Very rare today, almost extinct, the breed of chickens was bred on the border of Germany and the Netherlands. Lakenfelder is a breed of egg chickens. She was once in demand for her productive qualities and unusual appearance. After the emergence of more productive industrial crosses, the demand for Lakenfelder from serious industrialists fell, and the number of these beautiful chickens began to decline. These days, only a few large farms are interested in preserving the breed as genetic material. Since it is difficult for private traders to get thoroughbred chickens, the number of Lakenfelders in private farmsteads is also small.
History of the breed
The first Lakenfelder chickens appeared in 1727. For a long time they were “cooked” in the area of their origin. And only in 1901 the first individuals were brought to the UK. The breed standard was only adopted in 1939 by the American Poultry Association.
The name of the breed is translated as “black on a white field”, which fully reflects the peculiarity of the color of this chicken.
There is a very interesting description of the origin of Lakenfelder chickens. Legend claims that as early as the XNUMXnd millennium BC, a group of Indo-Aryan sages migrated from India to Mesopotamia, who became known as the “saints from the Brahmaputra River” – the Ah-Brahmans. Migrants brought with them the first domestic chickens. Part of the Ah-Brahmins settled in the Palestinian city of Armageddon, where they continued to breed chickens, judging the offspring primarily by the cock crow and the quality of the eggs.
In the 1st year of our era, a group of Jews from Tel Megiddo moved to the territory of modern Holland and Germany, bringing chickens with them. These chickens became the ancestors of the Lakenfelders.
Description
Lakenfelders are small egg hens. In the description of Lakenfelder chickens, it is indicated that by today’s standards their egg productivity is low: 160-190 small eggs per year. The weight of one egg is 50 g. The advantage of Lakenfelder products is an attractive porcelain-white shell.
The weight of laying hens is 1,5-1,8 kg, roosters up to 2,3 kg.
The photo shows that the Lakenfelder breed of chickens has pronounced features of laying hens. The chicken has a small head with a red, leaf-like crest. Small red earrings. The lobes are white. A good cock has a comb and earrings that are very large. But the comb should not fall sideways. The eyes are dark red. The beak is dark.
The neck is thin, long. The body is tightly knitted, elongated. The body position is horizontal. The back and loin are very long and straight. The top line appears to be drawn along a ruler.
The wings are long and slightly flared. Chest full, protruding forward. The abdomen is full and well developed.
The tail is fluffy, set at an angle of 60 °. The pigtails of the rooster are long, curved. Decorative feathers completely cover the tail feather.
Legs of medium length. Metatarsus non-feathered, dark gray.
The most common color is black and white. In the USA, it is considered the only acceptable one. In other countries, other colors are possible, but only three options are “legalized”. The rest are still being worked on. To figure out what representatives of this breed may look like, below is a photo of all the colors of Lakenfelder chickens.
“Classic” black and white.
The head and neck are covered with black feather without the admixture of foreign color. The tail must be the same color as the neck. On the lower back, black integumentary feathers alternate with white ones. Chickens have a white loin.
Silver.
The most common color in the USA. Closer to Colombian. It differs from the classical one by the presence of white feathers on the neck and white feathers covering the black tail feather.
Platinum.
In fact, a weakened version of the classic. In another breed, this color would be called lavender. Blue feathers on the neck and tail replace the black ones that are present in the classic color. The pasterns of the platinum Lakenfelder are lighter than those of black and white chickens. Hocks are not dark gray, but as smoky as the feather on the neck and tail.
Golden Lakenfelder
The bird is very beautiful color, but the name is wrong. In fact, this is a German Vorwerk, to which the original Lakenfelder is directly related: one of the progenitors of the breed. But Vorwerk is a separate breed. The confusion arose due to similar color zones.
The Vorwerk, like the Lakenfelder, has a black neck and tail, but the body is a beautiful bright red that really looks golden.
The verbal description of Vorwerk, and even the photo, are similar to Lakenfelder chickens. Gives Vorverkov only the color of the body.
Features of the breed
Chickens are very mobile and cheerful disposition. They are easily tamed, which does not prevent them from causing problems for their owners, as being locked up is not for these birds. Lackenfelders successfully prove to the owners that it is not in the interests of the owner to lock poor hens in a cramped space. Birds are excellent foragers and, at the first opportunity, fly out of the aviary in search of food in the garden. For their maintenance, not only a spacious, but also an aviary closed from above is necessary.
The breed is able to withstand the cold. Even very young chicks can handle temperature fluctuations well in the brooder. They thrive in conditions in which chickens of other breeds begin to get sick.
These chickens live 7 years. The maximum number of eggs they are able to give the first 3 years. During this time, you need to have time to grow young animals to replace the old herd. And do not forget about refreshing the blood, otherwise productivity will not only decrease, but the size of the bird will also decrease. The pause in oviposition is 2 months. This is the shedding period.
Chickens are excellent hens and hens. They themselves are able to hatch and raise chickens.
The disadvantage is slow growth: chickens reach half their adult weight only by 3 months. The disadvantages include the difficulty of breeding purebred birds. This is not about the survival of the livestock, but about the conformity of the color to the standard.
Breeding problems
Fans of exotic thoroughbred chickens have made an unpleasant discovery for themselves: the West is reluctant to sell high-quality thoroughbred animals to Eastern Europe. Motivation: You cannot save the breed. This is partly true, because due to the small number of rare exotic chickens, breeders are forced to mix breeds.
Problems with breeding Lakenfelders in Our Country may be associated with the sale of cullings instead of elite birds. Because of this approach, the s are breaking spears about when Lakenfelder chickens color is established: either a month, or after a juvenile molt. Although professional Western breeders are also not spared from certain problems: the color of Lakenfelders is established late. In the photo, daily chickens of the Lakenfelder chicken breed.
The chickens are “Western”, but at this point it is impossible to say exactly what color they will be. The culling of Lakenfelder intended for the show is carried out after the juvenile molt.
Western breeders have already accumulated some experience that allows them to early determine what the color of future hens will be. It may not give a 100% guarantee, but it allows you to cull unwanted chicks at an early stage. The video shows how to determine the future color of chickens. The author of the video focuses on certain signs. Since pictures are additionally given, the video is understandable for those who do not know English.
problems with color and, possibly, with the purity of the breed are clearly visible in the photo of young Lakenfelder chickens.
But the quoit has a comb. Perhaps this is an unpurebred chicken, giving a splitting of chickens in color.
In Our Country, only a few farms breed this breed, so it is difficult to get an egg of purebred Lakenfelder.
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Conclusion
Lakenfelder is a breed that was recently on the verge of extinction. Now interest in it is growing against the backdrop of passion for rare exotic breeds. These chickens can be kept to decorate the yard, but you should not expect high egg production from them, regardless of the “official” egg direction.