Backyard Brahmas!!

[Vickis Girls]

Sjisty,
I've located your egg sales thread again, and have the tab for it on my computer, so all I have to do is refresh the page to see where you're at with filling orders.
Here's my question; once sales resume, should I just jump in and order a dozen eggs like everyone else even though I only want a half dozen? If so, will there be a place later to remind you how many to send? Or when sales start up again, should I just pm. you? I'm serious about wanting these. My little 7-egg Brinsea is on its way. If you'd just take a minute to let me know how you want to handle this, I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks so much,Vicki

 

[PhipN FarmGirl]

Hello fellow Brahma lovers! I'm still pretty much new to this sight but oh well. I just found you guys on this thread and thought to myself how friendly you all seemed.

So I figured I'd join in the gentle giant fun. My mother and I picked up six little chicks from a mixed gender bin in a feed store about a month and two weeks ago and we still aren't entirely sure what gender they all are, though I think we have 1 pullet and 5 roos.

I was wondering if you guys could help at all since they're older now and than in my other post. If not then that's alright. Guess we'll see in the future. But if we do end up having multiple roos what do we do with the others? We only want to keep one to protect whatever free ranging ladies we have. And I definitely can't bring myself to eat my babies.

My pretty girl(I think) Shay standing tall to see a bug.


Shay down in front with Jack right behind her. Crybaby looking to the left, Cloverfield standing up tall, Rudy looking like a big man in the back and Brownie ducking under him.


Jack fluffing up.

Oh dear, looks like you "won" the chicken lottery!

 

[PhipN FarmGirl]

Thanks. He's not so pretty any more. He's old and arthritic, and recovering from a brutal attack by his own son.

He is still beautiful.

 

[PhipN FarmGirl]

Does the Vaseline work? There are sprays and powders made to kill mites too....maybe you could try one of those. Don't forget to clean the coop several times in the next few weeks to kill any mites hiding there.
Good luck.

Well, it's too early to know if the Vaseline is working, but I read that it is a common treatment. Our girls look horrible now, will have to post a picture, they look like they have been wallowing in the mud. It is pouring today, but this weekend we plan on bathing them. May need to use Dawn dishwashing soap.

 

[Sjisty]

He is still beautiful.

Thanks. We are starting to wonder if maybe he had a stroke a couple of weeks ago. He has actually improved quite a bit this week, still walking with a limp, but able to get around pretty well. Samson still wants to attack him, though, so he can't free range any more.

 

[Huntress78]

I thought by now the chicks could go out to a coop/grow out pen but it's still too cold. I had planned to make some light moveable fence panels to use around the yard so I put them together this week and set them up in my shop to give the kids more room till the weather starts to cooperate. Had to staple some cardboard over the panels to keep the shavings in but I think the chicks like the extra room.




Now I have to come up with some kind of plan for building crates to take birds to the swap next week. Anyone have ideas or pics? Sizes? Materials? What do you all use to transport adult birds?

 

[my little peeps]

Eek.. Being new to this my peeps are 5 weeks old today. I have five chicks. It's been in the 80's all last week and they've gone out during the day. Well this week it's low of 40's high of 60's. Can they still go outside? My brahma still has fuzz (I'm guessing they are slow to mature?) my other four (red star, BR, EE, Black Australorp) have lots of feathers.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

yep, kick them out. Mine go into the outdoor coop at 5 weeks no matter what they did fine down to 20F with their heat lamp. The batch this spring has been through 2 crazy ice storms already at 9 & 10 weeks of age.

 

[ladyrsanti]

I'm thinking about kicking mine outside tomorrow. The lows don't look like they'll get below freezing this week but still want a heat lamp for them. It's just that I don't have an extra and the second hatch need it. Due to flooding, I'm not sure I can get into town to buy one tomorrow (river is cresting tomorrow above flood stage) so it all hinges on that. It's snowing today, ugh. But they are so packed in their brooder right now and going stir crazy. They are 5 weeks old now. I want them outside SOOOOOOOOOOOOO bad and I think they'd agree with me if they knew what awaits.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

Quote:

I'm thinking about kicking mine outside tomorrow. The lows don't look like they'll get below freezing this week but still want a heat lamp for them. It's just that I don't have an extra and the second hatch need it. Due to flooding, I'm not sure I can get into town to buy one tomorrow (river is cresting tomorrow above flood stage) so it all hinges on that. It's snowing today, ugh. But they are so packed in their brooder right now and going stir crazy. They are 5 weeks old now. I want them outside SOOOOOOOOOOOOO bad and I think they'd agree with me if they knew what awaits.

This has been a crazy "spring". But we were in desperate need of the moisture. What I usually do is take away the light for about 5 days inside so they are used to about 70s then when they go out I give the light back full time for a week then only at night for a few days and then no more heat. If the weather outside is above freezing you can abbreviate the steps a little more but they huddle and do fine. They are pretty tough little critters.