Backyard Brahmas!!

[ShortHenTallPen]

Hi there,

After a long-dreamt-of move to the country, we're getting our first chickens this year — I'd love them to be Brahmas, but I have a couple of questions about the breed, and this thread seemed the best place to ask them?

Being where we are, in Ontario, there will be a good quantity of snow on the ground for several months of the year. We're building a covered run, but snow will drift in (somehow!) — I read that you need to check Brahmas' feet every day when they're in snow, in case they get clumps of ice stuck in their feathers — has anyone has problems with this, to the extent that they'd recommend not getting Brahmas for this situation? I don't want them if they'll be miserable!

Also, it does get fairly hot here in summer (by my standards as a Brit! - we see maybe one or two days at around 40 Celcius in the summer — too hot?

Thank you so much for any help! I'll get back to ogling pictures of Brahmas on the internet now

 

[bumpercarr]

Hi there,

After a long-dreamt-of move to the country, we're getting our first chickens this year — I'd love them to be Brahmas, but I have a couple of questions about the breed, and this thread seemed the best place to ask them?

Being where we are, in Ontario, there will be a good quantity of snow on the ground for several months of the year. We're building a covered run, but snow will drift in (somehow!) — I read that you need to check Brahmas' feet every day when they're in snow, in case they get clumps of ice stuck in their feathers — has anyone has problems with this, to the extent that they'd recommend not getting Brahmas for this situation? I don't want them if they'll be miserable!

Also, it does get fairly hot here in summer (by my standards as a Brit!

- we see maybe one or two days at around 40 Celcius in the summer — too hot?

Thank you so much for any help! I'll get back to ogling pictures of Brahmas on the internet now

I can't answer your question about snow, we don't get much down here. We do get heat though, last summer we got up to 109 and was over 100 for about two weeks straight. I wouldn't say that the birds enjoyed it, but they did fine in the heat. It's important to make sure that they have fresh water and shade when it is hot. I also put a sprinkler in their run so that they have moisture in the ground to help them stay cool.

 

[Huntress78]

Hi there,

After a long-dreamt-of move to the country, we're getting our first chickens this year — I'd love them to be Brahmas, but I have a couple of questions about the breed, and this thread seemed the best place to ask them?

Being where we are, in Ontario, there will be a good quantity of snow on the ground for several months of the year. We're building a covered run, but snow will drift in (somehow!) — I read that you need to check Brahmas' feet every day when they're in snow, in case they get clumps of ice stuck in their feathers — has anyone has problems with this, to the extent that they'd recommend not getting Brahmas for this situation? I don't want them if they'll be miserable!

Also, it does get fairly hot here in summer (by my standards as a Brit!

- we see maybe one or two days at around 40 Celcius in the summer — too hot?

Thank you so much for any help! I'll get back to ogling pictures of Brahmas on the internet now

Maybe I can help with the snow question, some years we can have three feet on the ground by now. The birds here really don't like to walk in the snow at all. Sometimes even just a dusting will keep them from coming out of the coop so I shovel out the run and put down a thin layer of hay. I use hay because they do eat some of it. If it snows lightly over the hay I just fluff it back up with a rake but if it's heavy snow I put another layer of hay over the top. Come spring I clean the run and it all goes on the compost pile. There is a small 'roost' in a sunny corner of the pen and they often hop up there to take a nap. Their feet are tucked under them so any snow in the foot feathers melts. They also go back into the coop often and snuggle together in the shavings and preen so they are taking care of any feather issues themselves. If I had to check 100 bird feet every day I'd never get anything else done!

If you are building a covered run you could wrap the sides in clear plastic in winter to block the wind/snow. Or, depending on the size of the run, you could make storm windows from plastic or glass to attach when it starts to get cold out. I have a lean-to off the side of the coop that has one whole wall of glass and then I put up tarps on the ends in winter so they have a dry sunny place to dust bathe.

There are all kinds of things we can do to help our birds be comfortable in winter so I wouldn't let a little snow and cold keep you from getting your Brahmas.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

I live in South Dakota, US. We get almost all forms of weather to some extent. My brahmas do well in both heat and cold. They don't like deep snow but as huntress said their feet are not a problem. They do handle cold much better than heat but do well with plenty of shade and fresh water.
They are a docile bird who get along well with each other. I never recommend over crowding but they do handle being "cooped-up" well when weather or other circumstances require it.

Good luck!

 

[ShortHenTallPen]

Hey SD Bird Lady, Huntress78, bumpercarr,

Thanks for the replies – between you, I feel really reassured about getting (happy!) Brahmas

My hubby is keen on Chanteclers.... and they seem like great birds, very hardy, good laying into winter... maybe as part of a mixed flock, as I am keen on preserving a part of our Canadian heritage...... but they just don't appeal to me like the Brahmas do :$ — they are so gorgeous.

I like the idea of the plastic wrap or plastic panes around the run in winter to provide some shelter wind/blowing snow; the run will be insulated, and their run will be in the shelter of a large maple, and then the house itself from the west, but our area's very open agricultural land, and the wind really belts through at times in winter.

We also have a ton of old windows and doors in our barn that I might be able to repurpose, but I think it might be a bit heavy.... food for thought!

Rach

 

[CliffB]

Teenage "years" are almost over...

 

[Amberjem]

Your welcome.

I am going to ask you a favor. That being use the term cockerel for a male under a year, cock or cock bird for a male over a year. Some folks feel uneasy using these terms, in that case male will suffice. Pullet for a female under a year, hen for over a year.

As a general rule I tend not to respond to posts that use the term roo, but you seem to have a genuine interest.

As to the comb thing, pea comb is dominant over single. First generation crosses will result in all pea combs of some sort. Some may be a little wonky. If you breed these crosses back together you will get more variation. Just keep picking the ones with the best comb and overall type, and over time It will clean up.

I thought the pea comb was an indirect dominate gene meaning it would have aspects but blend with a single comb?.. and why do you have a problem with roo?

 

[bumpercarr]

Teenage "years" are almost over...

I love them at this stage though! They look like dinosaurs and are so unsightly that they are actually cute.

 

[CliffB]

I love them at this stage though! They look like dinosaurs and are so unsightly that they are actually cute.

My Velociraptor.

 

[bumpercarr]

I thought the pea comb was an indirect dominate gene meaning it would have aspects but blend with a single comb?.. and why do you have a problem with roo?

Actually, comb genetics as we know them are pretty simple. The rose comb type and the pea comb type are actually two different chromosomes on two different genes (in different locations). Because of that, they really don't blend, they are either there (R or P) or are absent (r or p). The presence or absence of those genes control four different types of combs. The presence of both (RP) give you a walnut comb, the absence of both (rp) give you a straight comb. The presence of one (Rp) gives you a rose comb and (rP) gives you a pea comb. The other comb types and the different shapes that can crop up in any of the combs comes from modifiers that make them cushions, strawberry, etc.

As far as roo goes, it is an incorrect term. Basically it is slang that was started during the puritan era in the United States by those that objected to the use of the word "cock". When you show birds, you need to identify the males as either a cockerel or a cock bird. So, there are many of us that prefer to use the proper terminology and sometimes we cringe when others use the word "roo" to describe our males. I kind of look at all of this as a learning experience, so I always appreciate when someone corrects me....and I need correcting a lot!