Barnevelder
Dual purpose · Netherlands · 🌱 Beginner friendly
The Barnevelder was bred around the Dutch town of Barneveld to supply dark brown eggs to a demanding market, and it still delivers handsome chocolate-toned eggs today. The hens are quiet, steady, and famously beautiful, each feather traced with double lacing like fine penwork.
Eggs per year
150–200
Egg color
Dark brown
Egg size
Large
Hen weight
5–6.5 lbs
Temperament
Calm and friendly
Broodiness
Rarely goes broody
Did you know?
Barneveld remains such a poultry hub that the Dutch use the town's name as shorthand for the egg industry itself.
Is the Barnevelder right for your flock?
Expect roughly 150–200 dark brown eggs a year from a healthy hen in her prime — production dips during molt and the short days of winter, and eases off as she ages. Planning space? A Barnevelder hen runs 5–6.5 lbs, so size the coop with our coop size calculator and estimate the feed bill with the feed cost calculator.
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