My experience with bielefelders so far

[docdubz]

I started off with 20 chicks in June and my flock has 35 birds now. 10 of my first chicks were bielefelders. And, from my experience so far I think it would be a long time before I even think about getting any more of them. For anyone considering getting them, here's why:

1) they eat a ton, I'd say upwards of 2 lbs of feed per bird per day
2) they are not as docile as people on the internet say they are, especially the roosters, they are quite vicious with hens, I have a hen right now that is missing half of her back from being clawed while mounted
3) they seem to be prone to health problems, I've had 4 die in the past 3 months and they are the only breed that's dying and they didn't start dying til they were full grown. I'm guessing it's some sort of metabolic thing because they get huge. The last roo I had die had to weigh close to 15 lbs.

 

[Allthefloofs]

I was looking at getting one or two at some point. Would you be comfortable sharing where you got them?

 

[docdubz]

I was looking at getting one or two at some point. Would you be comfortable sharing where you got them?

I got them from mcmurray.

 

[hannah and the chickens]

I have two bielefelder chickens, too! I can't say anything about the roosters but my hens are really sweet. They are pretty docile usually and when I introduced two new hens last summer, they only chased them around a bit for the first two or three weeks and after that returned back to being their usual selfes. They usually don't fight or are mean to other chickens.
I can totally agree on the health problems though! At first I thought they were in bad health because the breeder didn't take the best care of his chickens, but it has been a reocurring thing. They seem to be especcially sensitive to sudden changes in their feeding plan, so I've been extra careful with leftover veggies, fruit and pasta. They really can only handle a really small amount of it before they get diarrhea. My other chickens are less sensitive.

In my opinion, the nice things about this breed are the eggs (even when my hens were young they laid big eggs regularly) and the meat also tastes good. Additionally, they can become really tame. My chickens were really skittish when I got them but soon learned to follow me around the garden. Even though I sometimes wish the chickens were more low-maintenance, I wouldn't want to miss out on the bielefelders because of their sweet character.

I think most of their health problems are caused by their size. There are also big differences between individual chickens, because some breeders like to have bigger chickens with better meat qualities that don't really fit the breed standard anymore.

 

[Allthefloofs]

I got them from mcmurray.

Thank you. I have heard some of the same things about them and I was wondering if it was a breed trait or if it was about the hatchery quality ones. I was looking at getting some from Omega Hills Farm at some point so I'm interested in where people are getting them.

 

[wyochick10]

I ordered hatching eggs off eBay . Can’t really contribute anything else because mine are just 2 weeks old.

 

[docdubz]

I have two bielefelder chickens, too! I can't say anything about the roosters but my hens are really sweet. They are pretty docile usually and when I introduced two new hens last summer, they only chased them around a bit for the first two or three weeks and after that returned back to being their usual selfes. They usually don't fight or are mean to other chickens.
I can totally agree on the health problems though! At first I thought they were in bad health because the breeder didn't take the best care of his chickens, but it has been a reocurring thing. They seem to be especcially sensitive to sudden changes in their feeding plan, so I've been extra careful with leftover veggies, fruit and pasta. They really can only handle a really small amount of it before they get diarrhea. My other chickens are less sensitive.

In my opinion, the nice things about this breed are the eggs (even when my hens were young they laid big eggs regularly) and the meat also tastes good. Additionally, they can become really tame. My chickens were really skittish when I got them but soon learned to follow me around the garden. Even though I sometimes wish the chickens were more low-maintenance, I wouldn't want to miss out on the bielefelders because of their sweet character.

I think most of their health problems are caused by their size. There are also big differences between individual chickens, because some breeders like to have bigger chickens with better meat qualities that don't really fit the breed standard anymore.

I only have one bielefelder hen left and she's touch and go at the moment because the roosters absolutely destroyed her. The hens were docile, I'd call my white rock hens aggressive compared to the bielefelder hens. They tend to be a little flighty but otherwise are almost as docile as my barred rocks. The roosters however are abject savages. They've never tried to attack me but they do posture and threaten. It's their behavior towards hens that is the problem. The wounded bielefelder hen that I have had a solid two inch wide chunk of flesh ripped off her from her left flank all the way around her back and to her right flank by the bielefelder roos.

I think you might be onto something about the diet. My first roo died right about when I switched from 20% crumble to 18% pellet. And then I switched to 17% pellet right around when the second roo died. And the last hen that died was right after I switched to 16% pellet. And every time they died there was no sign of trouble at all, combs looked normal, everything looked normal. In fact now that I think of it I had one bielefelder roo get real sick. I thought he was dead when I found him but then noticed breathing. What I did to treat him is I put him in quarantine and made him fast for a day and then I fed him nothing but chickweed for 3 days. Ever since then he's been docile enough to allow into my main flock.

Definitely a strange breed that I don't think I'll be getting any more of.

 

[Allthefloofs]

I only have one bielefelder hen left and she's touch and go at the moment because the roosters absolutely destroyed her. The hens were docile, I'd call my white rock hens aggressive compared to the bielefelder hens. They tend to be a little flighty but otherwise are almost as docile as my barred rocks. The roosters however are abject savages. They've never tried to attack me but they do posture and threaten. It's their behavior towards hens that is the problem. The wounded bielefelder hen that I have had a solid two inch wide chunk of flesh ripped off her from her left flank all the way around her back and to her right flank by the bielefelder roos.

I think you might be onto something about the diet. My first roo died right about when I switched from 20% crumble to 18% pellet. And then I switched to 17% pellet right around when the second roo died. And the last hen that died was right after I switched to 16% pellet. And every time they died there was no sign of trouble at all, combs looked normal, everything looked normal. In fact now that I think of it I had one bielefelder roo get real sick. I thought he was dead when I found him but then noticed breathing. What I did to treat him is I put him in quarantine and made him fast for a day and then I fed him nothing but chickweed for 3 days. Ever since then he's been docile enough to allow into my main flock.

Definitely a strange breed that I don't think I'll be getting any more of.

Oh boy. I am always tempted because they are big and adorable looking and I love the coloration, they look so much like my CCL that I love so much, just bigger and without the crest, not to mention they are auto sexing. Maybe I rethink getting them and satisfy myself with my CCLs.
I'm so sorry to hear about your hen. I hope she pulls through! Thanks for all the input and honesty.

 

[hannah and the chickens]

Poor girl, I hope your hen gets better soon! Has the rooster also hurt the other hens? Unless you're breeding and need the roo for that, I'd seriously consider getting a new rooster.

Until now, only one of my bielefelder hens died (she was still young, around 25 weeks maybe) but I don't know the cause. The vet thought it might have been a birth defect (like a bad heart), after I read a lot more about chicken health I think it might have been vitamin b deficiency, but we'll never know.
It's a double edged sword with Bielefelders really. I'm in contact with some breeders who have had this breed basically since it was first invented and they sometimes have really old hens around (like 7-10 years old!) but there are also a lot of hens who don't make it to that age and most roos are mainly kept for meat here and therefore don't get old.

My hens are allowed to live with me for the rest of their lifes but I think I'll probably get other breeds too after that. Niederrheiner chickens for example share a lot of traits with the Bielefelders but the breed is a bit older and more established. I don't know if those are popular outside of Germany though.

 

[Newyorkrita]

My hens are allowed to live with my for the rest of their lifes but I think I'll probably get other breeds too after that. Niederrheiner chickens for example share a lot of traits with the Bielefelders but the breed is a bit older and more established. I don't know if those are popular outside of Germany though.

Niederrheiners must be very difficult to find here in the USA