Backyard Brahmas!!

[Amberjem]

Here are a few more pictures. Thanks again

 

[Amberjem]

Me too. I find the darks are really easy to tell, my partridge are not. The only reason I think this might be a male is because it's coloring looks like a split to me...only males are splits. Other than that, I'd probably guess female because it is awfully young to have wing feathers coming in. The real teller is if it gets a dark black single wing feather at the bottom of the wing....then it is a male, assuming it is a dark.

I've stopped guessing as well. I can usually start to sort it out at about two week, 90% sure at 3-4 weeks and 100% sure when they crow (or not). LOL.

only males are split?

 

[big medicine]

Only males are capable of being split gold/silver based as they have two genes for this, Females only have one, so they are either gold or silver based. The females color base is determined by her father. A gold/gold male will produce all gold based female offspring regardless the color of the mother. As a silver/silver male will produce all silver based females. A split gold/silver male can produce females of either color.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

@SD Bird Lady
: He is actually a mix. His mama was a hatchery LF cochin with a pea comb and his daddy was a LF Phoenix. I know he is not a Brahma (and believe I said that  ), but he is the biggest guy I had. He lost his hens last year and the Brahma girls didn't have a roo, so I put them together. Hoss is also the oldest chicken I have, he will be 6 this summer. So he is here to stay and will always have some ladies. 

Edit to add that his legs are lightly feathered--and probably also scaly. He's an old guy! 

Also, if you click on the pics to enlarge, you can clearly see that his legs are feathered. Other than his black legs and 'Phoenix' tail, what other characteristics do you see that are not brahma?

He almost looked like a bcm but with a pea comb to my very untrained eye. His wattles are so much larger than what I'm used to. Sorry I only have my phone so pictures never really look big and detailed. I agree you have to hang onto the good boys as they are hard to find. Glad he is good with his ladies.

I missed the part where he was a mix. I mainly inquired because you had mentioned getting closer to sop and I know sometimes it happens that birds are received/purchased as one breed and are in fact not. I had a hatchery Brahma who was in fact a Brahma/Cochin cross after I posted him on here. Very pretty bird but wasn't what I originally thought I had.
Congratulations on your hens. I love my Brahma hens, Just so chillaxed haha

 

[Amberjem]

Only males are capable of being split gold/silver based as they have two genes for this, Females only have one, so they are either gold or silver based. The females color base is determined by her father. A gold/gold male will produce all gold based female offspring regardless the color of the mother. As a silver/silver male will produce all silver based females. A split gold/silver male can produce females of either color.

ty

 

[Amberjem]

 

[SD Bird Lady]

Love how Brahma chicks always look grumpy haha

 

[shelleyd2008]

He almost looked like a bcm but with a pea comb to my very untrained eye. His wattles are so much larger than what I'm used to. Sorry I only have my phone so pictures never really look big and detailed. I agree you have to hang onto the good boys as they are hard to find. Glad he is good with his ladies.

I missed the part where he was a mix. I mainly inquired because you had mentioned getting closer to sop and I know sometimes it happens that birds are received/purchased as one breed and are in fact not. I had a hatchery Brahma who was in fact a Brahma/Cochin cross after I posted him on here. Very pretty bird but wasn't what I originally thought I had.
Congratulations on your hens. I love my Brahma hens, Just so chillaxed haha

Brahmas were made by crossing LF cochins to other breeds, so I don't think that mix would have been too much of a problem. I can't remember right off what 'other breeds' were used, but I know cochins was one of them. It will come to me eventually.

And sorry, I get a bit long-winded sometimes! I mentioned trying to work towards the SOP because I had chicks ordered through my feed store. At least, I thought I did. I went to pick up my 12 light and 12 buff brahma chicks today, only to find that they had ordered light and dark brahma. I don't like the dark brahma, so it looks like Hoss will get to keep his girls a while longer!

 

[mes]

I "think" that it looks like I have one blue and one black chick! They are about a week old now so really only have wing primaries, but one is much darker than the other. Two more due in the next few days and more eggs incubating.

I wonder why none of my hens ever go broody. Maybe it is the universe telling me to expand and look for a little silkie hen?

Is there anything I can do to prompt them?

 

[bumpercarr]

I "think" that it looks like I have one blue and one black chick! They are about a week old now so really only have wing primaries, but one is much darker than the other. Two more due in the next few days and more eggs incubating.

I wonder why none of my hens ever go broody. Maybe it is the universe telling me to expand and look for a little silkie hen?

Is there anything I can do to prompt them?

Sometimes leaving a couple of golf balls or fake eggs will bring broodiness on. Other than that, I know that all of my broody brahmas have been a bit older....like a year and a half instead of young like the really broody breeds do. At least for me, once one goes broody they all seem to be ready to brood. Also, mine like to brood in the fall for some reason...not sure why. Most other breeds start brooding late winter/early spring.