# Breda chicks now out in their coop.



## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

All the adult bredas are with the babies. And the 2 silkue babies , and priscilla and Hawkeye too.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Stop posting pictures of your Bredas! They are making my addiction act up!
The pen is beautiful and looks to be like Fort Knox. Very nice!


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

Thank you! I'm just so happy they are out of my house lol..

They will all be moved in sept to the new coop and the chickens in the new coop will go in this coop


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

Locked in for the night with the rest. Adding breda chicks to breda adults was such a dream. .no pecking, no attacking, just docile birds who got along right away


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Good job!!!Now you can wait for them to start laying and you'll be in the Breda business.


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

I figure a week of putting them in the coop at night before they get it. Laying probably not till 6 months


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

The march babies are growing nicely. The one pullet is looking really good.

The three cockerals










And my one lone pullet


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## Sylvester017 (Nov 2, 2013)

Hi Maryellen - your girl has a very nice mottling. Your boys will take a good year to start looking regal. Here's the two Blue pullets I got from Kansas -- lost the beautiful girl with the full tail to a sudden unexpected seizure the first week I got her. The other girl is molting her juvenile feathers so don't know how she'll turn out. They grow such incredibly long tails that make them look bigger than they really are! Such docile sweet birds! I posted a pic of the two pullets together and then the one remaining pullet with her "other" friend in the mirror.


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

Oh nooo Sylvester I'm sooo sorry you lost her. That's so sad she passed away..did the breeder have any idea what happened?


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## Sylvester017 (Nov 2, 2013)

*It's a mystery!*



Maryellen said:


> Oh nooo Sylvester I'm sooo sorry you lost her. That's so sad she passed away..did the breeder have any idea what happened?


The breeder sent two chicks but with 100's of chicks in the brooder did not really notice that one of the chicks shipped was sitting around a lot before she was shipped. Could've been stress from being shipped from KS to CA or could've been something genetic -- in any event she was a beautiful chick with full tail and pretty coloring but she went droopy by day 5 and had a sudden seizure on day 6. Both chicks had cocci which the breeder is not surprised from the long stressful shipment but the girl with no tail bounced back on the electrolyte, vitamin, probiotic, Corid treatment but the lethargic chick never did. This is a delicate breed which is why many Breda breeders refuse to ship Breda under a month old.

I expect a 50% Breda survival rate so just to be safe I ordered two chicks and glad I did or I'd possibly have no bird if I ordered just one juvenile. Blue chicks are pretty delicate but I love them so much, they're worth it. She sputters/coughs since she's been molting her juvenile fluff -- I think the dander and fluff go into those cavernous nostrils while she's preening and causes a spurt of sneeze or cough and then she's fine until she preens her downy feathers again. I notice after one of her gluttonous feedings with flying dusty feed she'll get a coughing spurt and then is fine again. I have VetRx on hand in case I need to treat her but for now the little spurts are not worrisome. Breda are diet intensive so the more organic nutrition and vitamins (they seem to prefer dry feed over wet forms) that's incorporated early will give this breed a better early survival rate. Not much can be done about genetic health issues but like my vet always tells me as I leave his office, "Be sure to give your flock vitamins!"


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

Cocci is from stress from flying?that's odd I never heard that before. Usually cocci is from dirty pens.. I thought you got your blues from rare feather ranch., I didn't know you got them from another breeder. .
Mine all get either nutrena and a new one called home breed or something like that.the crumbles are perfect. The 9 chicks are on nutrena chick starter. I don't give vitamins.so far my 9 chicks are good. Almost a month old so they are past the 2 week mark . I don't like shipping chicks or adult birds just cause the post office don't handle them properly. .
Are you going to get a replacement from the breeder since the one died?


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## Sylvester017 (Nov 2, 2013)

Hi Maryellen - Just about every shipment of various breeds of juveniles (not chicks) I've received over 6 years the birds have had cocci, or worms, or respiratory issues and one shipped with Marek's that couldn't be saved. That's why on the day I receive shipped birds I immediately take the first fecal samples to the vet for testing. Most breeders I found seem to be under the assumption that the customer assumes the responsibility for the birds upon receipt and that's the way I've always functioned as a customer -- except in the case of an incorrect shipment or a juvenile dies soon after receipt. With Breda especially, stress is an issue because of their docile nature and health issues. The only shipped birds I received that never tested positive in fecal tests were my two Buff Leghorn juveniles who were older at about 4 to 5 months old -- Legs are hardy birds and mine didn't seem to have any stress issues out of the shipping box yet two Blue Wheaten Ameraucanas from the same exact breeder came shipped with worms and one died - it all seems to depend on the breed. Cocci and even avian influenza (AI) and MS/MG viruses are endemic in their basic form in about 95% of USA backyard flocks but the symptoms never manifest until something stressful compromises the immune system and the less hardy birds can come down with symptoms. My flock has been exposed to just about everything except the mutated AI virus but never come down with symptoms because they are either on very good nutrition and vitamins and not under stress. Except last year during our brutal 90 to 100 degree the constant heatwave finally stressed my 3-yr-old Ameraucana to display Marek's and we had to put her down when she no longer would eat or walk, and we lost our 1-1/2 year-old Breda suddenly during the heatwave with no warning which we think the heat compromised her immune system and she succumbed to something internally genetic like fatty liver or who knows what else because it was quite sudden. My vet doesn't recommend necropsies usually unless the customer really insists on it. I don't waste money on necropsies when the deaths are obvious like Marek's and other deaths -- I can't bring the bird back to life so don't bother. If I was breeding I would be more interested. Other Breda breeders have shared the same kind of issues with their Breda just suddenly keeling over dead without any outward symptoms. Of course, animals will hide illness or pain days before we notice something wrong and by the time we do it's generally too late to treat them. But in the case of Breda adult deaths they are quite sudden with no outward symptoms. chicken danz on BYC studied to be a vet so is into researching possible reasons for the sudden instant mortality of Breda and has cited fatty liver syndrome as one possible cause and then discovered an article regarding avian leukosis (spelling?) related to white egg-layers and a feathering gene that might contribute to chick mortality where one chick dies suddenly when others in the brooder are fine. 

I discovered that there are basically only two egg shell colors (blue or white) and that the brown pigmentation on the outside of white or blue shells is what turns the white shells pink or brown and that the brown pigmentation on the outside of blue shells makes them turn from blue to various green shades. Whatever color is inside the egg shell determines whether it is a white or a blue shell layer and that brown or pink eggs are still considered white egg shell layers because the shell is white inside. chicken danz stressed using only breeding stock that doesn't throw high offspring mortality in order to eliminate transferring the culprit feathering gene to future flocks. Makes sense in any breeding program really -- to use only the hardiest parents in a breeding program.

My breeder originally wanted to ship me a 3rd Breda free in addition to the original two I ordered but I'm not zoned for more than 5 hens/no roos so I didn't accept the generous offer. Of course I was offered a free replacement immediately when one bird died from this most excellent breeder but I declined to wait until next year -- I like to stagger the ages of my layers so that they don't all get old and stop laying at the same time. And there's natural attrition so I can plan my next additions accordingly. I always keep my fingers crossed where Breda are concerned and just because they pass the test to survive their infancy there are still possible sudden deaths in adulthood. Every Breda IMO are a challenge and thanks to good dedicated owners this breed will survive because their docile nature and excellent productivity are so worth it! My Cuckoo Breda resumed egg-laying again after a brief 3-week broody spurt and has barely missed a laying day! She's approaching a year old and I'm expecting her to molt which I believe is the expected time for it.

Goodness! I've gone on too long to answer a simple question LOL!


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

Lol its ok !! Thank you for being so knowledgeable, I love reading your posts so keep it up please


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## Sylvester017 (Nov 2, 2013)

Hi Maryellen -- I was thinking to myself today about how wonderful the Breda are in being outgoing, unafraid, curious, people-friendly and flock-friendly backyard birds and how excellent all of mine have been in egg production. The Breda do have health issues that have turned off some past breeders. However, when you think about the 45% reproductive/mortality issues of Leghorns or Sexlinks yet people still keep them for their good egg production. It interested me that lightweight chicken breeds are good egg-layers like the Jearhon, Westphalian, Leghorn, Breda, etc. But the excellent added benefit of Breda is that you get a docile, family-friendly, uniquely beautiful bird that stays close to home and is not an over-the-fence escapee like other production birds.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Sylvester, if one had Marek's, aren't the rest exposed?


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## Sylvester017 (Nov 2, 2013)

Marek's is a strange virus -- there are 5 known strains of Marek's. Like many viruses like MS/MG, Cocci, AI, etc, Marek's is endemic (birds are carriers) but may never display symptoms while other birds in stress situations like the poultry industry, poor diet, unsanitary conditions, long-distance shipping, crowding, temperature/weather extremes, injury, illness, etc will bring on symptoms. And symptoms can vary from mild to death, from infancy to adulthood. Why some birds come down with it while others exposed to it never do probably depends on the hardiness of the individual bird. I've had two Marek's incidences, one juvenile bird (an Ameraucana) was shipped with it, yet the other bird (a juvenile Breda) shipped with the sick bird did not get it. Another adult bird contracted Marek's within my flock of 5 birds and had to be put down while the other 4 adults never got it. Keep the birds well fortified with diet and supplements, keep conditions sanitary, and regulate comfortable temperature days as much as possible to keep stressful situations to a minimum. 95% of USA backyard flocks are carrying endemic viruses so I am prepared for anything. My vet was not sure about my Marek's birds and actually has seen some birds recover so he wasn't quick to put my birds down until he monitored them after diagnosis. Marek's sounds scary but it's not a death sentence and some owners have actually treated their birds back to health -- all dependent on which strain the birds had. When breeders say they have an NPIP flock it is usually only tested for AI and Newcastles and rarely nothing else because testing is expensive so only the major 2 or 3 viruses are tested. Other endemic viruses may be in the tested birds but the owner won't know it because their hardy birds never came down with symptoms so think they have virus-free birds to ship out to customers. It's a fool's paradise to think all backyard breeding or closed-premises breeding is virus-free. Like one large breeder shared with me -- it is imperative to keep birds stress-free, clean, well supplemented, given regular worming schedules, and given vitamins and probiotics. Everything after that is up to Mother Nature.


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