Bielefelder
Gallus gallus domesticus
✨ Wissenswertes
Bielefelder chicks are auto-sexing from the moment they hatch — male chicks have a distinct white or yellow head spot, females do not. This means a backyard keeper can sort male from female at day one without professional vent sexing — a practical advantage that made the Bielefelder instantly popular across Germany and spread rapidly into the UK, USA, and Scandinavia.
A modern German dual-purpose breed created in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, by Gerd Roth between 1970 and 1974, by systematically crossing Malines (Mechelen), Amrock, Rhode Island Red, and Wyandotte breeds. The Bielefelder is an auto-sexing breed — male and female chicks can be distinguished by down colour at hatch (males have a lighter head spot), eliminating the need for vent sexing. Productive, calm, and large-framed, the Bielefelder lays large brown eggs reliably while also growing to a respectable table weight. Recognised by the BDRG (Bund Deutscher Rassegeflügelzüchter) and the EE Europastandard, it became one of Germany's most popular heritage breeds almost immediately.
🏷️ Rasse
Bielefelder Kennhuhn
💭 Temperament
Calm, docile, friendly, easy to handle, cold-hardy
📏 Größe
Large (3.2-4.1 kg)
⏳ Lebenserwartung
5-8 years
🎨 Farben
Cuckoo-red Kennel pattern — hens grey-cuckoo with orange-buff hackle, cocks richer red-orange
🌍 Herkunft
Germany — Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia; created by Gerd Roth, 1970–1974
🏠 Lebensraum
Free-range or enclosed run; robust and highly adaptable
🍽️ Ernährung
Layer pellets; excellent free-range forager
🎯 Zweck
Dual Purpose
🥚 Eifarbe
Brown
👑 Kammtyp
Single
🏅 EE-Klasse
Large Fowl