{ Olandsk Dwarf }
Country of Origin: Sweden
Primary Use: Ornamental (but productive)
Bird Size: Small bodied, true bantams
Egg Production: Roughly 250 eggs per year
Egg Size: Small
Egg Color: white to cream
Comb Type: Straight
Hardiness: Cold hardy
Personality: Quirky, Social, Hens tend to go broody and like to raise their babies and are good moms
The Olandsk Dwarf is a very small and colorful breed, known for their very productive laying ability. The are true dwarfs, and have no larger counterpart in poultry. As one of the smallest laying breeds, the Olandsk Dwarf is perfect for backyard hobbyist and those who don't have room for full sized chickens as they eat less and don't require a lot of space. The Olandsk Dwarf originates from the island of Oland of the southeastern cost of Sweden and said that their forebears were British Garden Hens that were brought over centuries before. Over time, the breed became a landrace, and natural selection and necessity shaped the Olandsk Dwarf for size, production and hardiness to suit the region. There is no standard of perfection for the Olandsk Dwarf, although they breed very similar in style and type. They have brightly spangled color patterns of red, white, black, and blue. In the US Olandsk Dwarfs have straight combs and clean yellow or white legs. They have a bright and social personality and are not flighty like many bantam breeds.
Here at Benoit Farms we are working with birds from 4 different sources to keep our offspring as diverse as possible. When purchasing hatching eggs please note, this breed can be more difficult to hatch and will easily drown at hatch if humidity is spiked to high. We do not incubate them any higher than 55% humidity at lockdown and about 40% throughout the first part of incubation, usually we completely dry hatch them (no water added to the incubator at all).
