Barnevelder Chicks

What do Barnevelder chicks look like?

Barnevelder chicks look similar to any other large fowl or bantam chick. The colour and marking are important.

The chick should always have yellow legs and a single comb.

Barnevelder chicks have two white stripes down their backs either side of a thicker brown stripe as well as black lines. These stripes are present in most types, even the solid colours although they vary greatly from type to type.

Below: The stripes on the back of a Barnevelder chick.

The breast patch can be anything from pure white to deep grey and no indication of the sex of the chick.

Below: A blue laced Barnevelder chick with a very light breast patch.

This chick turned out to be male.

Below: A Silver laced Barnevelder chick.

A Barnevelder lethal gene causes "Donald Duck syndrome", in which the upper beak curls upward, the lower beak curls downward, and death usually occurs in the last days of incubation but they can hatch if assisted. I have bred Barnevelders for many years and never seen this one. 

Bantam barnevelder chicks

The bantam Barnevelder chick is even more cute than the large fowl babies are. They do tend to be lighter in colour but should have the same patterning.

Below: A bantam Barnvevelder chick.

Below: A comparison between the large fowl and the bantam.

I have always found barny chicks very easy to look after and quite hardy.