Kraienkopp Chicken Breed – Everything You Need to Know

This chicken originates on the border region between the Netherlands and Germany. The Germans call the breed Kraienkopp while the Dutch call it “Twents Hoen”.

This rather large chicken with its unique plumage and carriage comes in two varieties Silver and Black Breasted.

They are easy to handle with a calm talkative nature and tend to get quite attached to their human families. They have also been known to fight off predators and attack snakes.

Country of Origin:	Germany, Netherlands
American Poultry Association:	Not recognized as a breed of chicken in the United States
Chicken Category:	Large Breed
Chicken Class:	Clean Legged with rare soft feather
Bantam Variety Available?	No
Good Starter Chicken?	They are a low maintenance chicken but not that common in the USA so may not be the best starter chicken.
PURPOSE ⇒	Eggs: They are good egg layers. They lay large off-white eggs up to 200 per year They will lay throughout the year They start to lay eggs from around 20 weeks old. Related CHICKEN BREEDS THAT LAY BROWN, BLUE, GREEN, OLIVE, PINK OR DIFFERENT COLORS EGG Meat: They have white meat and can be used as a table bird if the bird is young enough. Breeding: There is not too many Kraienkopp in the USA so it may not be the best bird to breed. If you are breeding the Kraienkopp for show choosing the correct hens and rooster bloodline is crucial. For advice on breeding please check our guide to breed poultry. Foraging: They love to scratch and forage about. They make a beautiful large ornamental fowl for the garden. They have lovely flowing plumage and very calm royal bearing to them. Show Bird: They make a great show bird check with various poultry show categories as these chickens are not recognized by the American Poultry Association and therefore not part of the Standard of Perfection. Pets: These chickens have been known to make great pets and will follow their owners around like puppies Other: They love to garden with their humans, scratch Scratch out weeds and get rid of pesky pests that your garden can do without. They will give your organic garden a lot of nutritious fertilizer to ensure great blooms and tasty vegetables.
Flyers?	They can fly
Noisy Birds?	They do like to chatter so they are a bit noisy
Interaction with other chickens:	They get along well with other chickens. As with any flock if you are introducing new birds it is best to slowly socialize them with the flock.
Good with kids?	They are good with supervised children even the roosters have a gentle disposition.

HISTORY

The American Kraienkoppe differ from that of the European one. This may be due to poor breeding and lack of information about this breed.

This Dutch breed has quite a fierce looking face but in fact is a gentle giant towards its owners. The roosters can become quite protective of both their chicken and human families.

They are one of the most beautiful chicken breeds, especially the Salmon Duckwing variety.

This breed is thought to be the outcome of the cross-breeding between Malay and Leghorn chickens.

The Kraeinkoppe or Twentse was developed in the late 19th century in the border region between the Netherlands and Germany.

The breed was first shown in the Netherlands in 1920 and then in Germany in 1925.

This breed is a very rare breed all over the world and makes excellent egg producers as well as show birds.
They are a large chicken that walks upright holding their heads up high showing off their long-exaggerated necks.

They have been in the USA for a good forty years or so but are not a registered breed accepted by the American Poultry Association.

CHARACTERISTICS
IDENTIFICATION ⇒	Appearance/Body: The Kraienkopp or Twentse has a long sweeping Sweeping neck with a good amount of hackle in the males. Its shapely body should compact with tight feathers held close to the body. Long yellow legs powerful clean legs. Their face and wattles are yellow as is their beaks. They have a full fluffed out tail. Color(s) Silver and Black-breasted Red Related COLOR VARIETIES THAT ARE FOUND IN A LOT OF THE VARIOUS CHICKEN BREEDS Comb: They have a walnut comb Ave. Weight: Hens/Pullet 3 – 4 lbs. Cockerel 4 – 6 lbs.
Life Expectancy:	The average lifespan is 6 – 8 years
Health:	The good news about these beautiful birds is that they do not have any known health issues.
Temperament:	They are calm yet active and friendly chicken
Socialize Behavior?	They get along well with all other animals
Known predators:	Most domestic animals leave them alone but it is always best to keep an eye on dogs and cats. If hawks and or foxes are in your area it is always best to take precautions. Check with local animal shelters, zoos, vets, animal control and or pet stores about common predators in your area.
Conservation Status:	These birds conservation status is not recorded in the USA. However, as it is a rare breed in the USA it is best to check on any special license or instructions that may be set up for owning these birds. This can be checked with your local or national conservation centers.

IDEAL ENVIRONMENT
Garden Size:	These great birds do not enjoy confinement and much prefer to be out and about in the garden. They love to forage and roam about.
Ideal Climate:	They do not mind the cold or the heat they are weather hardy birds.
Ideal Coop:	The rule of thumb for any coop is 50 cm x 50 cm per hen/rooster in the coop. Ensure there is a good space for the nesting boxes and nightly roosting rails at least 1.5 inches wide. Good ventilation for air but not too drafty especially in winter. It is always a good idea to raise the coop off the ground to give the birds a dry place to roost and lay especially in wet weather.
Ideal Coop Run:	It is best to completely cover the coop run with as these birds can and will fly. Covering the coop gives the birds a bit more safety from predators and vermin such as rats and mice.
Ideal Flock Size:	They like to socialize so there should be more than one chicken in the flock for them to free-range around the garden with. Some roosters may vie for dominance, so it is best to keep roosters apart especially during breeding season.
Special Instructions:	They do not really have any special requirements.
Accessories:	The following accessories are ideal for your coop: Nesting boxes Straw for the boxes and roosting area Roosting rails Perches Water troughs/bowls Food bowls/feeders Heating lamp(s) Animal carrier for transport purposes
You may Also Like:	45 FREE DIY CHICKEN COOP PLANS, TUTORIALS AND DESIGNS

WHERE TO FIND THESE BIRDS TO ADD TO YOUR FLOCK

As they are a rare breed of chicken in the USA they are not very easy to find, and you will probably not find them at live poultry outlets and farms. There are one or two internet sites that offer these birds but as they are more of a specialized type of chicken it is best to seek out registered trusted breeders. To get a Krainekopp or two for your flock it is best. To find registered breeders check out the American Poultry Association, the Livestock Conservancy websites, The Rare Poultry Society or Greenfire Farms. If you plan on breeding your chickens, you will want to make sure that they are from a good bloodline. The breeder’s clubs and poultry associations will be able to help with any special requirements, attention or care they may need.

CARING FOR THE BIRD(S)

Please click here for our full guide to “Taking care of chickens”. This is a comprehensive guide to owning chickens. It covers where to start from choosing your ideal flock, the coop that would best suit your garden, your bird and you to buying and bringing your bird(s) home.

GENERAL

These are the most precious pets that will bring an elegance and style to any garden. These birds look like miniature dinosaurs and are a fun chicken to have in the garden. Not only do they keep pests at bay, but they tend to be aggressive towards predators as well. They love to follow their family around the garden and the roosters, in particular, become quite protective over their human kids.

As they are a very weather hardy chicken they do not have a lot of special requirements.

GROOMING

A few dust baths well positioned in a protected maybe even shaded area is all that these chickens require. They do enjoy a good dust bath as a regular grooming routine. To ensure that they stay pest free try adding some lavender or other such herbs that have been known to help with pests as well as excess feather oils. Even though they may preen and take regular dust baths they will still need to physically be checked for mites, lice and various other parasites. This should be done at least once a week to keep the chickens healthy. Always get your birds de-wormed on a regular basis especially if they are around other animals or interacting with kids.

DIET AND NUTRITION

Kraienkopp does have a large appetite and will eat what they forage whilst out and about foraging. It is essential to feed them their regular meal of either chicken pellets, grains, chicken mash or grain mix from 8 weeks old and older. This should be fed to them first thing in the morning before they are let out to forage. These great chickens delight in received treats in the form of table scraps and will eat most vegetable or fruit leftovers. The will eat from their owners’ hand and do enjoy receiving frozen fruits and vegetables on hot summer days to help cool them down.

For baby chickens, the best is always Chick Starter when they are under 8 weeks old.

Laying hens should get extra protein and calcium in their diets to ensure the quality of their eggs and to keep them in tip-top health.

Please see our comprehensive guide to “Feeding your chickens” for more information of the different types of chicken feed for chicks, hens, laying hens, roosters, etc. and where to buy the feed and approximate cost of the feed.

SOCIALIZING THE BIRD(S)

These regal, calm friendly birds generally get along with most other chicken breeds, but it is best to only keep on rooster as they do have a game fowl heritage and will fight for dominance. The hens can be a bit aggressive if raising chicks, so it is best to mix them with other Kraienkopp or a breed with a gentle nature that will not disrupt the coop.

Always check on how well a breed will get on with your current flock before buying them as you do not want to upset your coop or stress your current flock.

As with any newcomer to the roost, you will have to quarantine the bird for 7 – 31 days to ensure it does not have any unwanted critters or disease that could spread to your current flock.

They do have quite an established pecking order, so it is advisable to socialize them slowly and determine when it is right to allow newcomers to become a permanent part of the flock.

NOTES / SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

As they are not registered with the conservation but are a rare breed they may need an extra license to own or keep in your garden. For advice on what the bird’s conservation status and orders are, please check with your local conservation department.

For breeders, it is imperative that you always check your bird’s bloodlines and ensure you are buying your birds from a reputed breeder/farm. In order to sell birds of such stature, they have to be recorded and documented, always check with local animal breeding organizations for these records.

These legitimate documents are also required should you wish to show your bird(s) in various poultry shows/competition showings.

For information and advice on adopting rescued animals, you can visit or contact your local animal welfare center.