Breda Fowl thread

[Flaming Chicken]

By [COLOR=FF0000]quik stop[/COLOR] do you mean a styptic pencil or a specifically labeled chicken product for bleeding quills?

Styptic powder. Comes in a 1 ounce container. I've gotten it at pet stores and used it for dogs, birds and bunnies.

 

[PhoredaBurds]

So a couple days after setting Breda eggs I unexpectedly happened upon some Cochin eggs. So they hatched out a couple days apart and are in the brooder together now. I thought it was interesting to see how their foot feathers are developing differently. The Breda is the darker, black bird & the Cochin is the lighter blue.

Perhaps it's just the difference between a stiff feathered bird and a soft feathered bird, but thought I'd share. The breads have huge fans of feathers on their feet. Walking around straight up the way they do is comical w their feathered clown shoes.

 

[PhoredaBurds]

Reading the limited info out there on bredas, I found something about how the Dutch bred them to Cochins. What is the consensus on outbreeding bredas to a line of Cochins? If all American bredas are related to a handful imported by green fire, the gene pool must be shallow. Breeding in some Cochin blood might help vitality. But it's clearly important to keep them as pure as possible. Any and all opinions welcome. Please post ur thoughts. Thanks!

 

[SilkiesForEver]

I have lots of pullets and cockerels in my Blue pen if anyone is interested. I have a gorgeous glossy Black roo that is about 9 months old as well who is ready for his own group.

My newest members, in the mottled and barred varieties are doing great! Boy are they ugly at this age!!!! I should have a viable group by Spring 2015. Below are pics of adult versions I found on the net that I HOPE these little guys will resemble

I need to come down sometime and get a Breda cock/cockerel from you. Do you still have that gorgeous glossy black roo you spoke of?

 

[RFR of CA]

Yes, he is here and very ready to leave his coop! His daddy and my splash roo keep him chased up on the roost all day. If he get anywhere near the girls he gets spanked for it so I have to sell him soon. He is so gorgeous I would hate to see him just go off to "freezer camp"

but where you see him in this pic is where he has to stay all day! I wanted to save him for my mottled group for some genetic diversity, but I don't have anywhere for him really to wait 6 plus months! Call me if you want him 916-501-0305

 

[dheltzel]

If anyone in the SE PA area would like some Bredas, I have some extra for sale cheap. In fact, several nice blue roosters for free if you pick them up.

 

[GaryDean26]

Reading the limited info out there on bredas, I found something about how the Dutch bred them to Cochins. What is the consensus on outbreeding bredas to a line of Cochins? If all American bredas are related to a handful imported by green fire, the gene pool must be shallow. Breeding in some Cochin blood might help vitality. But it's clearly important to keep them as pure as possible. Any and all opinions welcome. Please post ur thoughts. Thanks!

My opinion on out breeding is that it should only be done if you are seeing signs of in-breeding (i.e. missing toe nails, stunted grown, reduced egg production, low fertility, low vigor, etc.). I then feel that the out breed stock should NOT be call a pure breed until it is breed back to pure lines to achieve a minimum of 7/8 blood from the breed, and until the new outcrossed strain are offspring of parent stock and grandparent stock that all meet the standard for the breed.

Large breeding programs with multiple breeding lines many never have to deal with inbreeding problems since they can keep a deeper gene pool. Those working with just one or two pens of Breda should expect to source stock from other Breda flocks (every 2-3 years if you only have one pen, every 5-7 years is you keep two pens) to keep the flock from getting too inbreed. If that is done out breeding can probably be avoided.

Just my opinion.

 

[Sylvester017]

My opinion on out breeding is that it should only be done if you are seeing signs of in-breeding (i.e. missing toe nails, stunted grown, reduced egg production, low fertility, low vigor, etc.). I then feel that the out breed stock should NOT be call a pure breed until it is breed back to pure lines to achieve a minimum of 7/8 blood from the breed, and until the new outcrossed strain are offspring of parent stock and grandparent stock that all meet the standard for the breed.

Large breeding programs with multiple breeding lines many never have to deal with inbreeding problems since they can keep a deeper gene pool. Those working with just one or two pens of Breda should expect to source stock from other Breda flocks (every 2-3 years if you only have one pen, every 5-7 years is you keep two pens) to keep the flock from getting too inbreed. If that is done out breeding can probably be avoided.

Just my opinion.

GaryDean26 - You are my guru on genetics for Breda breeding (especially the Blues) the way Danne Honour is my guru on genetics for Buff Leghorn (and Buff breeding in general). It's not to say there are not other knowledgeable breeders on this thread - it's just that you've gone to very in-depth explanations of so many questions I've asked on this thread about the Breda and have been very kind to my questions when I've posted. Thank you. And thank you to several of you others on this thread for your responses.

I had to rehome my gorgeous Buff Leghorn from the Danne Honour strain this past weekend. I have a small backyard flock and want to keep the breeds a compatable group as they free range. The Buff came out of a 6-week long broody period - apparently not unusual for the Buff Legs to go broody because of the background assortment of breeds used to create them: example Buff Minorca, Buff Rock, possibly Buff Orp, Phoenix, etc. She came out of her broody a bit more aggressive than when she was a younger pullet. She pulled out the APA Ameraucana's beard completely in a couple days and began picking off the crests of the Silkies. I was not home when she began this behavior and as soon as I saw what was happening she was isolated. She had been submissive to the alpha matriarch since she was introduced to the flock last year but after her broody period she decided to politically challenge and the birds were running from her. I can't have injurious behavior from a challenger so before she did harm I rehomed her.

She is in a flock of LF egg layers and at least is not in freezer camp. She's too valuable a Leghorn layer. I have not had any luck with LF or heavy dual purpose mixed in with the gentle Silkies and Ameraucana. As soon as the heavier LF reach maturity they begin terrorizing or at the least bullying the gentler or smaller breeds. I am down to 3 birds left - 2 Silkies and a gentle Ameraucana who is non-combative. I've rehomed a 7-lb vicious Marans, a White Leg who was gentle in the flock until her 3rd year when she began to get progressively aggressive, and now a Buff Leg who only was a little over a year old when she began going harmfully aggressive. The Buff was not pulling feathers because of any malnutrition but definitely an aggressive stance to show she was going to be the new leader and in a bully fashion. She seemed to relish the discovery that she could bully - picking, nipping, pushing and chasing. I realize there are pecking order squabbles but will not keep an injurious challenger in a gentle-natured group of fowl.

Now I'm nervous about trying 2 Breda pullets I wanted as egg layers next Spring 2015. I'm nervous about trying another so-called gentle LF breed in my backyard. I can only have 5 hens. It is not economical to keep investing in shipped pullets to discover they have to be rehomed at maturity. I am running out of options for egg layers but if the APA Blue Wheaten Ameraucana breed is the only gentle non-combative egg layer available my options are limited. The Ameraucana nature is to run rather than fight - they avoid conflict at all costs or submit. Our matriarch is the oldest Silkie and can do no serious harm in her chest-bumping dominance. The other Silkie and Amer submit to her and there are no battles or injuries. What is the nature of a Breda hen in a similar circumstance - run or battle? Anyone else have Breda adult hens mixed with Silkies and Ameraucanas in a small flock situation?

 

[dutchbunny83]

GaryDean26 - You are my guru on genetics for Breda breeding (especially the Blues) the way Danne Honour is my guru on genetics for Buff Leghorn (and Buff breeding in general). It's not to say there are not other knowledgeable breeders on this thread - it's just that you've gone to very in-depth explanations of so many questions I've asked on this thread about the Breda and have been very kind to my questions when I've posted. Thank you. And thank you to several of you others on this thread for your responses.

I had to rehome my gorgeous Buff Leghorn from the Danne Honour strain this past weekend. I have a small backyard flock and want to keep the breeds a compatable group as they free range. The Buff came out of a 6-week long broody period - apparently not unusual for the Buff Legs to go broody because of the background assortment of breeds used to create them: example Buff Minorca, Buff Rock, possibly Buff Orp, Phoenix, etc. She came out of her broody a bit more aggressive than when she was a younger pullet. She pulled out the APA Ameraucana's beard completely in a couple days and began picking off the crests of the Silkies. I was not home when she began this behavior and as soon as I saw what was happening she was isolated. She had been submissive to the alpha matriarch since she was introduced to the flock last year but after her broody period she decided to politically challenge and the birds were running from her. I can't have injurious behavior from a challenger so before she did harm I rehomed her.

She is in a flock of LF egg layers and at least is not in freezer camp. She's too valuable a Leghorn layer. I have not had any luck with LF or heavy dual purpose mixed in with the gentle Silkies and Ameraucana. As soon as the heavier LF reach maturity they begin terrorizing or at the least bullying the gentler or smaller breeds. I am down to 3 birds left - 2 Silkies and a gentle Ameraucana who is non-combative. I've rehomed a 7-lb vicious Marans, a White Leg who was gentle in the flock until her 3rd year when she began to get progressively aggressive, and now a Buff Leg who only was a little over a year old when she began going harmfully aggressive. The Buff was not pulling feathers because of any malnutrition but definitely an aggressive stance to show she was going to be the new leader and in a bully fashion. She seemed to relish the discovery that she could bully - picking, nipping, pushing and chasing. I realize there are pecking order squabbles but will not keep an injurious challenger in a gentle-natured group of fowl.

Now I'm nervous about trying 2 Breda pullets I wanted as egg layers next Spring 2015. I'm nervous about trying another so-called gentle LF breed in my backyard. I can only have 5 hens. It is not economical to keep investing in shipped pullets to discover they have to be rehomed at maturity. I am running out of options for egg layers but if the APA Blue Wheaten Ameraucana breed is the only gentle non-combative egg layer available my options are limited. The Ameraucana nature is to run rather than fight - they avoid conflict at all costs or submit. Our matriarch is the oldest Silkie and can do no serious harm in her chest-bumping dominance. The other Silkie and Amer submit to her and there are no battles or injuries. What is the nature of a Breda hen in a similar circumstance - run or battle? Anyone else have Breda adult hens mixed with Silkies and Ameraucanas in a small flock situation?

My flock is entirely mixed, and kept all together. Large fowl, a few bantams, silkies, Breda, even my peacock and turkey hen.
My Breda is a little bit of a loner, always has been, but I've never had any type of fighting.
My meanest one is a Golden Laced Wyandotte if anyone tries to eat at the same time as her, she will try to peck at them. Everyone else gets along fine.
But I have silkies, Ameraucana, Easter Egger, Olive Egger, Breda, Leghorn, Wyandotte, Barred Rock, Orpingtons, Marans, bantams, etc. all together.
My flock is bigger than yours, but still small. There are about 20 pullets/hens all together. I have a ton of chicks right now, but they are separate. I also have a meat pen, but that's in an entirely different part of the yard. Ducks have their own run as well since they dirty all the chicken's water.
I used to let them all free range, but my yard is small and the flies were getting ridiculous with them pooing wherever so they're in the run the rest of summer.
The coop is 6'x6'x6' and I leave the door open all the time. I have several nesting boxes, none are in the coop just roosts. Their run is 20 ft wide by 45ft long. 6 ft tall covered with netting to keep out hawks and the occasional possum looking to climb in.

Edit: These aren't the best pics, but what I already had on my computer just to give you an idea of mine all together.

 

[PhoredaBurds]

My opinion on out breeding is that it should only be done if you are seeing signs of in-breeding (i.e. missing toe nails, stunted grown, reduced egg production, low fertility, low vigor, etc.).  I then feel that the out breed stock should NOT be call a pure breed until it is breed back to pure lines to achieve a minimum of 7/8 blood from the breed, and until the new outcrossed strain are offspring of parent stock and grandparent stock that all meet the standard for the breed.

Large breeding programs with multiple breeding lines many never have to deal with inbreeding problems since they can keep a deeper gene pool.  Those working with just one or two pens of Breda should expect to source stock from other Breda flocks (every 2-3 years if you only have one pen, every 5-7 years is you keep two pens) to keep the flock from getting too inbreed. If that is done out breeding can probably be avoided.

Just my opinion. 

Thank you GaryDean for your wise words. Seems outbreeding can be a long slippery slope. My concern w the bredas is that even sourcing stock from other Breda flocks w/in the states may still not be that deep of a gene pool. The handful of beautiful young birds I have show no signs of lack of vitality. Mostly just thinking theoretically. If all the birds of this breed came from one importer, perhaps a little out breeding may help. Beautiful breed. Looking forward to watching them grow up.