Brahma Breeders thread

[Tim63]

Tim, did you go to Houston in January?

No.

 

[bumpercarr]

No.

Sorry, again sleep deprived, I meant March. Have you gone to that show before? I'm just trying to put together a list of possibilities for next year and wondered if it was worth the trip. I have a niece that shows her lambs there and thought maybe it would be worth a two day drive for me each way.

 

[Tim63]

No, I never do spring shows as that is when my breeding pens are in full swing. I make Fall/ January shows only. ALL Texas shows are closed to out of state people. Shawnee, Oklahoma has an excellent show around the 12 of December that might be worth your while. The four-courners show is good. There are several good shows in California as well. I typically make Fall Texas shows and Shawnee. I did make the last Crossroads show. Had planned on the BIG show in Columbus this Nov, BUT i'm starting to realize thats not realistic. TOO far, TOO expensive.

Tim

 

[bumpercarr]

No, I never do spring shows as that is when my breeding pens are in full swing. I make Fall/ January shows only. ALL Texas shows are closed to out of state people. Shawnee, Oklahoma has an excellent show around the 12 of December that might be worth your while. The four-courners show is good. There are several good shows in California as well. I typically make Fall Texas shows and Shawnee. I did make the last Crossroads show. Had planned on the BIG show in Columbus this Nov, BUT i'm starting to realize thats not realistic. TOO far, TOO expensive.

Tim

Wow, I had no idea that Texas shows were closed to out of state folks. What about Tucson, have you ever been to one of their shows? I have Shawnee and Four Corners on the list, I'll be going even if I don't have any birds ready. I won't be thinking about Columbus, or anything east of the Mississippi this fall, too much time and $$$ to get there. I have an RV, so I can save a little on lodging, but I usually end up spending it on gas. Bantams might be ready in November, I seriously doubt any of my LF would be ready. Possibly by next spring, but like you, I'm kind of busy in the spring.

 

[Apdeb]

Wow im sorry tim your not going to ohio

 

[Tim63]

Thanks, me too. Its about 16 hours one way.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

 Just let them grow. As you well know, the big birds are very slow to mature. I would not cull a chick for anything other than an obvious deformity or such. There is an article by Larry Peterson in the 2010 ABC handbook called "Culling & Sorting Your Recent Hatch". In that article he states:" a standard Brahma will take two full years to reach maturity,". Certainly you do not have to wait two full years to cull.....it just takes patience to see exactly what you have. With experience you will begin to identify good birds at an earlier age. Conversely, these are some of the reasons I breed Bantams. They mature quickly.....pullets are prime for show at 5-6 months, cockerels at 7 or so. They eat WAY less feed. They can be culled at a much younger age obviously, AND they require much less space. I appreciate everyone commited to the BIG birds. They certainly need to be preserved. Bantams are an excellent alternative for those with less space and a more meager budget. Keep up the GOOD work TBC!

Tim

Thanks Tim, that's what I thought I had read before. I don't claim to be an expert but I do want to improve all my birds. I figure if u are not improving u are going backwards.

 

[bumpercarr]

At what age do you cull? Is there anything specific that you are looking for when you decide whether to keep a bird or let it go?

 

[BGMatt]

Question for my asiatic brothers, piggy backing off the question a few posts up, do you grow out all your birds and then cull? Or do you cull along the way for things like growth rate and vigor?

 

[Tim63]

At what age do you cull? Is there anything specific that you are looking for when you decide whether to keep a bird or let it go?

Specifically in your case with the Bantam Darks. You can cull them VERY early for Vulture Hocks. They will come in very evident as soon as the bird begins to feather in.

Generally I don't cull for minor color issues. TYPE is paramount. I like to let my birds grow. I'll cull obvious sparrow heads at a couple of months. Of course I DO NOT baby sickly chicks that fail to thrive. I'll cull females with WAY too much black in cushion area. I keep typey females with some black there as breeders.

Matt, I don't cull for growth rate as I just raise bantams. As far as vigor... I don't keep sickly birds.

To BC, just remember WIDE.....WIDE head, Wide back, WIDE tail, even WIDE feathers. Brahmas are a massive, broad bird. Look for birds that show good overall width. Sparrow-headed, narrow birds with pinched tails are NO GOOD. (for our purposes as exhibition breeders anyway).

Tim