Lakenvelder

The Lakenvelder is a light, active chicken breed that comes from the German Rhineland, close to the Dutch border. Its name is generally translated as "shadow on a sheet", describing the dark head and tail set against a snow white body. That sharp contrast between the black points and the white feathering is what marks the breed out at a glance, even from the far side of a paddock.

This is a small bird, bred for foraging rather than for the table or for heavy egg output. Hens lay a modest number of small to medium white eggs, and few Irish keepers raise the breed for meat. Lakenvelders are quick on their feet, alert to hawks and foxes overhead and on the ground, and happiest when they have real ground to cover.

The breed suits a keeper with space for a flock to range freely and an appreciation for a striking, independent bird that still earns its keep in eggs. It is a poor match for a tight run or for anyone hoping for a placid bird that will sit on a lap.

Who it suits

A Lakenvelder suits a keeper who has room for a flock to forage and who rates an eye-catching, independent bird above a docile pet. It lays a fair few white eggs and forages efficiently for itself. Anyone after a quiet bird that children can pick up, or one for a small back garden, will get on better with a calmer breed.

The Lakenvelder traces back to the Rhineland, the stretch of country straddling the German and Dutch border. Records of the breed name go back to the nineteenth century, and both German and Dutch keepers have a claim on its early development. What breeders selected and fixed over the generations was that pattern: a dark head and tail set on an otherwise white bird.

Credit for standardising the modern Lakenvelder generally goes to German breeders, and the breed was established under that name in German poultry circles through the 1800s. The same belted black and white pattern also names a cattle breed from the same part of Europe, which causes no end of confusion among newcomers to the name.

The breed reached Britain in the early 1900s and was taken into the British poultry standards not long after. It crossed the Atlantic around the same time and was accepted into the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection. Ireland's own flocks of Lakenvelders have always been small, coming in through hobbyist and heritage poultry circles rather than any commercial route.

The Lakenvelder has never been bred for commercial production. It has held on as an ornamental and small-flock breed, and its numbers have at times dropped low enough to draw the attention of heritage poultry conservation groups on both sides of the Irish Sea.

The Lakenvelder is a small, trim bird that carries itself upright and alert. The body is white, while the head, neck hackle and tail are a solid greenish black. Cockerels carry white saddle feathers marked with black striping. The single comb, face and wattles are red, the earlobes are white, and the legs are a clean slate blue with no feathering.

Judges look above all for a sharp, clean boundary between the black points and the white body. Smudging, grey ticking in the white areas, or stray white feathers turning up in the black are marked down as faults.

Coat and colouring

The breed is recognised in just the one black and white pattern, without the range of colour varieties seen in some other breeds. A bantam version exists too, at roughly a quarter of standard weight, carrying the same markings. The feathering lies tight to the body, giving a sleek line that matches the bird's active habits.

The Lakenvelder is an active, watchful breed with a stubborn independent streak. Birds spend most of the day on the move, working the range and keeping an eye on the sky, and they react fast to a shadow overhead or an unfamiliar noise. That wariness makes them sharp at spotting a fox or a sparrowhawk, but it also keeps them from ever really settling into a calm, handleable temperament.

Around people the breed tends to keep its distance. Hand rearing and steady gentle contact help, but most Lakenvelders stay flighty and would rather not be picked up. They are not aggressive towards keepers as a rule. In a mixed flock they get on fine, though their energy can rattle a very placid breed sharing the same run. Cocks are watchful rather than combative. Around dogs and cats the breed stays cautious and keeps well clear.

The Lakenvelder is a hardy, low-fuss breed once its need for space is met. The main things to plan for are its flying ability and its drive to range, both of which shape how the run is built.

Grooming

• Check feet and legs for scaly leg mite and for mud balls stuck to the toes, a real risk in an Irish winter
• Look for lice and red mite around the vent and under the wings, especially through the warmer months
• Give birds a dry dust bathing spot so they can manage parasites themselves
• Keep the slate blue legs clean; there is no trimming or coat work needed

Exercise

• Give daily access to a range or a large run; this breed does badly in tight confinement
• Expect steady foraging from first light to dusk when birds are let out
• Provide perches and varied ground to keep them occupied

Environment

Lakenvelders cope reasonably well with cold thanks to their tight feathering, though the single comb is prone to frostbite in a hard frost, so the coop wants to be dry and free of draughts without being sealed up tight. They manage summer heat well enough with shade and water on hand. Because they fly so readily, runs need to be tall and covered, or the perimeter fenced high, and during any DAFM avian influenza housing order birds must be kept fully enclosed regardless of how the run is normally set up.

The Lakenvelder needs a balanced poultry diet suited to its age and laying stage. As a keen forager it gathers a fair share of its own food when out on the range, but a complete commercial feed should still form the base of the diet so nutrition stays consistent through the year.

Treats and extras

Leave insoluble grit out free choice so birds can grind feed and forage matter in the gizzard. Offer crushed oyster shell or another calcium source separately for laying hens to keep shell quality up. Treats such as greens, mealworms and scratch grain should stay under about 10 percent of daily intake so they do not crowd out the balanced ration. Clean water needs to be on hand at all times.

The Lakenvelder is a hardy breed without any widespread breed specific disorders. With good care birds commonly live 6 to 8 years. Most health issues that turn up are the routine concerns of any poultry flock rather than anything peculiar to this breed.

Preventive care

• Check birds regularly for parasites at the vent and under the wings
• Keep the coop dry and well ventilated to cut down on respiratory and frostbite problems
• Rest or rotate range ground to break up worm cycles
• Quarantine new birds before they join the flock
• Keep grit, calcium and clean water topped up at all times

The Lakenvelder does best with space to range by day and a secure, dry coop to roost in at night. Because the breed flies so readily and dislikes close confinement, the run is the part of the setup that deserves the most thought. A coop that stays dry, well ventilated and predator proof takes care of the rest.

Setup checklist

• Dry, draught free coop with good ventilation up high
• Raised perches set above the nest boxes
• Covered run or high fencing to keep flyers in
• A dry, sheltered spot for dust bathing
• Shade and constant clean water for warm spells
• Secure latches and buried or aproned wire against foxes and other predators

Lakenvelder eggs follow the standard chicken incubation span of about 21 days. The breed is not strongly broody, and plenty of hens will not sit reliably, so keepers wanting chicks often turn to an incubator or borrow a broody hen of another breed. Eggs are white shelled and small to medium in size.

Hatching steps

1. Set clean, correctly stored eggs into a preheated incubator at 37.5 C.
2. Hold humidity around 45% to 55% for the first 18 days.
3. Turn the eggs at least 3 to 5 times a day so the embryo does not stick.
4. Candle around days 7 to 10 and remove any clear or non-developing eggs.
5. At day 18 stop turning and raise humidity to 65% or higher for lockdown.
6. Leave hatched chicks in the incubator until dry, then move them to a brooder at about 35 C.