Breda Fowl are one of the most unique breeds on the planet - their assortment of beautiful features, when in combination, create a bird that is noble and elegant in stature. When we saw pictures of Breda Fowl for the first time, it was an instant "GOTTA HAVE IT" reaction. Read on to find out why:
Meet The World's Only Combless Chicken
While there is some speculation as to their exact geographical and genealogical origins, with some fanciers arguing that they're actually of French origin, Breda Fowl are generally considered to be the largest of the old Dutch breeds - easily recognizable by their complete lack of comb, lightly tufted heads, vulture hocks, cavernous nostrils, and feathered shanks. Males should have a taller, more upright stance as opposed to the lower carriage seen in females. They are a medium sized bird and hens will lay 3-4 white/cream eggs per week.
Varieties include Blue, Black, Splash, White, Cuckoo, and Mottled.
What makes a chicken combless?
Breda stand alone as the only chicken in the world without a comb - rather, they possess a flat red patch of comb-textured flesh where you would see a comb on any other breed. This trait is owed to its lacking genes for Pea, Rose, and Single comb types, while possessing two copies of the Dv gene, which both splits and supresses comb tissue. The final ingredient in the genomic recipe for a combless chicken is one unique to Breda - the recessive Breda Combless gene, denoted as “bd”. In order to achieve comblessness, birds must be homozygous (meaning they carry two copies) of this gene in order to express the suppressed comb flesh you see in correct Breda Fowl phenotype. From there, continuing to breed specimens with correct phenotype should, in theory, result largely in birds that retain comblessness through generations.
Conservation of Breda Fowl
While quite popular in America before the Civil War when they went by the names Guelderlands or Grueldres, Breda Fowl ultimately fell out of popularity and were pushed to extinction in the US at the turn of the 20th century as Asiatic and new American breeds surged in popularity. Over 100 years passed before new known imports were brought over in the early 2010s. Today, it remains a critically endangered breed on both European and North American continents, in dire need of dedicated breeding flocks and tenacious breeders to prevent this beautiful and stately breed from disappearing for good.
Breeders in several states across the US are currently working to establish healthy flocks and begin working toward recognition of the breed by the American Poultry Association, which will be a crucial step in the conservation process.
Our Program
We have been extremely fortunate to get our hands on Blue, Black, Mottled, and Cuckoo varieties, all from different lines - this will be critical in our breeding program as we move forward, given that the gene pool for these birds is so small right now. Over the next several years, our primary goal will be establishing a line of Black Breda that conforms well to their native standard, which we can then use to improve other color varieties as we go. Right now, we are building our flocks, and hope to breed increasingly correct specimens that will help us to better ensure this beautiful breed's future.
We are not offering this breed this season while we work on our own flocks, but we would encourage anyone looking to get started with this breed to reach out to us for contacts, particularly if you’re an APA member with an interest in its preservation.
