Breda Fowl thread

[Flaming Chicken]

Awe!! They look like mine!

Here are my pair of Blue Breda Fowl that hatch on May 5th. They are the blue ones in the front (the others are Birchen Marans and Basque Hens). The Breda are from hatching eggs from Green fire farms that were marked as coming from three different flocks. These guys hatched from eggs from different flocks.

 

[GaryDean26]

Can anyone tell my about the personality of the Breda Fowl?

Where would they fit into a mixed flock?

How do they do with people?

Are the roosters that free range the barnyard good with small childeren (my 2 year old likes to chase and catch the chickens)?

 

[corvidae]

Can anyone tell my about the personality of the Breda Fowl? 

Where would they fit into a mixed flock?

How do they do with people? 

Are the roosters that free range the barnyard good with small childeren (my 2 year old likes to chase and catch the chickens)?

My son's Breda are still juveniles, though they are headed for adulthood pretty fast here. He has, I think, a little over a dozen of them. They are in with cream Legbars and a couple of EEs--all seem to get along just fine. They do pretty well with us humans, coming to the hand for food and such. They tolerate being held by with kids with minimal complaint--in fact, a little better than the cream Legbars do.

The Breda seem to fly pretty well--certainly better than my BLRWs or the Legbars do. They remind me of Andalusians that way. The biggest oddly disturbing thing about them is that they seem to like to play dead. I'll go out to the coop they are in, see 2-3 of them lying limply on the ground as though dead, and have a minor heart attack because my son would be heartbroken. When I get right up close to them, though, they jump up spry as can be. They've been playing this game since the day they arrived from Greenfire as day old chicks. It is really quite disconcerting.

Greenfire told us, when we asked about them, that the Breda roosters need to be socialized fairly well--I've not seen any aggression in ours, but they are young yet and we spend a fair amount of time with them.

 

[GoodLuckCharlie!]

I have to say I love the Breda. I have 3 that are about 2 1/2 months - 3 months old, and 7 - 3 week olds, and they are so friendly and fun. 5 blacks, 3 blues and 1 very light grey so must be a splash. They're great so far. Haven't encountered the play dead thingy.

The 3 older ones put themselves to bed before nightfall and are affectionate around each other and to us-hope it stays that way because it sure is fun.

I've been a slacker at weighing in with pictures and answering everyone-HOPEFULLY tomorrow I have a whole day off of everything, and hopefully we'll get some good pictures to post. I will say I had to separate the older 3 from the rest of the chicks they were sent with from Greenfire. There were Bredas, Creme Legbars, and Basque Hens, and all began to pick out the feathers on the Breda's backs, drawing blood, when none of the others were pecked at. The Bredas seem like they're pretty docile.

I was told the males can be loud but I'll have to wait to see that happen because its hard to picture that right now.

 

[chicken tows]

Can anyone tell me the size of the Breda eggs?
Thanks in advance.

 

[GaryDean26]

The Breda eggs that that Greenfire sent me were on the smaller size. I didn't weight them, but would guess about 62-65 grams (Medium to Large). They were noticeable smaller that the Leghorn and Marans eggs I am used to getting that weigh in at about 72-78 grams (Extra Large to Jumbo).

 

[Flaming Chicken]

I have to say I love the Breda. I have 3 that are about 2 1/2 months - 3 months old, and 7 - 3 week olds, and they are so friendly and fun. 5 blacks, 3 blues and 1 very light grey so must be a splash. They're great so far. Haven't encountered the play dead thingy.

The 3 older ones put themselves to bed before nightfall and are affectionate around each other and to us-hope it stays that way because it sure is fun.

I've been a slacker at weighing in with pictures and answering everyone-HOPEFULLY tomorrow I have a whole day off of everything, and hopefully we'll get some good pictures to post. I will say I had to separate the older 3 from the rest of the chicks they were sent with from Greenfire. There were Bredas, Creme Legbars, and Basque Hens, and all began to pick out the feathers on the Breda's backs, drawing blood, when none of the others were pecked at. The Bredas seem like they're pretty docile.

I was told the males can be loud but I'll have to wait to see that happen because its hard to picture that right now.

Mine are about 3 weeks old. I have one that has a bad leg and is missing toenails. So they would appear to be inbred. That one is going to be a great flyer because it flits around the brooder and isn't having any trouble getting along. The other 4 are pretty healthy and are a broad range of blue. If I really like them as they grow, I may order some from Green Fire next year to freshen up the gene pool.

 

[GaryDean26]

At two weeks old one of my Breda is a even silver color all over and the other has a dark grey body and head with the silvery feathers on just the wings, neck, and legs. Has anyone else noticed these type of differences? Do the colors indicate anything about the bird (sex, blood line, adult plumage, etc.)

 

[BirdNBeefarm]

I really need just four eggs to hatch from the Breda Fowl. Anyone have just four to sell? Please contact me if you do! thanks

 

[GoodLuckCharlie!]

Unfortunately I have a few months before mine are laying so no eggs here yet.

It looks like My 3 3-month olds are still black Bredas, but the 7 younger ones are a great big mix of colors. I have 1 that is so light a grey it is almost white, 2 that are looking like splashes with darker grey edging, 2 blacks and 1 that I almost think it is going to be a Mottled Breda, which I've only seen one picture of. But it could all change I'm sure.

My hubbie wants to take a trip to Europe in a few months, and I wondered how I could sneak some Bredas back home with me