Backyard Brahmas!!

[carcar80]

LOL!! The camera timing is everything. These are all in between screeching/flapping fits.

 

[carcar80]

And thanks guys. I don't have them numbered to track specific birds but am looking more for a ratio guess.. I think two for sure cockerels also.. And I agree there are two I can't decide on.

 

[Huntress78]

LOL!! The camera timing is everything. These are all in between screeching/flapping fits.

Something I noticed this year is that the batches of chicks brooded in a cage where the door is on the side are calm and the ones brooded in a container where you have to reach in over the top are terrified of me. One batch of 30 are really bad. It seems one bird starts the craziness and the rest take their cue from him/her!

 

[big medicine]

Something I noticed this year is that the batches of chicks brooded in a cage where the door is on the side are calm and the ones brooded in a container where you have to reach in over the top are terrified of me. One batch of 30 are really bad. It seems one bird starts the craziness and the rest take their cue from him/her!

Interesting observation, some primal predatory instinct at play here ?

All my brooders are front loaders.

My basement brooder.
.

The big brooder out in coop.

 

[Katt66]

Interesting observation, some primal predatory instinct at play here ? All my brooders are front loaders. My basement brooder. . The big brooder out in coop.

I'm gonna agree. Combination of things though too just based on my own observations. Chicks are always calm and cool and friendly when in the brooder where they feel safe and secure. Come at them from the side or front for the best reaction. Come at them from the top or back even in a brooder they are uncomfortable. Place them outside they become very paranoid of anything coming at them period...especially from the back or above. Place these chicks/grown pullets, cockerels/ all the way up to a adult birds back into a coop, however and they calm down again and are more receptive to handling. I think these behaviors are a combination of natural prey behavior...something intent on eating them will come from above or sneak in from behind AND a form of "survival of the fittest" Think about it...a cockerel does NOT want to be dominated and mounted by ANYBODY. A pullet all the way up an adult hen will only submit to the cock who is dominant and strong and quick enough to grab ahold of her and force her to submit. If he can't catch her he just plain not worthy. Our chickens relate to us as eith predators or flock members and across towards us accordingly.

 

[bumpercarr]

Interesting observation, some primal predatory instinct at play here ?

All my brooders are front loaders.

My basement brooder.
.

The big brooder out in coop.

Hmmm, interesting observation. I'm thinking the same thing about predator response. I'm getting ready to build a new brooder in the coop and I was thinking about how I wanted the door to be. Looks like maybe I should put it in the front. I was thinking maybe a tweener, like a tilted door (hard to describe) that was sort of top but sort of front as well. But, I really hate trying to gather up my chicks when they are running around like crazies!

 

[Huntress78]

Big Medicine I like your triple stack idea. How do you attach the brooder lamps in the lower levels?

Bumpercarr do you mean a slant front? I thought about doing one like that but went with the flat top so I could store stuff up there in the offseason.
Today it's doubling as a hospital pen.

 

[bumpercarr]

Big Medicine I like your triple stack idea. How do you attach the brooder lamps in the lower levels?

Bumpercarr do you mean a slant front? I thought about doing one like that but went with the flat top so I could store stuff up there in the offseason.
Today it's doubling as a hospital pen.

It's hard to explain what I was thinking. It would have a flat roof to store stuff, but the door would be slanted. Let's see if this drawing will come out....LOL This is a side look. Front door more slanted than I can draw here.

Top
_________________________________
/ |
/ |
Front / |
/ |
/ |
/____________________________________|

 

[Huntress78]

So the door would be hinged at the top? Is there an advantage to that?

 

[bumpercarr]

So the door would be hinged at the top? Is there an advantage to that?

For me, I don't have a lot of side to side room, so I usually hinge everything at the top in the coop. Just easier for me, doesn't necessarily work for everyone. My brood pen is going to be a waist level, so top hinging works for me.