Backyard Brahmas!!

[kekstrom]

Blanche is 2 weeks old and still the sweetest thing. She is the most personable little chick.

 

[theuglychick]

My last Brahma, my Buff, Caroline, is still with me at 9 yrs 5 mos old. And oddly enough, though I lost so many hatchery birds to internal laying/egg yolk peritonitis, she is my only hatchery hen as well. I just put 21 Brahma eggs in the incubator from Tom (brahmapapa) in NY, 11 Darks and 10 Blue Partridge x Partridge. I've wanted more Brahmas for a few years now, ever since my Lt. Brahma died at 5 1/2 yrs old of cancer (also hatchery, raised with and same age as Caroline) I really didn't plan to keep a breeding group of anything other than my old line Barred Plymouth Rocks (also have some in the incubator, due in a week) but I am completely in love with the Blue Partridge, especially, so it would be difficult to rehome a gorgeous blue partridge male! May have to just keep a small breeding group and put a couple of pullets in with the BRs, too, to give Atlas an "exotic woman", LOL. As long as I have room in the barn! Caroline, who keeps on trucking, in spite of pendulous crop and resulting periodic bouts of sour crop. Separated during one of her latest bouts to limit her feed and treat her water. She hasn't laid since she was 7 yrs old. This was sweet Miranda, who passed away a few years ago. She was so pretty, though obviously not pure for pea comb. She laid very early for a Brahma, at 19 weeks old. Caroline waited until 30 wks.

Do you feed your older girls any special diet?

 

[speckledhen]

Do you feed your older girls any special diet?

Their base diet is regular layer pellets, alternating between 16 and 22% protein, plus a 13 grain scratch mix (easy on that in the Old Hens' group because of Caroline's crop issues) and occasional scrambled eggs with yogurt and oil. But, not really any special diet over and above what the younger layers get.

 

[theuglychick]

Their base diet is regular layer pellets, alternating between 16 and 22% protein, plus a 13 grain scratch mix (easy on that in the Old Hens' group because of Caroline's crop issues) and occasional scrambled eggs with yogurt and oil. But, not really any special diet over and above what the younger layers get.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Lady Who]

For some reason the app isn't letting me post any pics

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks for the info!

No problem. They do get some supplements like turmeric and garlic in their eggs to boost the immune system, but so do other groups, and generally, the older hens eat pretty much the same thing as all the layers do. Then again, a large percentage of my hens are 7-9+ years old anyway, so they're almost all older hens, LOL.

For some reason the app isn't letting me post any pics

Wish I could help. I don't do mobile stuff. Maybe you could post a question in the forum feedback section at the top of the forum.

 

[Lady Who]

My rooster likes to mate with her so she has to where an apron
Edit; I got it working.
Does anyone have trouble with slow draining crops with their Bramhas

 

[speckledhen]

My rooster likes to mate with her so she has to where an apron
Edit; I got it working.
Does anyone have trouble with slow draining crops with their Bramhas

My 9 year old Buff Brahma has pendulous crop so yes, it is sluggish and must have daily massage to move food through it. It showed up when she was around 6 years old or so and has become worse with age. If that is what is happening with your girl, it will do the same. It's a genetic predisposition. My BBS Orpingtons were prone to pendulous crop as well. Just be sure she is not getting a lot of grains-those ferment badly and cause sour crop on a hen with this issue. Pelleted or crumble feed is better.

If pendulous crop is not her problem, maybe she's eating too much long grass or eating hay/straw that is wadding up. Stiff fibrous things are hard on the crop.

 

[Lady Who]

It's happening with both my standeredsize show Bramhas. They are both a year around the 25th of May. Is there anything I could do to help them from your experience? They eat like a cow so It's really hard to keep them from eating

 

[speckledhen]

It's happening with both my standeredsize show Bramhas. They are both a year around the 25th of May. Is there anything I could do to help them from your experience? They eat like a cow so It's really hard to keep them from eating

Unfortunately, you can only try to manage pendulous crop. You cannot fix it. It's inherited and incurable. A vet I know said he could do a crop tuck surgery but it would only be temporary, that the muscles would stretch back out, that they were genetically weak. This killed three Blue Orp hens of mine over time, and one of their daughters who inherited the trait from her mother.

It tends to become sour crop because food sits too low to get through the hole at the back of the crop to progress onward and sits there and ferments. When that happens, all you can do is take away food and put acidified copper sulfate in the water for a day or two (1/8 tsp to a gallon). Tomato juice somewhat helps with crop issues, probably due to the acidity (unsalted).

The big thing is she has to have limited feed and pelleted or crumble is better than a grain mix so be very stingy with scratch.

My Caroline is a piggy eater, too. I have to save her from herself sometimes. And I have to keep her from getting scratch, though she manages to scavenge some on occasion.