This last winter I didn't have any chickens. This spring I will have some chicks sent from Murray McMurray in Iowa.

Their a rarer bird in the country. Their a German engineered bird from around 1970. No longer imported.

The name is Bielefelder. Their a heavier chicken. Good for eggs and meat. Their a combination of about 4 breeds crossed.

A good cold weather bird. Great for free range. Even though I will have a large fenced in are. About a 75'x60' sort of rounded.

Plus I'm purchasing some eggs to hatch also.

Sounds like an interesting breed. I'll have to look them up.

Information on the breed.

The Bielefelder is a relatively new breed, development beginning in the 1970’s by Gerd Roth in the area of Bielefeld, Germany, hence the breed's name. They were successful in creating a large fast maturing dual purpose breed with a kind calm temperament and excellent cold tolerance. The hens are friendly, gentle birds, excellent layers for a duel purpose breed, laying about 200 large dark brown eggs a year, and they are good winter layers. They will go broody occasionally. The roosters are said to have exceptionally nice temperaments. The breed has the added benefit of being auto-sexing by colour at hatch.

A number of breeds were used in the creation of the Bielefelder including Malines, New Hampshire Reds and Welsummers. They are a colorful attractive bird, in a cuckoo red partridge pattern reminiscent of the Legbars.

They are not APA recognised.

Very interesting. Pretty birds also. Would be neat to have a few.

If you go on line to www.murrayMcMurry.com you can see the varieties that they sell.

Chicks shipped to your Post Office is the safest. Then you can go get them. Checking for live delivery.

Ok, why aren't these birds more common? It is an honest question, I promise I am not being cynical.

I had bielefelders... nice birds... layed nice big brown eggs

Well, as of Monday the 6th. of April I had 14 eggs shipped from upstate New York.

After I got the shipping number, Apr. 8th. was the arrival date. NO.

That soon changed to April 9th.. NO eggs.

That date moved to April 10th.. No eggs.

I called the post office Saturday and quizzed them. "sorry that our shipping is behind. We are incurring delays"!

I only hope no one decided to take these home to eat them!?

I contacted the supplier and he wasn't surprised. he said, "It isn't any wonder how they bled 7 Billion dollars last year.
Their not in the business to make a profit"

How true!!!!

Primarily the feds cut them off a few years ago from importing. The NPIP does not recognize them as a pure breed.

Politics as usual.

Hopefully they arrive and all is well! We sure do enjoy our 15 mixed breed egg layers and our one "oops" rooster named Famous Amos! If needed we could incubate the eggs for additional chick production. Amos is happy either way!

Chris

Here's the breakdown of the organization and its purpose.

The National Poultry Improvement Plan was established in the early 1930’s to provide a cooperative industry, state, and federal program through which new diagnostic technology can be effectively applied to the improvement of poultry and poultry products throughout the country.
The development of the NPIP was initiated to eliminate Pullorum Disease caused by Salmonella pullorum which was rampant in poultry and could cause upwards of 80% mortality in baby poultry.

The program was later extended and refined to include testing and monitoring for Salmonella typhoid, Salmonella enteritidis, Mycoplasma gallisepticum, Mycoplasma synoviae, Mycoplasma meleagridis, and Avian Influenza.

In addition, the NPIP currently includes commercial poultry, turkeys, waterfowl, exhibition poultry, backyard poultry, and game birds.

The technical and management provisions of the NPIP have been developed jointly by Industry members and State and Federal officials.

These criteria have established standards for the evaluation of poultry with respect to freedom from NPIP diseases.

I told that it would be my luck that some confiscated them as having the Covid-19 virus.

Don't sound good.Hopefully you get them.

Do you loseSome to predation when you free range?
mt

i have been breeding em for a few years now and really like em.

Well the day has finally arrived. 14 eggs for hatching after 8 days on the road. I called the post office noting the shipping number showed they would deliver them at the house.

I called and asked them to leave at the P.O. and I would pick them up. 9:05am took charge of the eggs. Wearing Nitrile gloves on the pickup, proceeded to spray the box down with virus killing Lysol.

Gave it 10 minutes. Brought in and unfolded the box. Priority mail box. RIGHT! Numbered each and placed in a Styrofoam egg carton.

They will sit there until this afternoon to getup to room temperature when I will weigh them and place in the incubator.

Its been a process I don't like being on hold for a shipment. Around May 5-7 I will have some chicks coming as well.

cotton: Nice picture of the bird.