Illustrated Barnevelder hen breed plate
Barnevelder

Barnevelder at a glance

Egg production180–200 eggs/year
Egg colordark brown
Sizelarge
Temperament summaryCalm, quiet
Housing classlarge chicken

Strongest documented traits

Temperament

Very calm and easy to handle

calm, quiet

Source confidence: High

Egg-color uniqueness

Very distinctive egg color

dark brown/chocolate egg class

Source confidence: High

How the planner uses this breed

The flock planner does not rank Barnevelder from a single overall score stored in the database. Instead, it weights individual traits differently for each household. Cold hardiness matters more in harsh winters; heat tolerance matters more in hot climates; docility receives additional weight when children will handle the birds; and housing size can prevent a breed mix from being recommended even when its preference score is strong.

Sources used for this record

Last database review: 2026-10-03. Trait values are normalized to a 1–5 planning scale; see the methodology for how uncertainty is handled.