Double Silver Laced Barnevelder

If you are looking for a chicken that is easy, laid back and highly productive then this is the absolute no fuss breed for you. Year after year we are so impressed with how well these girls lay, how attentive the roosters are and how robust every chick is that comes out of this group. This breed slows down its production in the fall/winder months but still lays year round for us in Northern California without any supplemental night. Cold and heat tolerant, they are excellent choices for folks who live in weather extremes who are looking for beautiful additions to their flock.

Inquisitive and smart, these birds are good at foraging and problem solving, they always find their way home at the end of the day. They are rarely broody but if you do get a broody hen in your flock she will make an excellent mother – rearing her young and doing all of the work of raising baby chicks for you without any issues from the rest of the flock. In short, this is just an all around amazing breed of chicken.

 Extremely rare and beautiful, we are thrilled to be offering these birds to you all as one of our breeds in our 2023 lineup! We have our own line of Double Silver Laced Barnevelders we have named the “Alchemist Line” which you will find no where else in the United States. They are slightly larger than bantams and slightly smaller than a standard sized hen. If you have a smaller yard and space for your flock is an issue, this is a fantastic breed for you.

Our line of Double Silver Laced Barnevelders are smaller framed birds with fantastic genetic robustness. These birds lay smooth tan eggs and have an exquisite tight lacing pattern set over glossy feathers. We are a farm that is committed to creating robust healthy chicks, you can expect the same quality you have come to know from all of our birds from this beautiful line.

As with all of the breeds we work with, the personality on the Barnevelders is extremely docile around humans. The roosters are gentlemen with the hens and dutifully protect them from hawks.

Quick Breed Stats

Egg Color: cream 

Cosmetic Egg Bloom: sometimes the eggs can have a pink tint (eggs will always have the normal protective bloom when laid)

Egg Size: slightly larger than a bantam egg 

Egg Texture: smooth untextured 

Egg Production During Spring and Summer: high 5 eggs a week, will lay year round if given proper conditions

Meat Production: best for egg production, males are small but have some meat on them.

Heat Tolerance: very good if shade is provided

Cold Tolerance: very good if free from drafts. Use vaseline to prevent frostbite in winter for Roosters with large combs 

Disposition: extremely sweet, smart and curious. Will come running for treats.

Weeks to Maturity: 22

Free Range Ability: very high, very predator wise – roosters are excellent protectors of the hens.

Likelihood They Will Want To Hatch Eggs: low

Chicks Sold Straight Run: $25 each

Double Silver Laced Barnevelder

The most gorgeous Barnevelder line in the United States — laid back, year-round laying, and exclusive to Alchemist Farm.

Barnevelders are a Dutch heritage breed developed in the town of Barneveld in the early 1900s. They were originally bred for both dark-egg production and beautiful double-laced plumage. Most Barnevelder lines in the United States have lost the dark egg, but our Double Silver Laced Alchemist Line — refined since 2023 — keeps the breed’s signature beauty alongside the absolute no-fuss temperament that makes them every homesteader’s secret weapon.

Ours lay year-round in Northern California without supplemental light — the kind of dependable productivity you almost never see in a pretty bird. They sit between bantam and standard in size, making them a great choice for smaller yards. The tight silver lacing on glossy black feathers is unlike anything else in our flock.

Quick Breed Stats

What Makes Our Double Silver Laced Barnevelder Different

• Alchemist Line — exclusive to our farm, you will not find this line at any other US hatchery.
• Year-round laying without supplemental lighting (in Northern California climate).
• Sized between bantam and standard — fits well in small backyards.
• Tight, ornate silver lacing on every feather — one of the most photogenic breeds we offer.
• Predator-wise and confident foragers despite the smaller size.
• Excellent mothers when they do go broody (which is rare).

Care Basics

• Clean-legged — handles wet conditions well.
• 2-3 sq ft of coop per hen, 6-8 sq ft of run.
• Cold-hardy with a draft-free coop.
• Predator-wise but still benefits from protected free-range time.

Pricing

Shipping is a flat $70 for up to 25 chicks via overnight USPS Express. Seasonal minimums: 10 chicks March-May and October, 6 chicks June-September. Local farm pickup is free with no minimum (we recommend at least two chicks so none is brooded alone).

Pair Your Double Silver Laced Barnevelder With

• Bearded d’Anver — for another pint-sized urban-friendly breed
• Sage Eggers — for colorful eggs alongside the cream
• Heritage Welsummers — for terra-cotta speckled eggs
• Olive Eggers — for olive green to round out the basket

Common Questions

What does “Double Silver Laced” mean?

Each feather has two distinct concentric rings of silver lacing around a black center — a more intricate pattern than standard single-laced birds. It’s one of the most striking feather patterns in any chicken breed.

Do they really lay year-round?

In our Northern California climate, yes — without supplemental lighting. In colder, darker climates winter production will slow, but our Barnevelders are among the strongest cold-weather layers we keep.

Are they good for small backyards?

Yes. Their between-bantam-and-standard size makes them a great fit for smaller yards while still producing standard-sized eggs.

Why call this an “Alchemist Line”?

We’ve refined our Double Silver Laced Barnevelders since 2023 specifically for plumage quality, lacing tightness, year-round productivity, and the sweet temperament. The result is a line that doesn’t exist at any other US hatchery.