Brabanter chickens: A rare and goofy egg-laying breed for cold climates
Brabanter chickens have much to offer. First and foremost an ornamental breed, these are chickens with shock value. They have unusual feather crests, beards, and stunning plumage.
They also produce large white eggs, do well in confinement, and are hardy, even in extreme cold.
But Brabanter chickens have something even better to offer. They are goofy and lovable. Calm, inquisitive, and brave by nature, these chickens are known for silliness.
One chicken keeper said of her Brabanters, “I am ever so grateful and honored to have them!” She describes her chickens in words like “such a joy,” “the biggest characters ever,” and “love bugs.”
Could these cold-hardy, charismatic chickens be right for you and your flock?
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about Brabanter chickens, including:
What Brabanter chickens look like in their many different colors and patterns
Everything you ever wanted to know about Brabanter egg laying
Brabanter broodiness (do they want to hatch their babies or not?)
Climate considerations for Brabanter chickens (are they a good fit for your region?)
Foraging, space, and predator considerations for Brabanter chickens
Brabanter temperament (are they right for you and your family?)
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Brabanter chicken facts
Category: Pet & eggs
Origin: Netherlands, Belgium
Egg-laying ability: Mediocre-good
Broodiness: Moderate
Cold tolerance: Exceptional
Heat tolerance: Good
Predator evasion: Good
Foraging ability: Exceptional
Toleration for confinement: Moderate-Good
Temperament: Calm, friendly, some docile
Aggression toward flock members: Low
Noise level: Moderate-high
Origin of Brabanter chickens
Brabanters are a heritage breed named after the Brabant region of Belgium and the Netherlands. This is a breed that goes way back. Brabanter chickens are found in paintings by the Dutch artist, Melchior d’Hondecoeter, dating back to the 17th century.
Sadly, Brabanters fell out of popularity as breeds like Leghorns and Orpingtons were imported into northern Europe, and the birds were almost extinct by the early 1900s. In the 1920s, so few Brabanters remained that breeders had to cross the last of the breed with the similar Dutch Owlbeard breed. Modern Brabanters come from these Owlbeard outcrosses, and are significantly smaller than the original Brabanters.
Brabanters are still rare in the United States, but they are slowly growing in popularity as more backyard chicken keepers become aware of their existence and their lovable personalities.
What do Brabanter chickens look like?
Brabanters come in many different colors and patterns. They also come in bantam (i.e., miniature) varieties, but these are incredibly rare.
At this time, the American Poultry Association doesn’t recognize Brabanter chickens as a breed.
Brabanter feather colors and patterns
Brabanters come in the following varieties:
Black
Blue Laced
Buff
Chamois Spangled
Cream
Cuckoo
Gold
Gold Spangled
Golden Blue Spangled
Lavender
Mahogany
Silver Spangled
White
In the United States, most Brabanter chickens are Cream Brabanters. These Brabanters have creamy colored feathers with black spots. You can see Cream Barbanters in the video below:
Barbanters with spangled patterns are popular in many countries. Below is a video of Silver Spangled Barbanters:
The video below starts with a Gold Spangled hen. If you want to see what a Gold Spangled rooster looks like, fast forward to 2:40.
See the video below for Chamois Spangled Barbanters. To see the rooster, fast forward to 1:15.
What is notable about the Barbanter chicken’s appearance?
Aside from their beautiful plumage, Barbanter chickens have several unique traits, including:
A forward-facing crest that grows vertically (sometimes called a shaving-brush crest)
A trilobed beard and muffs
A V-shaped comb (also called a horn comb or devil’s comb)
Like other crested chickens, Barbanters also have large, flared nostrils, but they don’t have the domed skull knobs of most other crested breeds.
They also have small white earlobes, small or absent wattles, and most varieties have slate blue shanks.
Barbanters’ beards and muffs typically hide their earlobes and wattles.
How big do Brabanter chickens get?
Brabanter chickens are a medium-sized breed.
Roosters: 6.5 lbs
Hens: 5.5 lbs
Bantam roosters: 28 oz
Bantam hens: 24 oz
What do Brabanter chicks look like?
The appearance of Brabanter chicks varies depending on the variety.
Below is a video of 5 day old Brabanter chicks. You can already see little crests growing:
Below is a video of Cream Brabanter chicks at 1 month old:
And below is a video of a Chamois Spangled Brabanter at almost 2 months old:
Are you getting Brabanter chicks?
Share your photos, week by week!
Brabanter chickens and egg laying
Egg color: White
Egg size: Large
Age of lay: 6 months
Eggs/week: 3-4
Eggs/year: 150-200
Information about Brabanter egg-laying is varied. All the chicken breed books say that Brabanter chickens only lay eggs in the spring and summer. However, American chicken keepers and breeders say that not only do their Brabanters continue to lay in the fall and winter, they do so quite well.
Perhaps the American strains of Brabanters are better layers than the older European and British strains. This would explain the discrepancy between what the chicken breed books say versus what American chicken keepers are experiencing.
If you are wondering what Brabanter eggs look like, check out the video below of Brabanter hatching eggs in an incubator.
Broodiness: Do Brabanter hens want to hatch their eggs?
Brabanter chickens are moderately broody. They may occasionally get the itch to sit on their eggs and hatch them, but they aren’t frequent brooders.
Brabanter chickens: A hardy breed
How do Brabanter chickens do in the cold?
Brabanter chickens do very well in the cold. Because they have small combs and wattles, they are much more resistant to frostbite than most chicken breeds.
These chickens can be kept in the extreme cold, although if your climate has temperatures that are consistently below freezing, you’ll still want to consider a Sweeter Heater in your coop for over the roosting bars. Birds with V combs can still get frostbite. And, yes, frostbite is just as painful for chickens as it is for you.
You can find Small Sweeter Heaters here on Amazon, medium Sweeter Heaters here, and large Sweeter Heaters here.
How do Brabanter chickens do in the heat?
Although Brabanters may not be as heat hardy as the Mediterranean breeds like Leghorns (few breeds are), they do still tolerate heat well.
Brabanter chickens vs. predators
Brabanter chickens are active and alert, and so they are good at predator evasion. They are also spritely and fly fairly well, which can help greatly if they’re stalked or attacked. And, to top it off, these are very vocal chickens who are excellent at sounding the alarm.
One chicken keeper wrote here about how alert his Brabanter chickens are. He wrote:
“All day long you could see them head down, running full speed in a horizontal velociraptor pose, back to the barn while screaming their heads off. Why? In about 0.001% of these instances, there was a hawk. The rest of the time, they were screaming because their imaginary friends gave them the stink-eye, or a bug that was far too big flew by, or they could see me.”
Although this particular blogger didn’t much appreciate his Brabanters’ alertness, you will certainly appreciate it if you free-range your chickens in a predator-rich environment.
Many Brabanter chickens also come in colors that blend in well with their surroundings. For example, Buff and Chamois Spangled Brabanters camouflage well in dry, brown environments. And White Spangled Brabanters blend in well in the snow.
Brabanter chickens: Great foragers
Brabanter chickens are very good at foraging, and if allowed to free range, will forage for a high percentage of their sustenance.
Brabanter chickens: Can they handle confinement?
Brabanter chickens do handle confinement well. However, they would much prefer to have a lot of space (like most chicken breeds).
Also, keep in mind that Brabanters are great at both flying and climbing, so if you do keep them in a run, consider covering the top of the run with hardware wire or poultry netting.
Brabanter temperament: Just what kind of birds are they?
Brabanter chickens are commonly described as agreeable, placid, sweet, friendly, curious, and goofy. Most seem to enjoy being around people. Below is a video of a Cream Brabanter hen eating pasta on her keeper’s couch:
One chicken keeper described her Brabanters as “very inquisitive and smart. Total thinkers.”
Another said that her hen “lives for human interaction and requires little upkeep.”
And another said of his, “I thought her looks would be my favorite characteristic, but her goofiness and mood are awesome!”
Another chicken keeper sums up the breed this way:
“I like my Brabanters a lot. Not only are they goofy looking, they are also funny and endearing… hens… like to jump on my back when I bend over… and they also jump up on my chair when I sit down so they can see what I’m doing.”
And, lastly, another chicken keeper said, “Doesn’t get much better than Brabanters.” I think we can see why.
How are Brabanter chickens around children?
Most Brabanter chicken keepers say that their chickens do very well with children. One said of her Brabanter hen, “My kids can pick her up and she coos to them.”
Be aware that some strains of Brabanters can be flighty. These types of chicken don’t like to be handled. If this matters to you, ask your breeder or hatchery what type of dispositions their Brabanters tend to have before you buy.
Are Brabanter roosters aggressive to people?
Some sources say Brabanter roosters can be aggressive to people. Check out the video below of a slow-motion Brabanter rooster attack:
However, other sources say that Brabanter roosters are generally friendly. While you never know what kind of disposition you’ll end up with when you get a rooster, double check with your breeder or hatchery before buying if you’re concerned.
How well do Brabanter chickens get along with other chickens?
Brabanter chickens aren’t known to be aggressive. However, many chicken keepers have commented that their Brabanters get picked on by other breeds. So, if you’re going to have Brabanters, consider housing them with other gentle breeds.
Brabanter chickens: Are they noisy?
Brabanter chickens tend to be noisier than your average chicken. Many describe them as “chatty.” This trait is part of what makes them endearing and fun, but if you are worried about neighbors complaining, you may want to consider a different breed.
Brabanter health problems and life expectancy
Some sources say that Brabanter beards and crests are very prone to housing mites, and that you need to regularly examine them. I have never personally kept Brabanters, but I do keep Ameraucanas who have glorious beards and muffs. They are no more prone to mites than any of my other breeds. But keep an eye out and see.
Also, if you are watering your Brabanters from a bowl, you may find that they are getting their beards wet. This is not ideal in the cold months, so you may need to consider using a poultry nipple watering system, like this waterer on Amazon.
Brabanters are otherwise very hardy and healthy chickens. They should live the normal chicken lifespan of 5-8 years or longer. Of course, the better you treat them and the more comfortable you make them, the longer they are likely to live.
Breeds you may want instead of Brabanters
Brabanter chickens vs. Appenzeller Spitzhauben chickens
A breed that is sometimes confused with the Brabanter is the Apenzeller Spitzhauben. Appenzeller Spitzhauben chickens are also an ornamental laying breed with similar, vertically-growing crests, but they do not have muffs or beards. Appenzellers tend to be flightier than Brabanters and they don’t tolerate confinement well.
They are, however, more common in the U.S. and, therefore, are much easier to find.
To learn more about these chickens, see my article, Appenzeller Spitzhauben chickens: An egg-laying breed that thrives in the cold.
Other crested breeds you may want instead of Brabanters
If you love the looks of crested chickens, but you’re having a hard time finding Brabanters, consider Polish chickens instead. Polish chickens are very common and available from numerous hatcheries. These chickens tend to be very sweet and friendly. They also handle confinement fairly well.
The Crèvecoeur chicken is another crested breed you may want to consider. Crèvecoeurs are a very hardy breed and they tend to have calm dispositions. They also produce good meat, so if you are a homesteader, this may be a better breed for you.
Or, you may want to consider Houdan chickens. These chickens are much better egg layers than Brabanters. In fact, the Livestock Conservancy says Houdans actually lay as well as Leghorn chickens (the ultimate egg layers) in warm and dry conditions. Unlike Leghorns, though, Houdans have very calm and gentle temperaments.
And if you’re a homesteader, Houdan chicken meat is said to be especially flavorful.
For more on these breeds, check out my articles: