poultrykeeper logo

Vorwerk Chickens

Vorwerk Chicken
No. of Eggs
2.6/5
Easy to Keep?
3.5/5

Uses: Attractive, economical utility birds.
Origin: Hamburg, Germany.
Eggs:
160 – 190 cream / tinted.
Weight: Cock: 2.5 – 3.2 Kg.Hen: 2.0 – 2.5 Kg.
Bantam Cock: 910 g. Hen: 680 g.
Colour: Black head, hackles and tail. Buff body and wings.
Useful to Know: Vorwerks are alert and active and generally docile, suitable for novices. They can fly reasonably well. Quick to mature and economical with food if allowed to forage, spare males can be used as a more ‘traditional’ table bird.
Photo: Vorwerk female. Courtesy of Rupert Stephenson.

Vorwerk chickens were developed in Hamburg, Germany by Oskar Vorwerk. In 1902 he set out to create a fowl that was more useful than the Lakenvelder, replacing the white with buff so it would not show the dirt and creating a bird for smallholders for utility: a bird that would provide a good number of eggs with a good feed to egg ratio as well as meat for the table when required.

The breeds used to develop the Vorwerk are thought to be the Lakenvelder, Utility Buff Orpington, Hittfeldern (now called Buff Ramelslohers in Germany), and the Andalusian. Oscar Vorwerk first exhibited his birds as new varieties in 1912 and by 1919 or a little earlier, they were well established and accepted by most breeders as an independent breed.

Vorwerk chickens first appeared in the UK as Buff Lakenvelders in 1935 where they were exhibited but it wasn’t until the 1970’s that they made a re-appearance.

Photos

Books

The following books are available. Links take you to the Amazon or other sellers’ pages for the books.

Breed Clubs

These are the breed clubs for Vorwerk chickens:

Related Posts:

On this page:

You might also enjoy:

Housing Geese
Keeping Geese
Housing Geese

Providing you can give sufficient space, adequate ventilation and security from nighttime predators, a goose house need not be complicated. In this article, Mo provides the low-down on housing geese.  

Read More »
Orpington Chickens
Chicken Breeds
Orpington Chickens

The Orpington fowl is more impressive in the flesh than in photographs that accompany the various books on pure breeds of poultry. 

With its abundance of feathers, the large fowl Orpingtons fill their show pens and are a sight to behold. The bantams – a miniature version of this magnificent breed – are still relatively big birds and equally eye-catching and impressive.

Read More »
Hatchability of Chicken Eggs
Incubating, Hatching & Brooding Chicks
Hatchability of Chicken Eggs

The hatchability of chicken eggs is as essential for backyard chicken keepers as it is for commercial flocks, especially when you have a limited number of eggs from a rare breed or breed in numbers to produce a small number of birds for the show pen.

Read More »
A poultry orchard with geese
Keeping Geese
Creating an Orchard for Poultry

Traditionally, in Europe, people kept poultry in orchards. Chickens and waterfowl would eat insects and fallen fruit, and geese would keep the grass short. Droppings helped provide nutrients for the trees, and the trees provided shade, shelter and safety.

Read More »