Blue Laced Barnevelder.
The Blue Laced Barnevelder is a sport of the standard type where the black in the lacing of the feathers is replaced with Blue. It is relatively rare and there is often considerable wastage in its production as blue birds do not breed true. I have also found it better to use a blue splash male to breed over gold hens rather than the other way around.
My birds are shown below. I use a full blue or blue splash Cockerel over gold hens. This produces all blue laced chicks that are consistent and of similar colour. The blue gene rule applies to Barnevelders as it does in other breeds.
Normally with blue poultry if you breed a -
Blue Laced (Bb) X Blue Laced (Bb) = 50% Blue laced (Bb), 25% Standard gold laced (BB) and 25% Splash (bb)
Blue laced (Bb) X Splash (bb) = 50% Blue (Bb), 50% Splash (bb)
Blue laced (Bb) X Standard gold laced (BB) = 50% Blue (Bb), 50% Gold laced (BB)
Splash (bb) X Gold hens (BB) = 100% Blue laced (Bb)
Splash (bb) X Splash (bb) = 100% Splash (bb)
The red leakage still shows through in the splash and getting a pure colour seems impossible, they always show some red.
The showing / breed standards are the same.
Classification: Heavy: Soft feather
Egg Colour: Brown, although mine do not lay as brown an egg as the standard birds but it is a pleasing golden brown.
General Characteristics:
The size and shape are the same across the Barnevelder types, the Carriage should be upright, alert and well balanced and the back is concave.
The Bantam Blue Laced Barnevelder:
Rooster: 2lb (910g) and the Hen: 1.6lb (740g)
Is a rare beast indeed, I have yet to see a decent one in the UK and I have always been disappointed by eggs I have bought. The picture below is courtesy of Thijs Van Voorrthuizen, The Barnevelder Club of the Netherlands.
The bantam lays a cream coloured egg.
Weight of the Large Fowl
Cock: 7-8 lb (3.2-3.6kg)
Hen: 6-7 lb (2.7-3.2kg)
Body is medium in length, deep and broad shoulders and high-set
saddle. Breast and rump are deep, broad and full.
Wings are rather short and carried high.
Tail is full with a graceful and uniform sweep.
The head is carried high with a neat skull. Beak is short and full. Eyes are bold, bright and prominent.
Comb single, upright, fine to medium and well serrated with 5 points preferred. The base of the comb is firm base and heel to follow the neck.
Face is smooth and as free from feather as possible.
Ear-lobes long. Wattles fine to medium in size.
Neck: Fairly long, full and carried high.
Legs & Feet: The Barnevelder is a sturdy bird and should have well-formed thighs and shanks of medium length to give symmetry. Shanks and feet free from feathers and four well spread toes.
Plumage: Fairly tight and of nice texture.
Below: This is one of the Splash Barnevelder males I produce my blue laced birds with.
Colour: Male
Neck and saddle hackles to match for colour and definition, each feather to be blue with slight red-brown edging and red-brown centre quill (stem) finishing blue to the tip.
In the United Kingdom a Barnevelder must have laced breast feathers to be shown, but on the continent a solid colour is preferred.
Breast red-brown with blue outer edging or lacing. Back and cape red-brown feathers with very wide blue lacing. Abdomen and thighs blue with darker down. Wing bow and bar red-brown with broad lacing primaries, inner edge blue, outer red-brown; secondary’s, inner edge blue, outer red-brown finely laced with blue, showing when closed as a red-brown. Tail, all main feather blue, with blue sickles and hangers.
Undercolour - dark slate.
These are the 8 eggs my 12 Blue hens produced for me in one day in early April 2016. You can order Blue Laced Barnevelder hatching eggsfrom our online store.
Below: My blue laced barnevelder eggs.
Colour: Female
Hackle - blue.
Breast, saddle, back and thighs red-brown ground clear of peppering and mossy patterning, each feather with defined glossy blue outer lacing, and inner defined lacing, the outer to be distinct yet not so heavy as to give a blue appearance to the bird in the show-pen. Abdomen blue with blue down preferred. Wing primaries inner edge blue, outer brown, finely laced with blue. Tail, main feathers blue with laced feathers well up to them.
Undercolor grey.
Below: A blue laced Barnevelder chick.
