Vorwerk chicken is a dual purpose rare breed originating in Germany. The breed was named after the breeder, Oskar Vorwerk. It was his intention to develop an attractive chicken breed that was easy to raise and was a good layer and a good sized meat producer.
Oskar Vorwerk began to create a medium-sized, utilitarian fowl with the belted plumage pattern of the Lakenvelder during the beginning of 1990.
The key difference in appearance between these two breeds would be the Vorwerk chicken’s dark golden base color, rather than the White of the Lakenvelder. Especially in the North America, sometimes the Vorwerks are incorrectly called the Golden Lakenvelder. But the Golden Lakenvelder is a plumage variety and is a separate breed from the Vorwerks.
Various different chicken breeds were used for creating the Vorwerk chicken. Which includes; Andalusian, Buff Sussex, Buff Orpington and Lakenvelder chicken. The breed is rare now and was almost lost after the Second World War.
There is a bantam version of Vorwerk chicken breed. But the standard version has never been accepted into the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection.
Vorwerk Chicken Characteristics
Vorwerk chicken is a powerful and compact bird. It has broad back, a deep and rounded breast. The head of Vorwerk chickens is broad and the face is well feathered. They have medium sized, single comb which is bright red in color.
They have small white earlobes and medium length wattles. Their legs are of slate blue color and have four toes. Their plumage is soft and glossy. Their head, neck and tail are solid black, with the rest a buff color. They have orange-red eyes and their skin color is slate gray.
Standard Vorwerk roosters weight about 2.5-3.0 kg and hens about 2.0-2.5 kg. There are two bantam versions of this chicken breed. And the US bantam standards of Vorwerk chicken is different from the European standards.
In particular Vorwerk bantam roosters in the Europe are 910 grams, and hens are 680 grams. But the in US the breed is smaller at 765 grams for roosters and 650 grams for hens. Photo from Wikipedia.
Uses
Vorwerk is a dual purpose chicken breed. It is good for both meat and eggs production purpose.
Behavior/Temperament
Vorwerk chicken is hardy, alert and active. It is a dual purpose breed suitable for both meat and eggs production. They are flighty, and adequate fencing is required for keeping them confined. They have great foraging skills and good choice for free range system. But they also do well in confinement.
The chicks are fast growers and mature quickly. Vorwerk chickens are considered as a cold hardy breed that will continue to lay throughout the winter. The hens lay medium sized light brown eggs. The roosters are tolerant of each other and you can keep more than one rooster in the flock.
Vorwerk chicken is a friendly and relatively calm chicken breed. And they are easily handled and it’s very easy to tame the chickens. Review full breed profile of Vorwerk chicken below.
| Breed Name | Vorwerk |
| Other Name | Vorwerkhuhn |
| Breed Purpose | Dual Purpose |
| Breed Temperament | Friendly, Calm, Bears Confinement Well, Easily Handled, Flighty |
| Breed Size | Large |
| Broodiness | Seldom |
| Comb | Single |
| Climate Tolerance | All climates |
| Egg Color | Light Brown |
| Egg Size | Medium |
| Egg Productivity | Medium |
| Feathered Legs | No |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Varieties | The breed is only found in one color which has black belted markings on a buff colored body. |
| Country of Origin | Germany |
My vorwerk hen is showing signs of being broody, all the websites i read say it is very rare. Could there be something else wrong with her