Lakenvelder
Egg layer · Germany and the Netherlands
The Lakenvelder is instantly recognizable: a clean white body bracketed by a jet-black hood and tail, like a bird in formal dress. It's an old lowlands breed that lays steadily, forages relentlessly, and prefers admiring you from a distance.
Eggs per year
150–200
Egg color
White
Egg size
Medium
Hen weight
3.5–4.5 lbs
Temperament
Active and independent
Broodiness
Rarely goes broody
Did you know?
The name is often translated as "shadow on a sheet," a poetic description of its black-on-white pattern shared with Lakenvelder cattle.
Is the Lakenvelder right for your flock?
Expect roughly 150–200 white 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 Lakenvelder hen runs 3.5–4.5 lbs, so size the coop with our coop size calculator and estimate the feed bill with the feed cost calculator.
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