Have you been thinking about adding a rooster to your flock, but are concerned that you’ll wind up with a 10 pound crazed psychopath bird who wants to spur you every time you step outside? What if you could be guaranteed to get a non-aggressive rooster, would that change your mind? He exists, but the breed is not widely known in the United States. The breed is a Bielefelder, and they are wonderful chickens.
Why would you want a rooster in the first place? Most importantly, they protect the hens. If your hens roam the yard, a good rooster will escort the hens and constantly watch the sky. We have hawks where we live, and get at least a couple of fly-bys each day. We average around 400 chickens, but only lose a couple of small ones each year to hawks. The hawks look to see if our roosters are on duty. The roosters sound the alarm to warn the hens, the hens take cover, and the hawk flies off to find food elsewhere.
In addition to protection, a good rooster will be gentle to the hens during mating, call the hens when he finds food, and not be aggressive towards adults or children. And of course, their mating provides for the future of your flock.
The Bielefelder could very well be called the perfect rooster, as he does all of this. The breed was developed in Bielefeld, Germany in the early 1970s from a combination of New Hampshire Reds, Amrocks (a production version of Plymouth Barred Rocks), Wyandottes, and possibly Cuckoo Marans, Welsummers, and Malines. The internet is fuzzy on the exact contributors, but who cares, they’re awesome! The Bielefelder was imported to the United States much later in 2011. Bielefelders aren’t one of the 53 large chicken breeds recognized by the American Poultry Association, but that won’t matter unless you show chickens.
The Bielefelder is known as the “über huhn,” or “super chicken” because it has all the attributes you’d want in a chicken. Chicks are autosexed at hatch, the roosters are docile yet protective, the hens lay up to 280 large eggs per year, they rarely go broody, they are very cold-hardy, and they grow large enough to be used for meat. Hens grow to 8-10 pounds and roosters grow to 10-12 pounds! And they are gorgeous birds. If you had to choose only one breed of chicken, you’d be wise to select the Bielefelder.
They can be ordered from hatcheries, but you probably won’t find them at your local feed store (although you can usually order specific breeds from farm stores like Rural King). Expect to pay a higher price and wait a while for them to arrive since they are considered rare. But they are worth the wait!
A quick story about our Bielefelder rooster, Murray. In early spring, a hungry coyote came sprinting out of the brush. We’ve never seen a daytime coyote in the 6 years we’ve lived here. Murray sounded the alarm and hens scrambled for safety. It was chaotic. But not Murray. He stood in front while the girls found cover behind him. Soon it was a 20-yard staring contest between Murray and the coyote. It was as if he was telling the coyote, “If anyone is going to die today, it’s me. But you’re not getting my girls.” The coyote was confused and didn’t know what to do. Murray not only saved his girls, but gave me time to grab a rifle. I missed, but we haven’t seen the coyote since. Murray got a lot of treats that day!
If you’re just starting your flock or adding to it, consider the Bielefelder. And if you just want to add a wonderful, protective rooster that will follow you around like a puppy dog, get a Bielefelder!