Discover the Silver Laced Barnevelder: A Shining Twist on a Dutch Classic

For me the Silver Laced Barnevelder is one of the most visually stunning varieties of this Dutch heritage breed. Instead of the famous chestnut-and-black double lacing of the traditional Barnevelder, the silver version features crisp white and jet black lacing.

I have had mine since 2010 although I did start with the silver bantam before getting the large fowl Silver Laced a few months later mostly because the are rare and hard to get hold of, especially quality stock.

You will notice I liked this type so much it became the logo for the website.

Below: A few of my Barnevelder chickens. A large fowl pair and a silver bantam half hidden in the gap.

The Silver Laced Barnevelder is a medium-sized, cold-hardy, dual-purpose chicken breed originally developed in the Netherlands. These birds produce approximately 150 to 200 large, dark brown eggs per year while maintaining a calm, docile temperament that makes them excellent for backyards.

The silver lacing is difficult to perfect.

The Silver laced Barnevelders striking appearance features a distinct double-lacing pattern, where black feathers are lined with clean, silvery-white. This pattern and colour is difficult to both produce and maintain.

Below: A show Silver Barnevelder hen - notice the uneven lacing towards the tail.

 

The lacing must stay sharp and even for show-quality birds. Some lines produce softer patterns, suffer from smudging or muddy coloured feathers, so choose breeders carefully if appearance matters most to you.

There are visual differences between the roosters and the hens thanks to the sexual dimorphism in chickens. This explains how roosters display more prominent silver cascading on their hackles and saddles compared to the uniform lacing of hens.

Eggs - What to expect in the nest box from the Silver Laced Barnevelder.

I have never had a Barnevelder lay more than 183 in their first year and this has been proven by the laying test against three other breeds.

In a three year long laying trial, the Barnevelders on test laid an average of 174.9 eggs in their first year, 169.6 eggs in their second year and 159.2 eggs in their third year.

Below: Barnevelder eggs.

You can however expect the eggs to be large and delicious and produced reliably across the year. The silver Barnevelder shares the breeds winter laying ability.

 

 

Below: A trio of Silver laced barnevelder bantams - the cockerel has a comb fault.

 

 

Temperament and suitability:

 

 

Below: Two day old silver Barnevelder chicks.

 

 

 

Buyer’s guide: Sourcing Silver Laced Barnevelders.