Breda Fowl thread

[boskelli1571]

A bunch of itchy scratchy molting birds! Feathers everywhere during this heatwave

FRONT -- Dominique MIDDLE -- Partridge Silkie REAR -- Cuckoo Breda
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Poor things! I dislike the molt for them. It looks like there has been a massacre in the barn - feathers everywhere!

 

[Sylvester017]

It's the PITS!!!!!!!!

 

[Sylvester017]

My sweet gorgeous statuesque Cuckoo Breda hen has been dangerously harassing my 10-yr-old Partridge Silkie. Although my two Dominique hens came to the Silkie's defense and would put my Breda in her place it became increasingly uncomfortable for my little Silkie to feel safe. After one of the Dom hens passed in July this year that left only one Dom hen to come to the Silkie's rescue so we decided it was time to re-home our 5-yr-old combative Cuckoo Breda. When you have a beautiful gorgeous rare Breda we didn't want to re-home her -- but we knew it was necessary or she'd seriously injure the 2-lb Silkie (or worse!!!). Breda are so rare we didn't give her away without great thought (and some guilt) but she is in a new loving home with a dear friend of ours who had adopted our previous Blue Breda cockerel years ago.

Here is our Cuckoo Breda hen in her new home where our friend keeps us informed with photos: It makes me so happy to see this rare breed (who is still laying XL eggs at over 5 yrs old!!!!)

Meantime we lost one of our Dom hens this year (July) so after re-homing the precious rare Breda we are down to just one Dom hen and one old Silkie hen outside. We decided to get Silkie chicks because there's no guarantee how many more years our old Silkie will be around?! another 4 months?! another 4 years?! We have a great Sikie breeder (Amber Waves Silkies -- show silkies) near us so we got DNA-sexed guaranteed female Silkie chicks.

I had a mild COVID illness (tested positive) so I'm not ordering new Blue Breda pullets yet -- DH wants to be sure I'm 100% before getting another bird.

You lovely breeders out there -- keep perfecting those gorgeous BBS Breda with the gentle temperaments. Obviously my Cuckoo Breda was not of the gentle Breda persuasion LOL! But my Blue Breda hen was a constant companion to our old 2.5-lb Partridge Silkie hen. Every Blue Breda I've had (4 of them - cockerel and pullet both) have arrived with docile outgoing human-friendly temperaments!

Our Blue Breda hen was a good gentle companion for our little Silkie hen

We lost the Blue Breda hen before we could introduce the Cuckoo Breda pullet -- even at this early introduction in 2016 the two Silkies we had at the time were not comfortable when she was around. This poor Cuckoo Breda we had to re-home is such a lovely bird but being over 3 kilos in weight she was too much a bully to the 2-lb Silkies. That's why I like the smaller weight BBS Breda variety better JMHO.

 

[boskelli1571]

I can imagine how difficult that decision must have been for you Still, it worked out for the best all the way round.
I'm sure someone will have a blue for you this year. I'm not sure if I will be hatching any this year - nearer the time I expect I will change my mind!
My old Welsummer roo died in October so I have one of the BBS Breda boys as head of the flock now, so I will be curious to see what hatches out from the eggs....

 

[Sylvester017]

My understanding is that Breda breeders are hard to find or non-existent in Europe so what is here in the USA may be the only birds? Keep your BBS Breda as true to appearance & docile human-friendly temperament as possible. Those BBS are so great -- so gorgeous and regal -- and good layers!

 

[Sylvester017]

@boskelli1571 so sorry you lost your Wellie roo -- it's so hard losing a good bird!!!! Hope your BBS roo does a good job!

 

[boskelli1571]

@boskelli1571 so sorry you lost your Wellie roo -- it's so hard losing a good bird!!!! Hope your BBS roo does a good job!

He is already fitting in nicely! I have a couple of Breda ladies in that flock so I will be gathering up the white eggs in hope of little blue babies!
Since I re-arranged coops and have all the boys together now it has been very interesting to interact with them. The BBS boys will eat from my hand but the mottleds' want nothing to do with that! They are quite aloof, even the one I raised from chick.

 

[silkielover64]

Here are some pics of my Breda's (or Kraaikoppen as we call them in The Netherlands). They're from the new colour black mottled and I've bought them this year. Though familiair with the breed I never had any beore, but I just fell in love with this colour. One of the well known breeders had to cut down and as a member of the breed club I could get his own last breeding trio and a young rooster. A great opportunity and I would be a fool to say no (but had to get rid of the Marans unfortunately). According to him this is as good as they come here in The Netherlands (pehaps he was a little bit subjective, but why doubt him?). So I look forward to a nice breeding season with a lot of chicks!
Compared to my Brabanters they're quite majestic in their movements, relaxed (but alert) and not so very clever. But they do well together and I can have the two rooster together with the flock. So that's a nice temperament too (can do that with my Brabanters too, but never with the Marans). I've got them one month and I'm still sort of "in love" with them.

Beautiful birds

 

[boskelli1571]

Beautiful birds

Good looking birds. As I noted in my post, I find the mottled Breda a bit aloof and not keen on human contact, but my BBS are the opposite. They will feed from my hand and follow me around just in case I have treats.
They are all lovely birds, quite talkative with a large vocabulary of sounds.
As for falling in love with them....it has been many years now and I still love them

 

[Sylvester017]

Yep, the BBS (Blue/Black/Splash) variety of Breda are my favorite for human-friendly temperament. Dunno what makes one variety seem more aloof than another but I've found it true so far. The Mottled and Cuckoo are beautiful regal statuesque larger Breda varieties with many appreciative qualities but I'll take the lighter-weight Blue hen any day of the week!!!!

Our Cuckoo Breda would take treats from our hand, she was a wonderful guard/ chaser of cat intruders in the chicken yard, layed beautiful XL white eggs, and is perfectly content as a house pet as long as she has a mirror to basque in front of LOL! But she never had the bold outgoing unafraid temperament of all the BBS (Blue specifically) Breda we've had.

CUCKOO BREDA perfectly content to be a house pet as long as she has a mirror

So naturally I'm partial to only the Blue Breda. Our Blue never seemed to have the fear of humans the way other varieties did. Our Blue Breda hen "Phaedra" was a kind companion to our little Partridge Silkie bantam and they often toodled around together.

Chickendanz adores her BBS (Black) Breda hen which had to become a house pet after an injury prevented the sweet bird from being in an outdoor flock. So, hands down I'm very much a lover of the BBS variety.