Backyard Brahmas!!

[anderhill]

New to the whole chicken thing... totally bummed.. bought 18 hatching eggs, here are the young chickens, the person we bought the eggs from said all of his out of the two roos he has have vulture hocks or are recessive for volture hocks, that he is culling everything he got this year. So i suppose, technically, we should do the same....

 

[newmarch2014]

Are you showing them? Are you breeding for showing purposes? If those answers are "no" then there is no reason to cull and just enjoy your flock! My gorgeous Brahmas have vulture hocks and are divine for my little backyard egg laying flock.

 

[anderhill]

No, not breeding for show, but would like to sell hatching eggs

 

[newmarch2014]

Still fine for most backyard flock purposes. Just disclose they are not show quality and if you want to breed for sop (standard of perfection) later then you can work toward it.

 

[Jryan18]

guess that gender?? dark brahmas 6 weeks... too soon?? they look identic same 2

I am not an expert but I would say the first is a pullet, the second cockerel purely on the difference in feathering, the first appearing to have way more feathers. Also the patterning on the first is correct for a female the second one doesn't really have enough feathers to say much about the pattern but a cockerel will have many more all black feathers and an "inconsistent" pattern as he feathers. Dark brahmas are by far the easiest to tell the difference in sex even. I have light Brahmas that are 3 months old and still have no idea which are which besides a guess because of attitude.

 

[Blooie]

Okay, 3 of my Light Brahmas are now 24 weeks old and one is 23 weeks old. I'm getting 3 eggs a day from them - really cute little pinkish colored ones. Oh, and yes, I know that they are theirs. So if I had a roo among the 4, I'd know it by now, right? (Please tell me "right")

 

[newmarch2014]

Okay, 3 of my Light Brahmas are now 24 weeks old and one is 23 weeks old. I'm getting 3 eggs a day from them - really cute little pinkish colored ones. Oh, and yes, I know that they are theirs. So if I had a roo among the 4, I'd know it by now, right? (Please tell me "right")

mine is 24 weeks old and still no egg from her so not weird that one of yours is not laying yet. We have already discussed the quite obvious difference in my boy/girl early on but he has been crowing for 8 weeks now (not to mention mounting every hen he can get his beak on). If they all seem like pullets you will eventually have 4 layers.

 

[big medicine]

No, not breeding for show, but would like to sell hatching eggs

I applaud your integrity. Breeding for your own flock is one thing, but knowingly selling birds/eggs with major disqualifying faults serves no purpose but to harm the breed in the long run.

 

[anderhill]

I've decided to pet these out... I guess I'll be looking for more eggs or chicks next year...

 

[Blooie]

mine is 24 weeks old and still no egg from her so not weird that one of yours is not laying yet. We have already discussed the quite obvious difference in my boy/girl early on but he has been crowing for 8 weeks now (not to mention mounting every hen he can get his beak on). If they all seem like pullets you will eventually have 4 layers.

Oh, I wasn't surprised that all 4 Lights aren't laying yet - 3 that are are a week or so older than the other one and they are laying consistently. Nothing from the 8 Buff Brahmas either, but they are almost 3 weeks younger, and I know that all chickens just lay when they're ready, not according to some schedule.

I was just looking for a little reassurance that if there haven't been any signs of rooster behavior or appearance, I was blessed with all pullets.