White Hollands

White Hollands of the original breed developed in the 1930s probably do not exist any more. The Barred variety was always more popular and they are available from breeders and hatcheries, such as Urch/Turnland Poultry in Owatonna, Minnesota and Sandhill Preservation Center in Calamus, Iowa.

The APA Standard recognized Hollands as a separate breed in both color varieties in 1949. The name harks back to birds that were imported from The Netherlands, but were crossed with White Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshires and Lamonas, another modern composite, to produce a breed with strong production values for both meat and eggs. The Barred variety came from breeding the descendants of the Dutch birds with White Leghorns, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Australorps and Brown Leghorns. Both varieties lay white eggs.

A reader recently inquired about White Hollands, which have probably disappeared. Although the passing of any breed is unfortunate, this was a modern composite that can be re-created, if anyone cares to do so. My inclination is to focus on preserving the foundation breeds.

The Holland is a solid, productive breed that marks a time in poultry history when modern selective breeding was honing its focus on production for individual farms. As the industry has been overtaken by large corporations, that focus has become laser sharp. Breeds like the Holland are useful today, but so are many others. Choose a traditional breed for your flock.