# Breda Fowl



## Maryellen

So I'm now into breda fowl, I got 4 beautiful black breda pullets, and 1 gorgeous mottled rooster.
I have been reading up on them,apparently chicks have a hard time surviving after hatching and some can die up to 4 months old. I'm going to incubate eggs this spring, and look for more pullets to add to try to diversify for better hatch /survival rates.
They have no combs, which is pretty cool as they look like vultures. They are very docile birds.


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## chickenqueen

Love their hair-dos!!!The rooster is absolutely gorgeous!!!I wish you luck in your breeding endeavors.If you are successful,maybe you can send a few my way...


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## robin416

The early deaths suggest that the genetic pool is not wide ranging enough. Good thought on adding in new blood when you can. Ask whoever you get eggs from where their original flock came from to try to add the new genetics. If they came from the same breeder or they sent birds/eggs to the breeder you got them from try to find another source.

I'm with CQ, that boy is stunning. And with no combs no fear of frostbite on them.


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## Maryellen

The egg issue will be tough, the only breeder I know is in California. She ships pullets in spring too. I am also on my breeders list if she decides to rehome the rest she has . I am going to try to find someone closer for eggs within driving distance as shipped eggs are a chance I don't want to take since they are expensive. I'm hoping my bunch has better genetics for me to hatch


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## Maryellen

Supposedly my crew came direct from the Netherlands ,that's what my breeder told me. Spring will tell with me trying to hatch .


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## seminole wind

Sometimes I think the only way to breed hardiness is to breed a Breda to a similar bird, then breed the features out again. I think the healthiest chicks are hatched with a hen.


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## Maryellen

I have a few hens who go broody,so I'm hoping they do again so I can use them. I prefer to not use my incubator


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## robin416

What Karen said. Problem is, it gets very labor intensive to do it. Very basically you breed them to another breed that is as close as possible to their body type. Then bring back in the desireable traits of the Bredas with subsequent breeding. Not easy and it takes a lot of time.

If that breeder is the only one to have brought them in to the country then you're liable to end up with problems with the too close genetics. It might be worth it to explore what it would take to have either eggs or another roo imported.


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## Maryellen

The breeder in California has her own line, so I can buy from her in the spring to add new genes. .
My roosters brother is from the same hatch so that wouldn't be good . I'll see what happens and go from there


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## robin416

What does her own line mean to you? If all she has are the birds she imported then that is all the same genetics. If she is the original source then there are no new genetics there.

Have you checked the originating country to see if early deaths are an issue there?


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## Maryellen

I haven't researched the CA breeder yet , I emailed her a few times looking for birds before I got my rooster. I think her line is different bloodlines, I will do my research while I'm recouperating from my knee surgery since I'll have some time on my hands. I gotta ask my breeder about the ones she sold me too as to who she got them from too as k forgot what she said.


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## Maryellen

Some research I did talked about the early deaths,but said diversity helps get rid of it


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## robin416

I'll do some digging too just because I'd like to know more. 

At some point the tight genetics is going to lead to an implosion so whatever you can find out will benefit you and the birds you have now.


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## robin416

Have you seen this? http://www.naturalark.com/breda.html

There appears to be other breeders out there with unrelated genetics.


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## Maryellen

Rare feathers ranch in CA has beautiful bredas,I think she got hers from Holland but has been breeding them for a while . I have to do more research


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## seminole wind

not a lot of Bredas here?


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## Maryellen

Oh let me see what this place is about, I thought I read his name somewhere on a fb chicken forum. Arkansas is alot closer then CA.


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## Maryellen

My breeder just hatched out chicks, so I'll be able to see how they do.


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## robin416

Way back in the 1800's Bredas were fairly common. For whatever reason they fell out of favor and eventually died off. At least that's what some of my research showed last night.


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## Maryellen

My breeder told me hers are NOT from greenfire farms, which is a HUGE plus. She said mine came from the Netherlands to Canada to her to me,she said she has been hatching and they are surviving with no issues, so that's good too. Spring will tell once I set eggs..she he just hatched a bunch herself and has mire in her incubator


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## seminole wind

I guess these chickens are using natural selection themselves.

I had problems with Crevecours.(sp). they're like Polish but black and more docile. Not a hardy breed. Out of 5 chicks, 2 survived. I have 3 Houdans, which are bigger and very docile and their sturdiness seems okay. If any chick seems week, I give them a treatment of sulfadimethoxine or corid and a general antibiotic like Tylan , or ampicillin, and a few tube feedings a day for a few days. I figure that's the best I can do to prevent death. can't do much else. I tend to cull for wry neck.


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## Maryellen

Im.not sure, I'm hoping because mine didn't come from greenfire that they are hardier. My breeder said they are bigger then the greenfire birds. If they are better genetically I should have no issues with them dying at 4 months old. The initial 2 I got were 4 months old as they were born in july and I got them in oct. So they did goood, and the other hens I got were from the same july hatch. . Oh I love the crevecours,they are gorgeous birds.


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## seminole wind

I have just heard too many questionable things about Greenfire. Yours are probably healthier.


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## seminole wind

Maryellen, please be careful and think about getting eggs versus chicks. Aside from Hatcheries who basically just hatch eggs, and their chicks are most likely not exposed to outside chickens, small breeders I would think have some chick/adult cross exposure which can open the door to diseases that could affect your whole flock.


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## Maryellen

I decided to just stick with mine, hatch eggs from mine, and do it that way. I see to many posts on other forums of what you speak , it's scary. If I did get more it would be from the breeder I got mine from since hers are not from greenfire . I'm reading way to many posts from people who had bad things happen , so I'm now going to just keep it to my 5 and hatch their eggs. My breeder just hatched out a bunch and said they all hatched strong and are healthy. And I won't buy from hatcheries either, my tsc hens showed me that hatchery birds don't live long and have a host of genetic issues


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## seminole wind

I've had a few unhardy hatchery chicks, but 3 of my hatchery chicks are over 9 years old. One JG and 2 Polish. Hopefully you'll find someone else who has them. Is there a club or group?


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## Maryellen

There is a breda group I think .I will eventually look it up


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## seminole wind

It may be easier to get what you want hatching your own versus getting chicks. some people do not ship chicks. some do.


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## Maryellen

I prefer to hatch my own or drive to get chicks, so with the Breda I am going to hatch my own, and if I need more I'll hatch my own or drive 2.5 hrs to the woman I got mine from. I'm very very leery of having animals shipped


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## seminole wind

I am really enjoying your venture into Breda's. I do think the way to get bang for your buck and a variation in genes is to hatch eggs. Someone may even want to swap Breda eggs with you. Even the roos would be desireable.


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## Maryellen

Now if I can get him to stop crowing at 3:22 am I'll be happy


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## chickenqueen

I turn the monitor down at night because of the 3am crowing.W/the monitor,it sounds like it's in stereo.Right outside of the bedroom...


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## Maryellen

I turn it off at night. Buy it's freaking insane, he crows nonstop from 3:22 am till I go outside at 530 am to let them out of the coop, then he starts up again. And when he hears my one neighbors 15 roosters crow he starts all over again.


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## Maryellen

First time free roaming in my yard.


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## seminole wind

Very nice group! Do hens come in spangled too?


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## Maryellen

Yep, the hens come in blue, mottled, and cuckoo color. The mottled ones are just as gorgeous as the roosters. I'm hoping to get some mottled ones when I hatch


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## Maryellen




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## Maryellen

I can't get a blue one to save to post


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## seminole wind

I love those cuckoo ones!


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## chickenqueen

They are gorgeous birds.If you are successful in breeding them,I want to buy some(I'll even take Seymour off your hands!!!).Keep me in mind,I could drive there in a few hours....


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## Maryellen

The cuckoo ones are pretty, but they don't do anything for me,I am just not fond of the color for some reason. .
If seymour doesn't stop crowing he will have to go ,I so you would have first dibs on him. .
I'm going to try to hatch eggs once they get laying good,he has been mounting them every day .. if I do get a good hatch you an come up ,stay here for the weekend and then go home with chicks


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## chickenqueen

Sounds like a plan!!!I wish you success in your breeding endeavors...


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## Maryellen

Awesome!! I would love to meet you. I'm hoping for a great hatch rate


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## chickenqueen

Me too!!!It would be nice to have a chicken friend.No one I know does chickens but me and they don't understand my "obsession".I'm still getting flak about the baby monitor for the coop....


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## Maryellen

All my non chicken friends think I'm nuts for the baby monitors ,but know I'm animal nuts anyway so they do get it. My non animal friends think I'm beyond nuts lol..
If I coukd get WI Fi in the coops I would have cameras setup too


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## seminole wind

I would love him but I have 9 roosters right now (7 silkie).


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## Maryellen

Omg that's alot of roosters! !. My neighbor has I think 15...


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## nannypattyrn

ME, get a trail camera. No WiFi needed. We have one and it's very interesting what visits our coop at night!


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## Maryellen

Really a trail camera??????? Omg no way really? ??


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## Maryellen

Any particular one? There is so many on amazon. I'm going thru them all now


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## Maryellen

Does yours video? Or just take pictures?


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## nannypattyrn

It does both. I'm not at home right now, but I'll look when I get back and let you know. We only paid just under $100 for it.


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## Maryellen

I found a bunch under 100, do you use take out the memory card to view?


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## nannypattyrn

Yes, just take the memory card out and plug it into your laptop or computer.
Jim says our trail camera is a Stith...


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## Maryellen

Found it thanks! I ordered it and the memory card


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## nannypattyrn

ME, we've had pics of wild hogs, bob cats, foxes and coyotes plus the neighbors dogs "visiting".


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## Maryellen

Omg no way... I was going to put it in the coop as I have a chicken that is crowing along wirj Mork and I want to see who it is,then put the camera in the run itself once I find who else is crowing.


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## chickenqueen

I want one for deer hunting but that's just for a couple of months in the fall.Never thought about using one around the coop.It could be a double duty job-Dec-Oct out at the coop and Oct-Dec out back on the trail by the tree stand.Or maybe buy 2 this year,one for each place.Either way,I'm going to get one.I want venison in my freezer next year and I ain't sitting in that tree stand for hours only to come back empty handed.And I need to convince the blue jays to move this summer,they would sit in the trees around us,hollering,letting everything that would listen know we were back there,including the deer....


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## seminole wind

CQ, Not one deer this year? Maybe it's time to move the stand? 

ME- Another crower? Do you have any suspicions? 

Patty, you sure have a lot of wild life. I'm not saying there's more, but in 11 years all I've seen here is black snakes, gopher turtles, and a possum. I know there must be raccoons for sure.


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## Maryellen

Yeah I have a cuckoo maran that is growing spurs,looks like a hen but the spurs and comb are throwing me off. I hear Mork crow then another crow, and it's different pitch. I have been trying to catch the crowed to see who it is. The camera would help out. I know hens can crow, but If I have another rooster he can't stay. .
I have foxes,coyotes, bear, all sorts of critters but my yard is fenced so I hope that keeps them out at night


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## Maryellen

The cuckoo is the only one I can think of that us a roo, all the others have laid eggs but this one


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## chickenqueen

Sem,what's a gopher turtle?I have a thing for turtles but never heard of that one.No,I didn't even see a deer nor did I the previous 3 years and that's why I'm getting at least 1 trail camera and I'm going to convince the blue jays to move on this spring.I know they are back there,there's hoof prints,rub areas and they sleep back there w/ their babies in the summer,there are several bedding areas back there and if we let the feeders get empty they tear up the feeders and uprooted a tree digging for the rest of the salt before we put a new salt block back there.They just aren't back there when I can hunt w/ a gun and I think it's because of the blue jays.They rat us out every time.


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## seminole wind

LOL. A Gopher Turtle is this huge turtle that digs these huge dens. We don't see him too often. But we know his home is over here on the side of my house. Not allowed to move them or bother them.


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## chickenqueen

Gotta a pic of him?How big are they?They are protected?I've had turtles on and off over the years.I've had box turtles,painted turtles,red eared sliders,leatherbacks and African side necks.All but the side necks are from my area that I "caught".Every summer I look for the box turtles.People run them over and I don't see them like I use to.If I find one,I'm hitting the brakes and jumping out to rescue them.I bring them back to my property and turn 'em loose back by the pond and woods,away from the roads.In the 16 summers I've been here,I've turned maybe 2 dozen turtles loose back there but have yet to see a box turtle walking around in my yard.Behind my property is someone's field and that ends at the nature preserve beyond that.I hope the turtles made it.


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## seminole wind

Wow. If I see him, I'll get a picture of him.


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## Sylvester017

*With most breeds but not w/ rare breda*



seminolewind said:


> Sometimes I think the only way to breed hardiness is to breed a Breda to a similar bird, then breed the features out again. I think the healthiest chicks are hatched with a hen.


Since the Breda is still on the rarer side, I wouldn't chance a cross-breeding w/ another breed because it can take several generations to get the Breda characteristics back again w/ the surety the cross-breeding will pop-up unwanted in future chicks. The better breeding is the same breed-to-breed. Some breeders have been very successful with in-line breeding by diversifying their own internal pens to strengthen the gene pool and keeping imperfections out that can come in from an outside Breda line. This way a breeder can refine his own stock crossing daughters to fathers, mothers to sons, grandchildren to grandparents, growing his own large diversified pool, and not worry that he is bringing someone else's imperfections into his flock. One outside source can mess up the genetics of an in-line breeding. Breda are too rare and have too many unique physical characteristics to mess up w/ other breed matings.


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## Sylvester017

*Natural ark*



robin416 said:


> Have you seen this? http://www.naturalark.com/breda.html
> 
> There appears to be other breeders out there with unrelated genetics.


I purchased two birds from this source. Both were shipped to me w/ worms, cocci, and CRD issues. I took fecal samples to the vet the first day of arrival and started treatment immediately. The seller refused to believe the birds were ill and I offered to send the paperwork proof directly from the vet office. Vet helped me save one bird but the other was too far gone and vet finally had to euthanize her - he said she had to have been ill long before she was ever shipped to us. On top of that the breeder sent me the wrong order. I ordered two pullets and one turned out a cockerel that we had to find a home for. Thank goodness friends of ours took him as an indoor/outdoor pet and absolutely love him but in the end I had no birds to show for it - one dead pullet and one wrong cockerel! I have misgivings trying this breeder again.


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## Sylvester017

*Mottled breda*



seminolewind said:


> Very nice group! Do hens come in spangled too?


The closest thing to "Spangled" is what breeders are calling "Mottled" for Bredas. The birds come in White, Black-&-White Mottled, Blue-&-White Mottled (very rare), and BBB (Blue/Black/Splash). Very unique chicken with absolutely NO comb, a triangle tassel where a comb should be, cavernous Crow-like nostrils, vulture hocks, and long feathered toes/legs. A funny unique look but an absolutely family-friendly, docile, non-combative, outgoing, curious, unafraid, lightweight large fowl, and very good layer of MED-LG white eggs. We have had two of them this past year and they are very docile around the gentle Silkies.


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## Maryellen

I will only buy from dutch connection farm. I've been to her house,seen her setups . Or I'll hatch my own


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## seminole wind

Thanks for your replies, Sylvester!


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## Sylvester017

*Well Done!*



Maryellen said:


> I will only buy from dutch connection farm. I've been to her house,seen her setups . Or I'll hatch my own


I know your situation w/ Dutch Connection and you've done very well! You have an excellent set-up to do your own in-line breeding! It's been fun corresponding w/ you and I look forward to seeing your hatchlings and following your progress! Breda like any rare breed is a challenge in the beginning but you have a great start w/ your stock.


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## Sylvester017

*You are too kind!*



seminolewind said:


> Thanks for your replies, Sylvester!


TY! It's good to see you still on the Forum.


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## Maryellen

Thanks Sylvester017!. OOoh good to see you here !!!.
it's funny I bought 2 hens from her a few years ago, an olive egger and an ameracauna. I didn't know at that time she had other breeds as I met her at our local poultry show. Once we recognized each other I realized who she was.


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## Sylvester017

Maryellen - glad you were there there to pick up where Dutch Connection left off w/ Breda. I'm surprised Dutch stopped raising the Breda -- I mean DUTCH Connection -- I would think they would keep raising all the Dutch breeds. But then, the Breda (Guilderlands, Guilders as they were historically called) were really identified mostly as an American breed during the same time as the Dominique in Colonial days. Maybe Dutch Connection doesn't consider the Breda a really Dutch breed any more even though the Netherlands was responsible for bringing this breed back to recognition and is giving it back to America again? I read somewhere that "Breda" means "crow-like" -- because of their cavernous crow-like nostrils.


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## Maryellen

Dutch connection still has bredas, she isn't out of them yet, she cut back a bit and sold some of her bredas but still has a flock left that she showed me when I went there.


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## Maryellen

She just hatched a bunch of chicks and some breda chicks too. She will probably never stop with them,just cut back a bit to focus on her welsummers and barnevelders. She also still has cuckoo bredas as well


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## Sylvester017

Maryellen - Oh, I'm so glad Dutch is still raising the Breda! I thought they were phasing out. My breeder says she doesn't get a lot of customers asking for Breda but she likes them so much she continues a small pen of them in pure white and in the BBS colors for her own pleasure. She says when customers stop by for other orders and see the Breda they invariably are curious or go home with a couple Breda because they are so impressed w/ both their looks and color varieties.


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## Maryellen

Yes she is still breeding, they are on her www.dutchconnectionfarm.com website too


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## seminole wind

Beautiful birds! Makes me want some.


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## Sylvester017

Maryellen said:


> Yes she is still breeding, they are on her www.dutchconnectionfarm.com website too


I often visit Dutch to drool over their Breda and Barnevelders!


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## Sylvester017

Has anyone ever heard of Touch of Class online website -- they have some very nice chicken decorations that don't look cheap or cartoonish -- I got an elegant set of rooster bookends from them. They have pretty rooster napkin holders, wall decor, towel holders, etc, that don't look like cheap cartoonish stuff.


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## Maryellen

I never heard of that site I'll have to go check it out


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## seminole wind

I will go check too!


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## Maryellen

Www.fluffylayers.com too has cool stuff.


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## Maryellen

I checked out touch of class, the stuff is gorgeous but pricey for me. I'm more of a dollar store,auction,home goods type of store lol..


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## seminole wind

Maryellen said:


> I checked out touch of class, the stuff is gorgeous but pricey for me. I'm more of a dollar store,auction,home goods type of store lol..


Me too. I find I get a lot of nice things as gifts. People know just what to get me!


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## seminole wind

Maryellen said:


> Www.fluffylayers.com too has cool stuff.


Very nice!!


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## Maryellen

If you go to the clearance part of touch of class they have much better prices. I saw your bookends they were priced good. I am going to use the clearance section for Xmas gifts next year


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## Sylvester017

Maryellen/Seminolewind -- I looked for chicken bookends for about 5 years and either the cheaper ones were too ugly or cartoonish or else the really nice ones were $50 on up. I gave up but happened across the Touch of Class rooster items recently and couldn't believe how beautiful the bookends were. I'm toying w/ the napkin holders next. I used to get some nice chicken decorative things like lamps, clocks, wall decor, soap dispensers, on Collections Etc, but they don't have enough cute chicken stuff like they used to. They had cute chicken lamps for $15 and clocks for $10, chicken timer for $12, really easy prices to deal with. I keep checking Collections for new items but there's nothing like the cute chicken stuff they used to have. I checked fluffylayers too - thx for the reference to add to my bookmarks.

My Breda breeder said she has a Blue pullet chick she's raising for me but the poor little thing has sniffle issues -- seems like the Blues have the most respiratory problems of all the Breda colors, plus it's the cold part of winter. She won't ship her to me until she's perfectly well, or else, she'll hatch another batch of chicks to get a good Blue. I can wait. No one else is breeding BBS Blues -- even Dutch only deals w/Black and Cuckoo. I asked them for Blue and they said Black or Cuckoo only.

Smiles


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## Maryellen

I liked the napkin holder too.. they had alot of chicken stuff for really good clearance prices. 

I read that some bredas could have sinus issues with the large nostrils.. that's great she has another blue for you, they are a really pretty bird


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## Maryellen

https://farmprideclothing.com/


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## Sylvester017

The Blue Breda CAN be exceptionally pretty but the girls can also come out very light/pale to the point they don't show edging/lacing around each body feather. The Blue girl I lost last year was of exceptional lacing with very dark head/neck coloring. The pale/light females will have a lot less dark head/neck feathers and just a very pale blue body with no detectable lacing. Either color type is pretty but I happen to love the dark edged/laced body feathers w/ dark head-neck. GaryDean26 on BYC chose to breed for the darker Blue edging when raising Blue Breda or Blue Andalusians. 

Blue Wyandottes and Blue Orpingtons are so fluffy their edging/lacing is barely visible -- sort of like Partridge Silkies that are so fluffy it's hard to see the Partridge pattern on their fluffy feathers.

In any event whatever Blue Breda pullet I get I will cherish because I want a healthy chicken rather than just a gorgeous bird. We loved the beautiful Blue Breda we lost but she was such a prolific layer of 4 to 6 eggs/week for 10+ consecutive months that it exhausted her and the massive summer heatwaves didn't help her either. We try best we can to keep the chickens comfortable in our humid climate but only the two Silkies survived our brutal summer. Hopefully this year will be somewhat milder temps. Our current Cuckoo Breda is larger/taller than our deceased Blue hen plus she's never had respiratory issues like the other two Blue Bredas we've had before (one male/one female) -- hopefully the Cuckoo has a hardier constitution. Her egg-laying is yet to be seen for comparison.


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## Maryellen

I have fans set up in my one coop and pen area when our summers come , this way tge chickens have a breeze to help, and I put ice cubes in their water. Think about setting up misters to keep them cool, I know CA summers are brutal


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## seminole wind

My silkies are heat sensitive. So they get all day shade, a breeze, and ice in their water. This makes a difference between panting and not panting at all. They also do not have a coop. Just a covered pen with a storage tub on it's side with a nest pan in it because they could be broody all summer. At least they won't be sweltering in a coop. I do have a fan in my big bird coop.


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## Sylvester017

We do everything humanly possible to keep the chickens comfortable but we've had a brutal 6 yr-drought. For our summers we have a large Coleman pop-up canopy for shade over their dust-box area, Fine water misters going all day, Ice Cubes in their Brite Tap nipple valve water jugs, wet down soil for them to sit in the cool dirt, Electrolytes in their drinking water, Extra vitamin supplementation in their feed plus Poly-Vi-Sol no-iron liquid vit's, Cold watermelon and cantaloupe and produce, Ice cubes to play w/ in bowls, Doghouses and lean-to's for shade all around the yard plus we have two extra large roofed patios for shade, and a Portable fan on the porch in the shade should they want to stand in front of it. I have one Black Silkie that taps on the fan when she wants us to turn it on for her! Normally we get only 2 to 4 weeks of 100+ temps but last year our heatwave began in late May and lasted in the upper 90's-100's until Sept -- the Ameraucana hated the heat and it showed in her sporadic egg-laying and the Breda exhausted herself laying for 10+ consecutive months to the point that both larger hens' immunity was compromised/complicated by the brutal summer and we lost them. Meanwhile the two old Silkies have weathered our 6-yr State-declared drought and are now our longest-lived birds. It was suggested by my Breda breeder to add Calcium Carbonate at-will w/Oyster Shell to help eggshell quality during stressful laying times, add trace Selenium additionally to their food (I mix it very very very lightly into their cooked brown rice along w/ Bee Pollen, Brewer's Yeast, and Rooster Booster). They get extra protein in Turkey starter/Gamebird feed, canned/cooked meats/fish, 3-grain scratch, raw shelled sunflower seeds (my DH breaks off the very sharp pointy ends of the seeds - so cute), and offer organic non-gmo unprocessed layer feed plus pressed layer pellets. If they didn't complain about it so much we'd keep them all in the air-conditioned house but that's more cruel then letting them scratch around and forage free-range in the outdoors like they love. This has been our first good Spring for adequate rainfall and if the mountain snow levels meet their mark we just might be over the brutal drought. All the neighborhood lawns have been converted to ice plants or allowed to go brown but since the new rains have fallen we all have jungles of tall weeds in our yards!


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## chickenqueen

Yeah the summers can be brutal!!!Last summer it was so dry and hot and sunny it burned up my garden but the chickens survived.I moved the coop behind some trees I planted to shade the coop in the late afternoon and evening plus they free range and there are trees they can hang out under.I put frozen bottles of water in the waterers because they take longer to melt than free floating ice.But you can only do so much and the rest is up to the chickens-survival of the fittest...


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## seminole wind

Sylvester017 said:


> We do everything humanly possible to keep the chickens comfortable but we've had a brutal 6 yr-drought. For our summers we have a large Coleman pop-up canopy for shade over their dust-box area, Fine water misters going all day, Ice Cubes in their Brite Tap nipple valve water jugs, wet down soil for them to sit in the cool dirt, Electrolytes in their drinking water, Extra vitamin supplementation in their feed plus Poly-Vi-Sol no-iron liquid vit's, Cold watermelon and cantaloupe and produce, Ice cubes to play w/ in bowls, Doghouses and lean-to's for shade all around the yard plus we have two extra large roofed patios for shade, and a Portable fan on the porch in the shade should they want to stand in front of it. I have one Black Silkie that taps on the fan when she wants us to turn it on for her! Normally we get only 2 to 4 weeks of 100+ temps but last year our heatwave began in late May and lasted in the upper 90's-100's until Sept -- the Ameraucana hated the heat and it showed in her sporadic egg-laying and the Breda exhausted herself laying for 10+ consecutive months to the point that both larger hens' immunity was compromised/complicated by the brutal summer and we lost them. Meanwhile the two old Silkies have weathered our 6-yr State-declared drought and are now our longest-lived birds. It was suggested by my Breda breeder to add Calcium Carbonate at-will w/Oyster Shell to help eggshell quality during stressful laying times, add trace Selenium additionally to their food (I mix it very very very lightly into their cooked brown rice along w/ Bee Pollen, Brewer's Yeast, and Rooster Booster). They get extra protein in Turkey starter/Gamebird feed, canned/cooked meats/fish, 3-grain scratch, raw shelled sunflower seeds (my DH breaks off the very sharp pointy ends of the seeds - so cute), and offer organic non-gmo unprocessed layer feed plus pressed layer pellets. If they didn't complain about it so much we'd keep them all in the air-conditioned house but that's more cruel then letting them scratch around and forage free-range in the outdoors like they love. This has been our first good Spring for adequate rainfall and if the mountain snow levels meet their mark we just might be over the brutal drought. All the neighborhood lawns have been converted to ice plants or allowed to go brown but since the new rains have fallen we all have jungles of tall weeds in our yards!


My chickens need a vacation- can I send them to you? Sounds like paradise. 
I've had 2 Faverolles in the past that had heat problems. I'd go out and sometimes one would be breathing so fast that it would be impossible to drink. So I always had a bucket of water in case someone needed a dunking. Heat is brutal.


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## Maryellen

Yeah mine need a vacation too... Camp Sylvester017 sounds amazing


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## Valentine

Sylvester017 thanks for all these great tips for the heat, I put baking soda in their water a couple of times seemed to help. I live in a heavily shaded area and they have access to go under the house to get out of the heat where they also have a dirt bath, natural dirt they love it.


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## Sylvester017

*Chicken dunking*



seminolewind said:


> My chickens need a vacation- can I send them to you? Sounds like paradise.
> I've had 2 Faverolles in the past that had heat problems. I'd go out and sometimes one would be breathing so fast that it would be impossible to drink. So I always had a bucket of water in case someone needed a dunking. Heat is brutal.


Sure! You can send them to me -- don't know how well my girls would receive them though! 

I used the water-dunking method on the chests of very broody Silkies when I first thought I HAD to break broodies (I now know it is not necessary to break broodies and let them set an empty nest). Anyway, the chest-dunking in water is so temporary in hot weather. Some people leave out pans of water for their chickens to stand in during heatwaves but then the water gets warm fast and ice melts too fast even in frozen bottles. Seems like I spend more time outside w/ the chickens during heatwaves than during stormy days to make them as comfortable as possible.

My Blue Wheaten Ameraucana hated the heat. Apparently pea comb birds do better in cool weather and not meant to tolerate heat like the Mediterranean class of chickens with large floppy combs. We lost our 3-yr-old Ameraucana during our brutal summer - heat affected her egg production and she succumbed to Marek's. I didn't try to treat her although the vet said he's seen cases where the chickens can beat it but ultimately we euthanized her when she stopped eating and couldn't walk any more. She was such a love. Her sister died of Marek's as a chick but our girl was hardy and survived as a chick -- but being a Marek's carrier the heat compromised her immune system and there was no saving her.


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## Sylvester017

*Electrolytes*



Valentine said:


> Sylvester017 thanks for all these great tips for the heat, I put baking soda in their water a couple of times seemed to help. I live in a heavily shaded area and they have access to go under the house to get out of the heat where they also have a dirt bath, natural dirt they love it.


Baking soda is a sodium base. Electrolytes have a sodium base. Plain table salt is a sodium base. The sodium helps to retain fluids. I've heard people use Pedialyte or Gatorade as emergency electrolytes in chicken drinking water. But there are actual chicken electrolytes to add to chicken drinking water.

I bet your chickens love the house shade -- it's always at least 10 degrees cooler under structures and sometimes the dirt will actually stay moist under there even in heatwaves! Do you have a lot of chickens?


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## Sylvester017

Talked w/ my Breda breeder last night. Said my little Blue Breda pullet is stinkin" cute but is keeping her on med's until certain she is well enough to be shipped to me. The Blue's seem to be the most delicate of the Bredas -- it's the vibe I got from a couple of Breda breeders and is maybe why we don't see too many Breda BBS breedings any more. Seems like only the Black, Splash, Cuckoo, and Mottleds are being sold lately. My breeder in KS is the only one I know who is doing sales of BBS (Blue/Black/Splash) and only because they are personally in love w/ the breed. There is one source in CO breeding BBS but I had bad luck w/ sick birds from them a couple yrs ago - I believe in using proper medicine for chicken ailments like cocci or worms and homeopathic ACV or Garlic water are not cure-alls or preventatives for serious chicken maladies. Natural selection breeding is a nice concept dream but sometimes real meds MUST be used for easily-treated illness.

My previous two Blue Breda's had sniffle issues -- they were from two different breeders from two different States. My new Blue pullet on order apparently is having sniffling issues so I'll have to monitor her closely like I monitor one of our Silkies w/ CRD issues. So far only the Blue Breda seem to have CRD issues - I'm used to it so no biggy. Our Cuckoo Breda is from the same breeder as one of my previous Blue's yet the Cuckoo has never had sniffle issues. A genetic thing w/ Blue's? Coincidence? Even breeders themselves have noticed the Blue issues - like CRD issues, colds/sniffles, smaller size. W/ less gene diversity by breeders giving up on long-term line improvement I worry the issues will continue without dedicated Breda breeders to increase the stock pool to improve genetic hardiness. Some breeds I don't give a hoot about their hardiness since most breeds have numbers up in the tens of thousands. But the Breda's good attributes such as a congenial flockmate, non-combative, good egg layer, and people/family-friendly bird, I deem them worth the effort to increase their population. They once were as common as Dominiques in Colonial backyards but never made it into the APA registry -- possibly because in those days the Breda went by a bunch of confusing different names and spellings like Guilderlands, Guilders, etc etc so never made the registry. As long as I have breath left I will continue having Breda in my flock. I just wish I was zoned to have roos so I could keep a small breeding flock. I applaud anyone who has the love and zoning ordinance to keep this breed saved -- they have so many benefits. Some egg layer breeds are snotty pets or take extra effort to make people-friendly or flock-friendly but the Breda already comes naturally receptive to flockmate compatibility and people-oriented.

Gotta get my techy DH to show me how to post pics on this site!


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## Maryellen

Any animal in blue has genetic health issues it seems, so it's not surprising that blue birds too have issues. Blue dogs as well have genetic health issues too..

One of my bredas is a trouble maker, she is the tallest one and the first one I got. She can definitely hold her own. 
I see most of them from Greenfire have the most issues and are smaller. I think it's better to deal.with a small breeder then a giant hatchery imo.
Mine are not really people friendly, I can hold them at bedtime but otherwise during the day I cant. It's ok ,they are slowly getting used to me so I'm able to hold them a bit more


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## Valentine

Sylvester017 I have only 2 1Australop one leghornnow last year was a bad one I lost a total of 3 hens, me was a Pekin bantam.


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## Valentine

Valentine said:


> Sylvester017 I have only 2 1Australop one leghornnow last year was a bad one I lost a total of 3 hens, me was a Pekin bantam.


These are my 2 girls, they are great mates so I won't introduce more until they depart, that will be a sad day.


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## Maryellen

Valentine they are both beautiful, I love your setup and yard soo pretty


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## chickenqueen

The landscape is gorgeous!!!I love the way you built the coop into the hill.It looks like a chicken paradise....


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## Valentine

Thanks guys, bit of a work of art trying to fit it into my landscape. The original coop was destroyed 2 years ago in April, we had heavy wind and rain our 100ft gum demolished the coop with 3 chicken chickens sitting in the roost wondering what the heck was going on. They lived in dog crates until the new coop was built. Expensive experience. I'm considering getting 5 next round of flock, loving your tips on breeds.


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## Valentine

Sylvester017 I'd love to see some pic's. If a novice like Me can do it you can. Go to photos, upload your images then come to this page and scroll to bottom of page and include uploads into your message, simple. I'll have a look out for Breda chook in Sydney, they sound lovely. Do your best to show us your girls.


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## Maryellen

My bredas today . I put all 7 with my other flock for the winter. Mork and Rocky aka seymour are working things out.


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## Valentine

Wish we could have our chook pen closer to our house has to be 6 meters away. I thought Bredas were Blue as in bright blue, they are somewhat similar to Austraop. For the first time I'm going to our Royal Easter show to check out chicken breeds, might find myself a good breed. I also entered a chicken painting in the art and crafts section.


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## Maryellen

They come in blue, black, cuckoo and mottled. I love their faces and no combs.

My roo Rocky










And the first two hens I got in October










And the last two I got in november with my roo


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## Sylvester017

*Blue genetics*



Maryellen said:


> Any animal in blue has genetic health issues it seems, so it's not surprising that blue birds too have issues. Blue dogs as well have genetic health issues too..
> 
> One of my bredas is a trouble maker, she is the tallest one and the first one I got. She can definitely hold her own.
> I see most of them from Greenfire have the most issues and are smaller. I think it's better to deal.with a small breeder then a giant hatchery imo.
> Mine are not really people friendly, I can hold them at bedtime but otherwise during the day I cant. It's ok ,they are slowly getting used to me so I'm able to hold them a bit more


Thx for the Blue genetic info. So, I'm not going nuts, there IS something to it! My KS breeder said she didn't notice any difference about her Blues but said as chicks the Bredas get a difficult start in her BBS breedings. She felt bad having to put down one of her pure White Breda hens no longer laying who was 7 yrs old and not responding to medication for her chronic ear/nose infections. She couldn't bear to put her down and let her DH do it.

Breda is so rare I don't think they'll ever be sold in hatcheries - at least, not until they become APA registered and there just isn't enough of them being shown at poultry shows yet to meet the APA registry requirements. If I were younger and had the breeding ordinance where I reside, I'd work to get a group of breeders together to get these birds APA recognized - it takes about 5 years of showing them consistently before the APA accepts a new breed's application for registering.

Breda are quirky birds. Our Blues were our in-your-face kind of personalities but our Cuckoo is spookier and jumpier. About the only time I can get her in my face and standing on my feet is when I feed her shelled raw sunflower seeds (we break off the little sharp pointy ends first). The Blues were easy to pick up, hold, and pet, but our Cuckoo is so jumpy I swear she'll give herself a heart attack. Some bird personalities just are what they are! It took a long time for our Partridge Silkie to let us pick her up and now we can't keep her out of the way she tries to climb up our leg.


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## Sylvester017

*Two hens*



Valentine said:


> Sylvester017 I have only 2 1Australop one leghornnow last year was a bad one I lost a total of 3 hens, me was a Pekin bantam.


So sorry to hear when someone loses birds. DH and I try to remember our lost birds in a nostalgic way to keep their sweetness alive.

Pekins (Cochins in USA) and Olandsk Dwarfs were some of the sweet bantams we considered as pets but a friend gifted us two bearded Silkies first so we stayed w/ them. DH loves his Silkies so any breeds we add to the flock have to be under 5-lbs and have docile temperaments like Breda or pure Ameraucana (Araucana in AU & UK).

Our Silkies have survived 6 brutal drought years so far and are our longest-lived chickens now. We had 2 Silkies and 2 large fowl but lost the large fowl to heat-related complications. Out of 4 chickens we lost 2 -- that's HALF our backyard flock! We're glad we had 4 chickens and not just 2 because if one chicken is lost we didn't think one chicken left alone was such a good idea so we try to keep the flock always at 4 numbers. That way w/ one or two sudden losses there'll be at least 2 other hens left together while we build the flock up again. When we lost the 2 large fowl over the summer, the 2 remaining Silkies still had each other to toodle around with. We were lucky a Breda juvenile was on order and she is now w/ the Silkies. Another Breda juvenile is arriving later this Spring so our number will be up to 4 again. I'm toying w/ adding a 5th hen in 2018 if our summers go back to normal temps again. I stagger chicken ages so they don't all get old at the same time.


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## Sylvester017

*Blue chickens*



Valentine said:


> Wish we could have our chook pen closer to our house has to be 6 meters away. I thought Bredas were Blue as in bright blue, they are somewhat similar to Austraop. For the first time I'm going to our Royal Easter show to check out chicken breeds, might find myself a good breed. I also entered a chicken painting in the art and crafts section.


Blue in chickens is pretty - Blue Cochin, Blue Wyandotte, Blue Breda, Blue Andalusian, etc etc. Usually the body is a light blue with each body and breast feather edged/laced in a darker blue while the head and hackle feathers are a darker blue. When DH helps me w/ photos on this thread I'll post pics.

I read recently that Australorps come in Blue also. Do you happen to have any Blue 'Lorp photos?


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## Maryellen

I hatched a blue ee this past spring, she was sooo pretty , I sold her and her sister to a woman who said they lay pretty blue eggs. She had the same coloring as your darker blue breda.


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## Valentine

Sylvester017 said:


> Blue in chickens is pretty - Blue Cochin, Blue Wyandotte, Blue Breda, Blue Andalusian, etc etc. Usually the body is a light blue with each body and breast feather edged/laced in a darker blue while the head and hackle feathers are a darker blue. When DH helps me w/ photos on this thread I'll post pics.
> 
> I read recently that Australorps come in Blue also. Do you happen to have any Blue 'Lorp photos?


I uploaded some on the photo section check it out


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## Maryellen

I had the bredas and silkies with my barnyard bunch,but Mork tried to kill Rocky so they are back in the other coop. Here they are before Mork decided to attempt to kill Rocky


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## seminole wind

I'll take your little Polish, LOL.

I hatched this black JG roo who was said to have a blue gene. I just thought he was black and I got fooled. Well he and my 3 back JG at the time hatched near 50 Blue JG's! Someone who trains horses got them for his father and hatched out 16 blue! Then I had a few batches- Blue! The Roo died a few months ago and I just have his son and his mother left. 

Cuckoo Bredas would be cool.


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## Maryellen

That's Louise, she lays these giant cream eggs . She was my garage sale hen for $6 lol. I got her and another tolbunt polish for $12 total lol... she is cute but not to smart. .
Omg that's alot of blues,blues now are very very popular. You would have made out like crazy if you had sold them now with the blue phase going on


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## Sylvester017

*Blue and cuckoo bredas*

Blue Breda -- lost this past summer to heat-related issues
Cuckoo Breda pullet -- added to the two Silkies after Blue Breda lost.


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## seminole wind

Sorry you lost the blue one. I love your hen. She's pretty.


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## chickenqueen

Too cute!!!Sorry you lost one.The Bredas are awesome!!!Anything w/ a hair-do and/or feathered feet gets a thumbs up from me.


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## Valentine

Very cute Sylvester017, its always a sad day when a chicken departs. I haven't come across any here in Sydney but I will do some investigating, I like the idea they are docile.


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## Sylvester017

Valentine said:


> Very cute Sylvester017, its always a sad day when a chicken departs. I haven't come across any here in Sydney but I will do some investigating, I like the idea they are docile.


Shamrock Farm in Canada has Breda but I don't know what kind of quarantines exist between CAN & AU for importing new breeds. Worth looking into.

The Breda are docile in this way IMO: My Breda have gone out of their way to avoid conflict, challenges, or pecking order fights. They are non-combative so in my mind make excellent flockmates w/ other docile or timid hens. In our case, we have a very shy Partridge bearded Silkie who avoids getting near other chickens because of her past abuse from assertive egg-layer or dual-purpose breeds which we have since re-homed all of them. She is a shy little thing but she gets confident around the Breda's we've had and will actually chest-bump them and they don't retaliate. We're so happy to see that the little Silkie feels brave enough to give a Breda a little chest bump when food is distributed. All the Breda's we've had have been respectful of the Silkies and I couldn't be more delighted.

I simply detest flock drama so no longer invest in layer or dual purpose types -- the slightly larger eggs are not worth putting up w/ their diva personalities. I now only choose known docile breeds and 5-lbs-&-under around the Silkies. We loved our Blue Wheaten Ameraucana for 3 yrs -- she was very docile around our Silkies and Breda but sadly lost her last summer also. Our climate is not conducive to the heavy under-downed Ameraucana breed and will not get more even though we love their temperament. She layed erratically, panted from our humid summers, and just couldn't tolerate our last brutal summer. The Blue Breda we lost exhausted her little body laying 4 to 6 eggs/week for 10+ consectuve months and the heatwave compromised her immune system. She was probably the best egg-layer we've ever had in our flock so it was tragic to lose her to the elements. My Breda breeder gave me some helpful additional tips nutrition-wise to help my hens stay hardier so we've incorporated a more supplemental diet for them.

I've always loved the outgoing, curious, unafraid, people/kid-friendly Dominique breed which we've had before. But Doms are not as rare now as Breda and I wanted a rare breed that matched the Dom personality and size. Not only that, but Breda come in so many varieties - BBS (Blue/Black/Splash), Black and White Mottled, Blue and White Mottled, all White, and Cuckoo. The only difference I found between the Dom and Breda (other than their body appearance) is that Breda do not go broody so their egg numbers are slightly higher.

If chicken owners ever have the opportunity to own Breda, they will always want them. I'm sure a dorky hen can turn up once in a while but as a whole these make wonderful family pets that will give nice MED-LG eggs. We hated to re-home our Blue Breda cockerel but we're not zoned for roos -- however, his new owners love him and he's become their indoor/outdoor pet who takes over the dog bed to roost for the night!


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## Sylvester017

*BLUE AND CUCKOO BREDA's*



seminolewind said:


> Sorry you lost the blue one. I love your hen. She's pretty.





chickenqueen said:


> Too cute!!!Sorry you lost one.The Bredas are awesome!!!Anything w/ a hair-do and/or feathered feet gets a thumbs up from me.


Thank you for your kind thoughts!


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## Maryellen

Mine are all docile too except one who beat up one of my hens who beat her up lol. Otherwise they are very docile


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## Sylvester017

*Docile*



Maryellen said:


> Mine are all docile too except one who beat up one of my hens who beat her up lol. Otherwise they are very docile


Yep, there's always pecking order establishment even in the docile breeds -- I am glad to hear your Breda didn't take the challenge lying down. Some hens similar to our Marans can be downright brutal - which is why we re-homed her, she was just too large and rough with the littles in the flock.

Our Cuckoo Breda is very very tall towering over our 2 Silkies but she is very respectful of them. All my Breda's have been this way so far. Hope it continues w/ our next Breda that's on order.


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## Maryellen

I think there is a difference with pecking order and remembering. ... I really think chickens do remember who bullied them. My large breda who went after the hen who bullied her remembered her after not seeing her for 2 months. She went after her right away when I put them back with my other flock. She seeked,her out, and went after her... just like my one dog who remembered tge dogs who jumped him years later.. the rest of the bredas didn't act like the tall one did, and she only acted like that with the hen who went overboard bullying her.


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## chickenqueen

My rooster,Jr.,killed the 2 roosters who bullied and harassed him when he was smaller.When he finally finished growing he killed his daddy and my 13y o rooster and he is King of the Yard.I also think they remember who was picking on them as juveniles.


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## Maryellen

They do remember, yours too remembered the ones who bullied him. It's one thing to have a pecking order, it's another to bully. My house hen is a BAD bully, she was so rough on incoming hens that once they got bigger 2 of my ameracaunas hunted her down and almost killed her. She has been seperated for 2 years now. She stays in her own coop with a hen she likes and in the winter she comes in the house and the other hen goes back with the flock. She screwed herself by being an a**hole to some of the hens, so she is an outcast now. She loves people,and prefers the winter house living.


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## chickenqueen

Yeah,I bet she does.I may find myself in a similar situation w/ Blue Belle.I've tried to keep her familiar w/ everybody while she recuperates.The last 2 days were in the 60's so I put her out for a while.She came to the door and whined for me to get her.She's almost 5 and has never liked human interaction until now.She has acquired a taste for the indoor life.I just had to close off the front feeder.The last 2 days the next door neighbor's chickens have come over and raided the feeder.I haven't seen them for a couple of months.They must be out of feed.At least they don't know about the feeder in the coop.


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## seminole wind

So you got the neighbor's chickens again? What a pain.


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## Maryellen

Chickens are not stupid that's for sure. Once they get a taste of house life they want it...


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## Maryellen

Rocky goes back Thursday and she is giving me a 9 week old cockeral she just hatched. He will stay in the house till the weather warms up.


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## chickenqueen

With the way your weather is going,you may not warm up until June and the snow may stick around until July.How many chickens have you got in the house already?


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## Maryellen

Spring here is June 1st lol... I have 6 inside now, one is leaving to a friend Thursday. We can't plant flowers toll memorial day lol


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## Maryellen

Rocky goes back tomorrow. But I'm not taking the 10 week old as my friend can't take my bantam till spring so I had to pass as I don't have a spot to put the baby inside


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## chickenqueen

6 in the house?I thought I was bad w/ 2 in the house.ME,I'm using your posts as ammo.When Dale complains about 2 in the house,I show him your posts and then 2 doesn't seem so bad.We wait until Mother's Day to put plants out.If the weather continues to stay in the 60's or above average,we may be able to start a little early.


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## Maryellen

Yep 6 inside lol..

And rocky is back with his breeder as of this mirning, the constant crowing starting at 330 am was the dealbreaker.


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## Maryellen

I would have had another one in but I had no room lol


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## seminole wind

No Vacancy at Maryellen's Hen Hilton!


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## Maryellen

Lol yep! My husband wanted me to bring in one of my older hens named 55, but I had no extra cages . I told him I couldnt, so he just watched her and made sure she was ok


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## Maryellen

12 fertile, 5 not showing yet dated 2/12 2/13 and 2/15 I thew those in late. I have another small incubator ready for their lockdown date .. so far the fertile ones are breda,silkie, and one cuckoo maran egg. I took a chance putting the Breda eggs in as bill found them once they were cold. So all the eggs he collected for me i let them get to room temperature then marked and put them in the incubator.


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## Sylvester017

*Cross breeding*



seminolewind said:


> Sometimes I think the only way to breed hardiness is to breed a Breda to a similar bird, then breed the features out again. I think the healthiest chicks are hatched with a hen.


Normally I agree w/ this genetic philosophy -- but not w/ this rare Breda. Breda have NO comb, a small triangle crest, have vulture hocks, have cavernous nostrils, and very long feathered legs/toes. To breed another chicken breed to a Breda would throw all sorts of havoc into the Breda characteristics. There is no other breed w/ NO comb and a triangle crest that has vulture hocks, w/ very long feathered legs/toes. The only other breed I know of w/ cavernous nostrils (maybe) are Houdan or Polish but their crests bred into a Breda line would foul up everything genetic-wise for generations to come. None of us would live so long as to see the Breda looks return from any cross-breeding for generations to come.


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## Maryellen

They are a very unique breed, not like other breeds, between looks and personality, I wouldn't mess with crossing another breed in to make the breed better. Instead I would NOT get greenfire lines, and instead get the true breeder birds from the Netherlands, like where mine came from. While greenfire has beautiful rare breeds, their prices are so stupid high that to me it's more like a broker . This is my opinion. I prefer breeders who truly care about the breeds they raise over the commercial breeders and hatcheries (which to me GF falls under commercial breeder).
I'm hoping the eggs I have set develop and actually hatch and I get some bredas .. I returned my roo as he crowed pretty much 24/7 and I can't have that here. So now I'm on a waiting list for another cockeral in summer or fall, whenever my breeder has another one available. Which is fine. If I get any cockerals out of this hatch I'll see how they are and go from there, as I'm looking for a more quiet roo (like my rir langshan roo who rarely crows )


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## seminole wind

Sylvester017 said:


> Normally I agree w/ this genetic philosophy -- but not w/ this rare Breda. Breda have NO comb, a small triangle crest, have vulture hocks, have cavernous nostrils, and very long feathered legs/toes. To breed another chicken breed to a Breda would throw all sorts of havoc into the Breda characteristics. There is no other breed w/ NO comb and a triangle crest that has vulture hocks, w/ very long feathered legs/toes. The only other breed I know of w/ cavernous nostrils (maybe) are Houdan or Polish but their crests bred into a Breda line would foul up everything genetic-wise for generations to come. None of us would live so long as to see the Breda looks return from any cross-breeding for generations to come.


You're right.


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## Maryellen

The Sultan has vulture hocks.


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## Sylvester017

*Cross breeding*



seminolewind said:


> You're right.


It sucks that the Breda is so unique that it can't effectively be cross-bred w/ another breed for genetic diversity. But then, on the other hand, it's their very uniqueness that make them so desirable. I first got one because an owner said they were a lightweight and docile large fowl which was what I was looking for to mix w/ docile Silkies and timid Ameraucana. The Breda exceeded my expectations as an excellent flockmate but surprised the heck out of us when she turned out to be such a prolific layer. The eggs are mostly MED w/ an occasional LG egg showing up but a very steady layer even in winter months. We got accustomed to the Breda's unusual appearance after we found out what a sweet flockmate and good layer she is. It's been pouring rain today and the chickens came into the kitchen out of the cold. My Breda came up to me to stand on my slippers begging for her sunflower treats. The Breda are exceptionally insistent to get in your face where food is concerned. Just too cute!


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## Sylvester017

*Vulture hocks*



Maryellen said:


> The Sultan has vulture hocks.


Chickens that have disqualifications for having straight downward vulture hocks are Brahma, Cochins, Langshans, and Silkies.

Breeds that MUST have 45 degree downward angle vulture hocks according to standard are Sultan, D'uccles, Booted Bantam, and of course, the Breda.

As we can see, cross-breeding any of the vulture hock breeds above w/ a Breda would alter the appearance of Breda offspring so drastically that the problems may never get bred out again in future generations.

It probably would be fun to try but my thinking is that Breda are too new and rare to fool around w/ cross-breeding. Better to diversify even within in-line breeding than crossing in problems from outside breeds of chickens. Takes time to breed true and hardy but then genetics always does. As an example, to this day breeders are still having problems getting their Ameraucanas to lay perfectly blue eggs and are still allowing greenish ones into the standard because it is so hard to breed true.


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## Sylvester017

*Uniqueness*



Maryellen said:


> They are a very unique breed, not like other breeds, between looks and personality, I wouldn't mess with crossing another breed in to make the breed better. Instead I would NOT get greenfire lines, and instead get the true breeder birds from the Netherlands, like where mine came from. While greenfire has beautiful rare breeds, their prices are so stupid high that to me it's more like a broker . This is my opinion. I prefer breeders who truly care about the breeds they raise over the commercial breeders and hatcheries (which to me GF falls under commercial breeder).
> I'm hoping the eggs I have set develop and actually hatch and I get some bredas .. I returned my roo as he crowed pretty much 24/7 and I can't have that here. So now I'm on a waiting list for another cockeral in summer or fall, whenever my breeder has another one available. Which is fine. If I get any cockerals out of this hatch I'll see how they are and go from there, as I'm looking for a more quiet roo (like my rir langshan roo who rarely crows )


Years ago it was easier to import birds -- but once the influenza's and other diseases became an issue to the USA poultry industry, it became an expensive and almost impossible process to import birds. The poultry industry holds a tight control on authorities to limit if not completely ban importation to eliminate poultry competition (disease is just an excuse used to pass strict laws whether it's for import penalties or backyard penalties). The poultry industry suddenly doesn't like the competition of backyarders. This is why Greenfire is to be commended for taking the time and expense to go through the process of saving rare breeds from around the world even if they haven't quite yet been perfected by long-term project breeding. Import charges and traveling around the world to meet with breeders from other countries is why Greenfire has to charge $1000's of dollars for some of their rare imported birds even though they may not be top-quality birds yet. Greenfire imports these rare breeds in hopes that interested breeders will save and perfect the birds. Olandsk Dwarfs were down to only 50 known birds in the world and Greenfire imported them into the USA for interested breeders to save the precious little bantams. Greenfire imports rare birds but leaves the perfecting of them up to individual breeders. Greenfire has a breeding project for their Marans and possibly some other breeds but most of their birds are just hatched and sold "as-is" to keep the breeds from going extinct. I have had Breda that came from Greenfire stock and have no complaints -- except that the blue genetics is a rather delicate variety as you've mentioned - even in dog breeding!

I'm sorry you had to return your Mottled roo. He was absolutely gorgeous but I can understand the crowing thing. We had a Blue cockerel that crowed at 1:00 a.m. in the house!

Good luck w/ your hatch! So exciting to see what comes about and you must show pics if you get some chicks out of it! I am always so grateful to owners who take the time to preserve rare breeds!


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## Maryellen

As soon as they hatch I'll post a new thread, got till march 3,4 and 5th lol. I will probably have breda silkie mixes as my 2 silkie mixes were with my bredas. Those should be an interesting mix should they hatch... I have a cuckoo maran egg that shoukd hatch maran/rir langshan roo mux. If it doesn't come out like that then my Breda roo got that one too. Hopefully I get a roo that won't crow nonstop,as I really want to help preserve the breed. I can't wait for hatch date that's for sure


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## Sylvester017

Looks like the Blue pullet I ordered from my Breda breeder is turning out to be a cockerel after she spent all that time nursing him from sniffles and now he seems to be a bit wobbly on his legs. She also got a couple Black cockerels out of the same hatch -- she'll be having some future chicken stews out of them. She has to set another batch of eggs to see if she can get a Blue pullet for me. But I can wait. I'm still having fun raising the Cuckoo Breda pullet for now.

My breeder has a disabled Black Breda house hen because she lost her wing as a chick. My breeder has had the chicken in-house for two years now and absolutely loves the hen. My breeder keeps a small group of Breda because she loves them so much even if there isn't a huge market for selling Breda. When she gets customers that pick up their order, they'll see the unique Breda and invariably take a couple home w/ their other order!


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## Sylvester017

The Cuckoo Breda we got from RFR of CA layed her first pink egg today! 2 full oz. The Blue Breda we got from RFR gave us a smaller first egg at 1.75 oz and never got any larger after that. This Cuckoo is definitely larger in all respects. Her vulture hocks are huge where the Blue did not have much to show. But we loved our Blue and have one on order from someone who still breeds BBS Breda. I guess blue genetics even in dog breeding is delicate but we can't help loving the Blue. We love our Cuckoo! So glad we got a Cuckoo before RFR closed them out! Breda are so very docile and non-combative toward gentle Silkies or timid Ameraucana.


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## Maryellen

Yeah her first egg!!!it's so pretty!!!. I have one breda who lays a really white egg, the other 3 lay the same color egg as yours


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