Backyard Brahmas!!

[Huntress78]

Quote: I haven't had hatchery birds for a couple years now but still have some pics. I had Lights and Darks...the Lights were small, good personalities, and good layers of med/large eggs. The Darks were a little larger, for the most part they were mean (one even killed her own chicks) and were good layers of med/large eggs.
The 'show bred' birds I have are much closer to the standard, have good personalities and lay large/ex large eggs.
I've had just about every color 'project' bird out there...some were sweet, some mean. NONE of them came anywhere near the American standard. Right now the majority of the flock are Partridge 'projects' and a few are 'show bred'.

This is a hatchery Light hen. She has just about every flaw there is...small/narrow head, small body size, narrow/short body, tail angle too high and tail pinched.


This is a show bred Buff hen. She is winter worn/faded and is molting so her tail doesn't look good right now but she has a long/wide body, better tail angle, proper horseshoe shaped tail, and a wide head (her body is so large it makes her head look small but it really isn't). She has some color issues and her comb is too big but if she were in good feather and conditioned I wouldn't hesitate to show her.
Pic from the side.

Pic from the top




You can see the same differences in the males. Hatchery Light is small, narrow, slab chested...Buff is much wider and deeper throughout. Compare the two tails from behind...they pretty much say it all!

 

[romien]

I haven't had hatchery birds for a couple years now but still have some pics. I had Lights and Darks...the Lights were small, good personalities, and good layers of med/large eggs. The Darks were a little larger, for the most part they were mean (one even killed her own chicks) and were good layers of med/large eggs.
The 'show bred' birds I have are much closer to the standard, have good personalities and lay large/ex large eggs.
I've had just about every color 'project' bird out there...some were sweet, some mean. NONE of them came anywhere near the American standard. Right now the majority of the flock are Partridge 'projects' and a few are 'show bred'.

This is a hatchery Light hen. She has just about every flaw there is...small/narrow head, small body size, narrow/short body, tail angle too high and tail pinched.


This is a show bred Buff hen. She is winter worn/faded and is molting so her tail doesn't look good right now but she has a long/wide body, better tail angle, proper horseshoe shaped tail, and a wide head (her body is so large it makes her head look small but it really isn't). She has some color issues and her comb is too big but if she were in good feather and conditioned I wouldn't hesitate to show her.
Pic from the side.

Pic from the top




You can see the same differences in the males. Hatchery Light is small, narrow, slab chested...Buff is much wider and deeper throughout. Compare the two tails from behind...they pretty much say it all!

Wow, huge difference. Thank you so much for pointing this out I appreciate it immensely.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I just learned a lot too Huntress78.
Thank you for the education.
I have hatchery stock all from the same hatchery. My buff is the worst for meeting any standard at all. Every defect in the book save vulture hocks. Even the BA are larger in height.
My light is much closer but still far from standard. My dark has the best comb size but not best shape.
None of mine are mean at all so there's that.

 

[speckledhen]

Have to give some sad news: my chicks began to die within the last few weeks. Several were very week from the onset and inevitably perished while others began to develope severe scissor beak. Out of an order of 33, 10 died within the first 10 days and within three weeks 6 developed scissor beak. I have never had such crap luck with just one company. I don't get it. So out of 33 from my original order I'm down to 17 birds of mixed genetic quality. Calling this order a bust. Big shame. I was made monetarily whole, but the exsperience has me bummed.

Oh, no! That is really awful. Even getting your money refunded doesn't make up for the heartache of it all, I know. So sorry!


My Sebastian (Bash) is doing fabulously! I let Bruno, his partridge brother, go live with a friend who breeds them, too, and Bash and his five hens are doing great. Bonnie is over her broody period, the chicks are living alone, and I'm waiting for Brandy to give hers up as well.






So scruffy at this stage. The pair are sold, awaiting pick up. May sell the other pullet with them as a trio. I have one more pullet left in the other group and she may stay.

 

[BrahmaDahDah]

I know my hatchery lights are nothing special but I love them all the same! I am very interested in show quality birds though, so if your in the greater Great Lakes region and have chicks, let me know! I'll travel and pay for good stock!

The pen they are in is just a place holder until their chick mansion arrives! So excited!

 

[BrahmaDahDah]

Oh, no! That is really awful. Even getting your money refunded doesn't make up for the heartache of it all, I know. So sorry! My Sebastian (Bash) is doing fabulously! I let Bruno, his partridge brother, go live with a friend who breeds them, too, and Bash and his five hens are doing great. Bonnie is over her broody period, the chicks are living alone, and I'm waiting for Brandy to give hers up as well. So scruffy at this stage. The pair are sold, awaiting pick up. May sell the other pullet with them as a trio. I have one more pullet left in the other group and she may stay.

Your birds are lovely! Just gorgeous!!!

 

[Huntress78]

Quote:
No problem. Like I said, putting hands on different birds will really show the differences...weight, width of back between the wings, better muscling of the legs/thighs etc.

I just learned a lot too Huntress78.
Thank you for the education.
I have hatchery stock all from the same hatchery. My buff is the worst for meeting any standard at all. Every defect in the book save vulture hocks. Even the BA are larger in height.
My light is much closer but still far from standard. My dark has the best comb size but not best shape.
None of mine are mean at all so there's that.

You're welcome. I'm glad your birds are all sweet...one thing I won't tolerate in the flock is meanness. I still have 19 males left from last years breeding and have been watching them closely for dominance and any sign of aggression to people...only the best all around will be breeding this year.

I have nothing against hatchery birds...all my dogs have been AKC registered but only pet quality so look at it as being the same thing. I kept and bred hatchery Lights for years and it taught me sooo much. I still remember how it felt to have a pair 'nick' and to realize how rare it is. If I have a pet peeve it would be people who refuse to acknowledge that there IS a difference (barn blindness) and advertise their project birds as perfect, stunning, bred to SOP, etc. It's certainly not fair to their customers.

 

[speckledhen]

Your birds are lovely! Just gorgeous!!!

Thank you. We're enjoying them immensely. The two hatchery Brahmas cemented our love of the breed, a Lt and a Buff. Miranda died at 5 1/2 of cancer. We miss Caroline, who passed Oct 28, our buff. She would have been 10 yrs old in January. I remember telling her when she saw the Brahma chicks, "Caroline, we got these because of you. Too bad we don't think you'll be here to boss them around." And she wasn't. But she was the Queen, that's for sure. Nobody ever got the best of Caroline. She became head hen in any group you put her in, just moved right into the top spot. Gotta love a tough hen.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Thank you again Huntress.
We love the breed and even with the flaws mine are certainly adored here.
Yup no meanies allowed in my flock either.

 

[WashingtonWino]

My first brahma chick is in a brooder in a spare room and I must say she's got to be the biggest cutest fattest chick I've ever had. Her Easter egger roomie is teeny in comparison. She's a hunk and so calm. Named her Hodor...