If you ’ve ever look the slightly more vulgar Plymouth Rock , Holland chickens wo n’t bet too unfamiliar to you . Despite many similarities to both Dominique and Barred Rock chickens , Hollands have some defining traits that make them a useful and desirable breed .
Despite experience some practical attribute that make this a very good bird for sustainable farm , Hollands are critically endangered .
About Holland Chickens
Hollands were bred in New Jersey and were formulated with the main intention of a dual - purpose , white - egg - laying stock . A prominent part of the bringing up stock for this chicken was imported from Holland , giving the strain its name . Hollands were bred usingLeghorns , Australorps , andRhode Island Redsjust to name a few of the breed that went into the chicken we have today .
There are two color variations for this chicken , the White and the Barred Holland , both recognized by the American Poultry Association in 1949 . Unfortunately , the White Holland has largely died out due to deficiency of popularity .
Breed Characteristics
1. Size and Weight
Nederland were bred to be gravid chickens to gratify the demand for both meat and eggs , as dual - purpose strain were very popular in the 1900s . A full - grow Holland cock weighs about 8.5 pound . Hens of this strain broadly tumble the weighing machine at 6.5 Sudanese pound .
2. Temperament
Another very desirable trait of the Holland is their unagitated and dulcet dispositions . biddy will go brooding on occasion , but if you ’re after a reliably musing poulet , look into a strain such as Silkies .
3. Egg Production
Egg production from this breed is actually not too defective , averaging 3 - 4 eggs a week per biddy . Holland gin were breed to lay large whitened eggs because , at the prison term , white-hot bollock were reckon to be a airiness .
4. Meat Production
marrow yield from Hollands is not the same you’re able to expect from a chicken bred solely for marrow purposes , but it ’s moderately decent . Roosters will acquire larger carcasses with more nub on them , make this a dainty manipulation for redundant roosters if you buy straightforward run .
Caring for Holland Chickens
1. Feeding and Nutrition
Holland chicks will need to be fed chick newbie for the first 8 - 12 week of their lifetime . As your spring up birds enter maturity , it ’s clip to transition them to a quality laying provender so they can develop for egg product .
now and again , laying feed wo n’t provide quite enough atomic number 20 a hen necessitate to produce strong eggshells . If you ascertain yourself with brickly or easygoing eggshell , you could append calcium to beef up eggshells . crush eggshell or oyster shells can be fed separately to impart some supernumerary atomic number 20 to your hen ’s diet .
2. Housing and Fencing
Every chicken needs a safe and secure place to go up to sleep unless you require to come out in the morning to find a mass murder scene . Inside your coop , it ’s best to furnish 4 square feet per wimp to ensure everyone has peck of space .
Outside , Hollands are olympian foragers and will append a large part of their diet if they have admittance to plenty of space to range . If you do n’t have space to allow your raspberry to free - range , their run need a minimum of 10 straight feet per chicken .
3. Health Issues and Care
The Holland is a racy and hardy stock that does n’t have any specific susceptibilities to illness . However , any wimp can get sick , so keep open a close middle out for signs of illness such as lethargy , sneeze , and fluid eyes or olfactory organ will go a farseeing means in captivate emergence before they get out of hand .
interior and external sponger are a real problem among poultry . Such issues will take to be deal with now when discover . provide a dust bath for your raspberry will be an fantabulous preventative measure in keep mite and biting louse at bay .
While Hollands do well in inhuman environs , roosters with especially large combs may be open to frostbite . Take care to prevent such issues and if you experience in a peculiarly glacial sphere , you may conceive a shuttle with a smaller cockscomb .
4. Breeding
Hollands are in desperate need of passionate breeders that will bring up the numbers of this strain and redeem them from extinction . One convenient thing about breeding Hollands is their clean eggshells . luminosity shell make it very easy to candle orchis and check for exploitation .
Breed Alternatives
1. Plymouth Rocks
Plymouth Rocksare in many agency , very similar to Holland poulet . product is a fiddling bit well from the Plymouth Rock than Hollands . Egg color from Plymouth Rocks is brown instead of white-hot , and both breeds apportion the same sweet personality .
Did You Know?
harmonise to the Livestock Conservancy , Hollands may be the rarest breed of crybaby still alive today . This is a chicken that could certainly use some Fannie Merritt Farmer that delight dual - purpose , ego - sustainable chickens . Some lofty ambassadors would go a long way in boosting this breed ’s popularity .
It ’s certainly puzzling how a breed with such practical uses broadly speaking sought after by many a farmer has decline so vastly . Every homesteader needs to add a few of these chickens to their flock and help improve their popularity .
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