Schijndelaar Chicken

     The Schijndelaar is a long-tailed Chicken breed, that originated in the Netherlands. It was developed by crossing various chicken breeds including; Leghorns, Araucanas, Brabançonne, and Sumatras. The Schijndelaar is the most recent Dutch chicken breed, and it was developed in Schijndel, hence comes the name.

     The Schijndelaar is a medium-sized chicken, with a pea comb, a small crest, red earlobes, and small wattles. It’s characterized by its full tail and long saddle feathers, that hang approximately horizontally. The Schijndelaar comes also in several color-varieties which include; white, black, cuckoo, blue, and chocolate.

     The Schijndelaar is the only Dutch breed that lays blue to olive eggs, and they do it in fair numbers too, (60 – 70 g of weight per each). This breed’s fullness of feathers have earned them a remarkable place in poultry shows as well, with a great number of fans around the world. Schijndelaars are hardy and active chicken breed, that tolerates most climates. A bantam version is also available for this breed, but it hasn’t been standardized completely yet.