from hocks to toes.
Pictured here is a double-laced hen exhibiting clean yellow legs (some dusking across the scales is permissible).
Egg colour: whilst not mandatory – is an important feature of the breed. Selecting birds that lay a brown egg is highly encouraged for ALL Barnevelder breeders.
Colour & Pattern
The most attractive component of the Barnevelder, outside of the temperament and egg colour, is the plumage.
Here we will look at an in-depth guide for the Double-Laced (male and female) – for selecting pattern and colour for the correct breeding birds, and selecting of birds for showing.
Male colour & pattern
Beginning at the top:
Male neck & saddle hackle plumage- each feather is to be black (with a beetle green sheen) traced with a red-brown edging and grey/ slate undercolour (down on end of feather closest to the birds skin) and finishing black at the tip.
Credit to Adam Fontana – Pictured here is a great example of a male neck and saddle feather – matching the description.
Here is the same pattern and colouring exhibited on the saddle of a male double laced.
Credit – C. Bonacker
Here is an excellent example of the colouring and pattern – this is important on the male breeding bird – as the pattern on the male influences the patterning of his daughters. If his pattern is uniform and well represented, his daughters should have nice uniform patterning as well.
Credit A. Fontana