Breda Fowl thread

[nothingbutbirds]

Also, I'm sorry you lost your two birds. Heat stress isn't much of an issue here, but I can only imagine that isn't a pleasant way to pass. :/

 

[Sylvester017]

I'm okay with the risks of shipping eggs, I've shipped eggs myself, and ordered eggs multiple times. Most of them were rather successful. Young chicks-I would be more hesitant. I like to pick up birds if I can, but as much as I love Bredas, I wouldn't travel the same way for them, as I have for d'Uccles(Pennsylvania to Tennessee has been the longest trip so far). If I can find eggs, I would much rather go with that, but if I really have to, juveniles will be an option before, say, day-olds(I've avoided that so far). There is someone, about two hours from me, but they haven't had any extras due to fertility issues.

All of the birds around here seem to be laying weird, but with the weather patterns, I can't blame them. Going from -10 to 50 in two days probably throws them a bit out of whack, especially since it's kind of a continuous pattern. I usually add stuff to my birds diet, besides their regular pre-mixed feed. Especially my breeds with extra feathers(crests, feathered feet, vulture hocks, beards muffs), I provide them a higher protein food, vitamin supplements, and extras like meat, and stuff from the garden as well. My bantams lay through the winter, but my large fowl usually don't, except maybe the Chanteclers. I haven't had the Bredas long enough to tell for myself how they produce, and I can't tell their eggs from my Leghorns, lol. They're getting their own breeding pen come spring when I get myself a male-I have all hens right now.

Bredas are a peculiar breed for the moment since they haven't built up a very large diverse hardy breeding base yet. The chicks are rather delicate so I prefer getting juveniles 3 to 4 months old when it's certain they'll be hardy. Breda breeders can't really identify males from females as day-olds anyway and have to wait until they're about 4 months to identify for certain. I've been mis-sent a Breda cockerel after waiting 7 months to get a pullet LOL! That's okay -- we got him a good home as a pet with friends in the country that can have roos and they absolutely adore him! Breda have that warming affect on owners like no other breed! I've had 3 Bredas come by USPS and all 3 made the trip from different States just fine and come right out of the shipping box as curious and unafraid as if they've known us all their life. The Cuckoo was the youngest and shy-est of the group but warmed up to us quickly. The Blue's have been our most outgoing friendly variety. An all-Black Breda would suffer in our brutal SoCal summer heatwaves, the whiter Splash Breda would get dingy stained yellow feathers from free-ranging our yard. We've settled on more muted shades like Blue, Partridge, Wheaten, Cuckoo, and other camouflage varieties of chicken breeds after experimenting with several colors.

Yep, weather can play havoc with chickens -- and with us humans too! I love baby chicks and hatching is such fun but in our tiny retirement cottage home there's not enough room for such pursuits - plus zoning limits us to 5 hens, no roos. We've experimented with a few breeds and DH loves the Silkies and can't imagine a yard without them so I've had to find large fowl layers to blend with docile Silkies and of all the breeds we've tried have found the Breda and Ameraucana our most compatible gentle breeds to get along together with Silkies. I would be happy with all-Silkies because they have a good egg-size but are not reliable steady layers because of broodiness. The Breda don't go broody, are just as much fun as Silkies, and are good layers -- almost as frequent and steady as our White Leghorn was. We lost our Ameraucana this summer to heat-related complications so I won't be getting any more of those fluffy muffed sweeties for our hot climate.

Our oldest surviving hens are our two old 5 and 6-yr-old Silkies, bless their hearts! This is what the two of them spit out for us in the last week and a-half with an XL brown store egg for comparison:

 

[nothingbutbirds]

Bredas are a peculiar breed for the moment since they haven't built up a very large diverse hardy breeding base yet. The chicks are rather delicate so I prefer getting juveniles 3 to 4 months old when it's certain they'll be hardy. Breda breeders can't really identify males from females as day-olds anyway and have to wait until they're about 4 months to identify for certain. I've been mis-sent a Breda cockerel after waiting 7 months to get a pullet LOL! That's okay -- we got him a good home as a pet with friends in the country that can have roos and they absolutely adore him! Breda have that warming affect on owners like no other breed! I've had 3 Bredas come by USPS and all 3 made the trip from different States just fine and come right out of the shipping box as curious and unafraid as if they've known us all their life. The Cuckoo was the youngest and shy-est of the group but warmed up to us quickly. The Blue's have been our most outgoing friendly variety. An all-Black Breda would suffer in our brutal SoCal summer heatwaves, the whiter Splash Breda would get dingy stained yellow feathers from free-ranging our yard. We've settled on more muted shades like Blue, Partridge, Wheaten, Cuckoo, and other camouflage varieties of chicken breeds after experimenting with several colors. Yep, weather can play havoc with chickens -- and with us humans too! I love baby chicks and hatching is such fun but in our tiny retirement cottage home there's not enough room for such pursuits - plus zoning limits us to 5 hens, no roos. We've experimented with a few breeds and DH loves the Silkies and can't imagine a yard without them so I've had to find large fowl layers to blend with docile Silkies and of all the breeds we've tried have found the Breda and Ameraucana our most compatible gentle breeds to get along together with Silkies. I would be happy with all-Silkies because they have a good egg-size but are not reliable steady layers because of broodiness. The Breda don't go broody, are just as much fun as Silkies, and are good layers -- almost as frequent and steady as our White Leghorn was. We lost our Ameraucana this summer to heat-related complications so I won't be getting any more of those fluffy muffed sweeties for our hot climate. Our oldest surviving hens are our two old 5 and 6-yr-old Silkies, bless their hearts! This is what the two of them spit out for us in the last week and a-half with an XL brown store egg for comparison:

To be fair, you can't tell the sex on day-olds in most breeds(except for the obvious ways, such as sex-linked, etc.) Unless you can vent sex, which I actually can and do, not as accurate as those that have been doing it at the hatcheries, but accurate enough to help myself out with keeping grow-outs. I've had three Breda males and they have all died at different stages(two week old, three month old, and a eight month old). The friend I got the from was having the same trouble, so I don't feel too bad. I didn't think it was too hard to tell the sex of the Bredas at a month old,(I know there aren't too many lines, but the way she selects her breeders could have something to do with that) but I'm going to try hatching eggs and see if that makes any difference if they are raised here. Yup, I've done my research on the breed. Glad they don't have broody tendencies. I have enough as it is that want to hatch.

 

[chicken danz]

I put lights on the Breda yesterday in hopes of stimulating some laying. Hopefully in a few weeks we'll be getting more eggs.

 

[Sylvester017]

Also, I'm sorry you lost your two birds. Heat stress isn't much of an issue here, but I can only imagine that isn't a pleasant way to pass.

Yep, the heat stress exacerbated different issues to flare up and I lost two hens -- a 3-yr-old and 11/2 yr old. Wouldn't you know it's always the sweet ones we lose! I've increased vitamin and mineral supplementation so hopefully the nutritional boosts will minimize some stress on the hens. My vet always stresses vitamins at every visit. I learned from chicken danz that adding selenium and calcium carbonate extra makes up for what the hens don't get enough of in their regular layer feed. We have misters, and lots of shade, wet the ground in the shade, put ice cubes in the Brite Tap nipple waterers, serve cold greens and watermelon, add electrolytes, etc, during our brutal summer days. I'm praying for a milder and later summer next year because 6 yrs of drought in our State has been quite enough!

 

[Sylvester017]

I put lights on the Breda yesterday in hopes of stimulating some laying. Hopefully in a few weeks we'll be getting more eggs.

Whatever will be! I'm patient! Breda are worth the wait!

 

[boskelli1571]

Well, I'm with you there! I wanted to start a small flock 2 years ago...getting there slowly

 

[Sylvester017]

Well, I'm with you there! I wanted to start a small flock 2 years ago...getting there slowly

Well, you've got double the Breda than me! You have two? and I have only one at the moment but she's a hoot! I've been laughing at her this morning. She's been ducking the flying sparrows in the yard then turns around and chases them off. New pullets like to play games with the sparrows but they eventually tire of it after they mature.

 

[maryellen21]

Has anyone had their breda break one of their leg feathers close to their foot?

 

[SilkiesForEver]

Has anyone had their breda break one of their leg feathers close to their foot?

Yes, and boy can they bleed. I usually try to trim them before winter but I didn't get around to it this year.