Breda Fowl thread

[eyralis]

Hi! We have 5 Breda chicks to give away- the breeder kindly shipped us far more than we can keep! They're lovely babies of all colors- black, blue, cuckoo, white and mottled.

We're in San Francisco- PICK UP ONLY.

 

[eyralis]

Subscribing. Very interested in this breed, does anyone know of any breeders near Sacramento, CA? And if not, recommendations for where to order hatching eggs/chicks from? Haven't seen Bredas locally or any of the sites I've been on. No rush, we're full up on chickens at the moment but I am planning the next additions, lol...

If you can come to San Francisco I have several to give away!

 

[rooster 2011]

I started a topic in managing your flock section if anyone here wants to join in the topic I called poultry chat it's about people selling strategys and what chickens sell for In different areas and how sales are doing feel free to talk about anything in it tho just go to the managing your flock section and click the topic I created called poultry chat

 

[chicken danz]

Pretty sure Breda fowl are suppose to have gray feet and a darker colored beak like the black breda not light colored feet like mottled and cuckoo I think the crossing it took between different needs to get mottleds and cuckoo is why they have a light color beak like that

I have pure breda, all from the original import lines back to the U.S. The color of the feet/leg depends on the color of the bird. I even still have one pure white Breda but I don't think she lays any more and several splash. They all have light feet. The blacks and blues have darker feet.
In example I raise several other breeds in the BBS category. For instance and Orpington has white legs but in the BBS the color varies by the pigment in the feathers and they have dark legs if they are a dark color. This is not a DQ when showing those breeds. It's just how it works. NO YELLOW though.

 

[rooster 2011]

I have pure breda, all from the original import lines back to the U.S. The color of the feet/leg depends on the color of the bird. I even still have one pure white Breda but I don't think she lays any more and several splash. They all have light feet. The blacks and blues have darker feet.
In example I raise several other breeds in the BBS category. For instance and Orpington has white legs but in the BBS the color varies by the pigment in the feathers and they have dark legs if they are a dark color. This is not a DQ when showing those breeds. It's just how it works. NO YELLOW though.

Where did all your original ones Come from did u get them from greenfire farms first import

 

[rooster 2011]

There was someone I was chatting with yesterday and he was telling me he uses fresh garlic to worm his chickens he said he chopped it up and puts it in their water he was also talking about how he used a different method to feed his chickens to increase the protein and build a disease resistance Barrier for his chickens he said he buy purina laying pellets and depending on how many chickens u have put a half scoop and for example if u have 10 chickens put 5 scoops of pellets and pour it in a bucket and fill it with water about a inch above the feed and let it set for two days and it will increase the protein and add probiotics from breaking down the feed don't know if it really works anyone have any thoughts

 

[chicken danz]

I got my originals from a few different places, Greenfire and a couple of other breeders who had assisted in importing them. There were only a handful of pure Bredas left in the world, and thanks to Greenfire and some of their constituents they imported eggs and birds in from several of these small flocks.
I totally disagree with the use of garlic for chickens. Yes for us it is beneficial but it is not safe for chickens because it will kill out the necessary beneficial gut bacteria.
The other thing you mention is referring to fermented feed. There's a few steps left out here. I used to use fermented feed but it is a lot of work and very messy. It just became totally impractical with the number of birds I have.
When mixing fermented feed you need at least 2 or 3 days worth to start your culture. I always used some apple cider vinegar in mine to get the culture going. You fill your container with water until after soaking up the feed you still have a small amount of water sitting on the top to protect it from bacteria. You MUST stir it to begin with and stir it every day. Each day as you remove feed you add more water and more feed. Be sure to keep the sides clean as well. If it starts to mold you have to toss it and start over. It's much like using a bread starter. You have to keep the fermenting process going to make it work. Once it is ready to use it almost smells sweet. You will learn to recognize that smell. And also any that doesn't smell good. It has to be kept warm. We have extremely cold winters here and I had to keep my fermented feed in a heated area. At the same time you don't want it to get too hot either cause that can destroy it. It needs some air to breath but you certainly don't want to risk having flies or gnats in it. That is another thing that will ruin it. I used to set a lid on it but leave it ajar so the air could still get in. It does increase protein and the birds actually end up eating less after a while. Because of all the additional flora it stops the chicken poop from smelling bad and if you butcher roosters they also don't stink like normal. It makes their feathers shiny and healthy. It really is great if you can manage the mess and the work.
I would do so today but I was mixing a 55 gallon barrel of it each day and it became to heavy to stir or manage. I feed at least 150 pounds of dry feed a day, and the fermented feed was over double that because of the water volume. It was just too much work.
The other caution is to never use this feed with metal containers. It will cause the galvanized surface to slough off and poison your birds. And the other thing is that you feed only what they will eat. No free choice food cause it will go bad if not changed daily.
I'd recommend you try it rooster but do some research on it before hand so you know what you are doing for sure.

 

[RFR of CA]

Yes they (Cuckoo) are a larger bird with longer vulture hocks, better comb, feet feathers and top line. They do often have faulty egg color though.

 

[rooster 2011]

I got my originals from a few different places, Greenfire and a couple of other breeders who had assisted in importing them. There were only a handful of pure Bredas left in the world, and thanks to Greenfire and some of their constituents they imported eggs and birds in from several of these small flocks.
I totally disagree with the use of garlic for chickens. Yes for us it is beneficial but it is not safe for chickens because it will kill out the necessary beneficial gut bacteria.
The other thing you mention is referring to fermented feed. There's a few steps left out here. I used to use fermented feed but it is a lot of work and very messy. It just became totally impractical with the number of birds I have.
When mixing fermented feed you need at least 2 or 3 days worth to start your culture. I always used some apple cider vinegar in mine to get the culture going. You fill your container with water until after soaking up the feed you still have a small amount of water sitting on the top to protect it from bacteria. You MUST stir it to begin with and stir it every day. Each day as you remove feed you add more water and more feed. Be sure to keep the sides clean as well. If it starts to mold you have to toss it and start over. It's much like using a bread starter.  You have to keep the fermenting process going to make it work. Once it is ready to use it almost smells sweet. You will learn to recognize that smell. And also any that doesn't smell good. It has to be kept warm. We have extremely cold winters here and I had to keep my fermented feed in a heated area. At the same time you don't want it to get too hot either cause that can destroy it. It needs some air to breath but you certainly don't want to risk having flies or gnats in it. That is another thing that will ruin it. I used to set a lid on it but leave it ajar so the air could still get in. It does increase protein and the birds actually end up eating less after a while. Because of all the additional flora it stops the chicken poop from smelling bad and if you butcher roosters they also don't stink like normal. It makes their feathers shiny and healthy. It really is great if you can manage the mess and the work.
I would do so today but I was mixing a 55 gallon barrel of it each day and it became to heavy to stir or manage. I feed at least 150 pounds of dry  feed a day, and the fermented feed was over double that because of the water volume. It was just too much work.
The other caution is to never use this feed with metal containers. It will cause the galvanized surface to slough off and poison your birds. And the other thing is that you feed only what they will eat. No free choice food cause it will go bad if not changed daily.
I'd recommend you try it rooster but do some research on it before hand so you know what you are doing for sure.

Okay thanks I think I'm gonna give it a shot for sure anyway save a little bit on feed too but as you mentioned it's a lot of work when u have a lot of chickens i have 12 pens myself with around 15-20 in each plus my two brooder that hold about 50 each I'm mainly wanting to try it for their health

 

[Sylvester017]

Pretty sure Breda fowl are suppose to have gray feet and a darker colored beak like the black breda not light colored feet like mottled and cuckoo I think the crossing it took between different needs to get mottleds and cuckoo is why they have a light color beak like that

Both my Blues and Cuckoo have had more white than gray feet. In fact the Blue pullet we had displayed some pink toes and some black toes both. I didn't even think there was a defined standard for the leg/foot/toe color. I thought they were a white skinned breed, not gray? Some pictures of beaks and toes in my Cuckoo and Blue. The beaks are dark near the head but lighter on the tip. The feet are lighter rather than gray with some toes completely pink and on the blue a combination of light and dark toenails.