Schijndelaar

The Schijndelaar is a modern Dutch chicken developed in the village of Schijndel in North Brabant, best known among European poultry keepers as a green-egg breed. It was created in the late twentieth century from blue-egg genetics and practical Dutch farmyard stock, then selected toward a consistent medium-sized fowl rather than a commercial hybrid. Schijndelaars are active, generally clean-legged chickens of medium build, and they occur in several color varieties depending on the line and registry. The attraction is the combination of a recognizable breed identity with eggs that range from blue-green to olive-green.

For smallholders it is managed like other active layer breeds: secure ranging, balanced ration, and nest boxes that keep eggs clean for color assessment all matter. Egg color varies by hen and can fade during a laying cycle, so breeders track individual females when building a line. Because the breed is still relatively rare outside the Netherlands, buyers should ask about parentage, the standard followed, and whether chicks are Schijndelaars rather than generic green-egg crosses.

Colors: Barred, Birchen, Black, Blue, Brown, Buff, Columbian, Crele, Cuckoo, Duckwing, Gold, Gold Laced, Laced, Lavender, Mille Fleur, Mottled, Partridge, Penciled, Porcelain, Red, Silver, Silver Laced, Spangled, Splash, Wheaten, White