A Bielefelder Thread !

[Faraday40]

Definitely a beautiful girl.

 

[Sylvester017]

She sounds amazing!!!!!' We might have to get one! Where did you get her?

@RFR of CA is where we got our Blue - NPIP certified. They are shipping me a Cuckoo next week. They are currently concentrating on the Mottled variety - very pretty - but unfortunately I have zoning number restrictions so can't get EVERY Breda variety I never would've considered this breed in a million years because I thought it was just another froo-froo family-friendly breed that wouldn't be good for egg production but boy! were we pleasantly surprised! There are the B/B/S Bredas, Cuckoos, black-and-white Mottled, and some breeders doing blue-and-white project Mottleds. The Blacks and the Splashes are beautiful and would be very much like my Blue as far as personality, egg color, and quality (B/B/S Bredas). My DH really liked the looks of the Blue and I'm so glad now we got her -- Blues are such a striking variety on top of their weird cavernous Crow-like nostrils, their NO-comb head, their vulture hocks, and fluffy-feathered legs/toes. Of course the feathered feet wear down a bit from outdoor foraging but they wear down on our Silkies too so we're used to it. I think some breeders are aiming to make the Breda larger but I'm perfectly fine with a lighter-weight breed that's easy on the feed-bill, hilariously outgoing and friendly with humans or other animals, an active forager, good flockmate, seeks handouts and foraging rather than displaying interest in flock politics, predator savvy, has a strange low voice for being a smaller breed, good layer, talkative but not noisy - my Silkies and Ameraucana have been some of my loudest chickens! Another well-known reliable Breda breeder is @chicken danz in KS. RFR and chicken danz would be my two favorite recommendations. There may be other well-qualified breeders but these are the two breeders I've enjoyed interacting with the most. I was told I wouldn't be disappointed in owning a Breda from a couple other Breda owners. Never dreamed the reality surpassed my expectations. I love the big beautiful Bielies too from all I've researched but for our particular backyard environment the lighter-weight Breda fit our criteria.

 

[Faraday40]

Our "lonely only" biele is stealing everyone's heart. She's named "Hen Solo," but DD calls her Henny.


Here she is hanging out on the stump with the other teens.

 

[eyralis]

 @RFR of CA
  is where we got our Blue - NPIP certified.  They are shipping me a Cuckoo next week.  They are currently concentrating on the Mottled variety - very pretty - but unfortunately I have zoning number restrictions so can't get EVERY Breda variety   I never would've considered this breed in a million years because I thought it was just another froo-froo family-friendly breed that wouldn't be good for egg production but boy! were we pleasantly surprised!  There are the B/B/S Bredas, Cuckoos, black-and-white Mottled, and some breeders doing blue-and-white project Mottleds.  The Blacks and the Splashes are beautiful and would be very much like my Blue as far as personality, egg color, and quality (B/B/S Bredas).  My DH really liked the looks of the Blue and I'm so glad now we got her -- Blues are such a striking variety on top of their weird cavernous Crow-like nostrils, their NO-comb head, their vulture hocks, and fluffy-feathered legs/toes.  Of course the feathered feet wear down a bit from outdoor foraging but they wear down on our Silkies too so we're used to it.  I think some breeders are aiming to make the Breda larger but I'm perfectly fine with a lighter-weight breed that's easy on the feed-bill, hilariously outgoing and friendly with humans or other animals, an active forager, good flockmate, seeks handouts and foraging rather than displaying interest in flock politics, predator savvy, has a strange low voice for being a smaller breed, good layer, talkative but not noisy - my Silkies and Ameraucana have been some of my loudest chickens!  Another well-known reliable Breda breeder is @chicken danz
in KS.  RFR and chicken danz would be my two favorite recommendations.  There may be other well-qualified breeders but these are the two breeders I've enjoyed interacting with the most.  I was told I wouldn't be disappointed in owning a Breda from a couple other Breda owners.  Never dreamed the reality surpassed my expectations.  I love the big beautiful Bielies too from all I've researched but for our particular backyard environment the lighter-weight Breda fit our criteria.

thank you so much, for all this info, she really sounds perfect! Let me know how the new cuckoo turns out. I will be really interested to hear whether your new pullet also has just as friendly a personality, or whether your blue was a wonderful anomaly

 

[Outpost JWB]

I'd say that she's a she, but that's just me (it rhymes!)!

Thanks! I look forward to learning more about this breed.

 

[Cynthia12]

Our "lonely only" biele is stealing everyone's heart. She's named "Hen Solo," but DD calls her Henny.


Here she is hanging out on the stump with the other teens.

What is that beautiful brown laced one? An Orpington..what color is that called?

 

[Sylvester017]

thank you so much, for all this info, she really sounds perfect! Let me know how the new cuckoo turns out. I will be really interested to hear whether your new pullet also has just as friendly a personality, or whether your blue was a wonderful anomaly

I'm pretty certain the Blues are all the same personality-wise. Our first Breda order from a different breeder from another State sent us a 4-mo-old Blue Breda cockerel in error. Right out of the crate he was outgoing, friendly, curious, pesty, and a real ham in front of mirrors or the reflective oven door! We thought he was an anomaly being so friendly. We re-homed him with a friend that turned him into an indoor-outdoor house pet because he was so unusually outgoing, unafraid, human- and dog-friendly. After receiving a cockerel in error and having to re-home him we frantically searched for a breeder that might have a Blue pullet available. When our 4-mo-old pullet arrived she was just as outgoing, unafraid, and pesty-friendly as the cockerel had been and these two Blue Bredas were from two different breeders from two different States. So, that experience of ours tells me these birds are fairly accurate to describe as having consistently friendly temperaments. I read that the Cuckoos are shy-est of the Breda varieties and lay tinted eggs so we'll see when she arrives to see what we get. I feel comfortable recommending the B/B/S varieties for ultimate friendliness, good white egg production, and easy on the feed bill. This breed seems to have a preference for dry feed over wet/fermented feed and it takes them a while to warm up to eating different wet produce/fruits/cooked grains like oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice, etc. They seem to have no fear taking hand-fed food/treats almost immediately while other chick/juvenile breeds might take longer to trust a human hand. These guys are busy foragers and check everything out in the yard - they make other breeds look lazy.

Just an example of how busy this breed is -- here she is on the far right head-first inside a plant container checking for bugs or new grass shoots! She takes the job of foraging very seriously and leaves no spot unchecked.

 

[Faraday40]

What is that beautiful brown laced one? An Orpington..what color is that called?

He's an English double barred chocolate cuckoo orpington. We always say that he's as dumb as a brick. Eventually we shortened it & named him "Brick." He sometimes gets stranded on the wrong side of the fence, then just stands there & cries out to be "rescued." - rather than walk back the way he came. As a chick he got stuck inside a feeder and used to have a hard time finding his way in & out of the chicken tractor. I'm usually an advocate of chicken intelligence & have fun demonstrating all the wonderful tricks my chickens can do. He's the 1st & only chicken I'd call dumb. In his case, beauty & brains didn't come together.

 

[DesertChic]

Surely does look like a Biels pullet to me! How old?

I second this. Definitely looks like a Biel pullet.

 

[DesertChic]

He's an English double barred chocolate cuckoo orpington. We always say that he's as dumb as a brick. Eventually we shortened it & named him "Brick." He sometimes gets stranded on the wrong side of the fence, then just stands there & cries out to be "rescued." - rather than walk back the way he came. As a chick he got stuck inside a feeder and used to have a hard time finding his way in & out of the chicken tractor. I'm usually an advocate of chicken intelligence & have fun demonstrating all the wonderful tricks my chickens can do. He's the 1st & only chicken I'd call dumb. In his case, beauty & brains didn't come together.

Well, at least it's a pretty bird.