Backyard Brahmas!!

[Gryphon]

Wow what a beefcake!

 

[big medicine]

Sjisty, just curious, have you noticed any health related issues with your big birds ? Not to scare you, but over the years I have had a couple massive guys go purple in the face and keel over, heart related, I assumed.

You mentioned single combs popping up. To my understanding single combs reveal themselves only when the more dominant comb types like pea, rose and so forth are absent. Well established Brahmas should carry two copies of pea, and possibly some other comb modifying genetics. A bird carrying a single copy of (dominant) pea would still look pea, (possibly a little wonky if the right other modifiers are not also present. So you must have a male and at least one female carrying single copies of pea to get single combs to show. I went through the same thing with recessive vulture hock issue with my silver laced.

Some of my birds have the black neck you described. Mine came from some dark Cornish ancestry several generations back. I have seen it referred to as Indian game black hackle, or something like that.

I hope I did not intrude posting over here, but you made me curious, and I thought maybe I could help you out, on the other stuff . I feel kinda left out not being involved with getting the other thread shut down. I believe I got it shut down the last time during the hole Dan Powell debacle.

 

[Gryphon]

I for one am interested in your input, Big Medecine. Just because this is for non-show Brahmas doesn't mean we're not interested in genetics and improving what stock we have.

 

[Sjisty]

Sjisty, just curious, have you noticed any health related issues with your big birds ? Not to scare you, but over the years I have had a couple massive guys go purple in the face and keel over, heart related, I assumed.

You mentioned single combs popping up. To my understanding single combs reveal themselves only when the more dominant comb types like pea, rose and so forth are absent. Well established Brahmas should carry two copies of pea, and possibly some other comb modifying genetics. A bird carrying a single copy of (dominant) pea would still look pea, (possibly a little wonky if the right other modifiers are not also present. So you must have a male and at least one female carrying single copies of pea to get single combs to show. I went through the same thing with recessive vulture hock issue with my silver laced.

Some of my birds have the black neck you described. Mine came from some dark Cornish ancestry several generations back. I have seen it referred to as Indian game black hackle, or something like that.

I hope I did not intrude posting over here, but you made me curious, and I thought maybe I could help you out, on the other stuff . I feel kinda left out not being involved with getting the other thread shut down. I believe I got it shut down the last time during the hole Dan Powell debacle.

I lost my first blue partridge Brahma years ago. It was in the heat of summer and he seemed to be sitting on his favorite spot in the roost, but was dead. Not thin, no symptoms, just dead. He was about 15 pounds. I haven't had any problems of that sort since. We did just lose our light Brahma rooster, Rocky, to wet pox, but he was about 8 years old. Now I have the wet pox vaccine and am going to vaccinate everybody this weekend.

I had the opportunity about 3 years ago to buy "black Brahmas," so I bought 5 chicks. I think this is where my biggest problems with type started. I also bought some hatching eggs from partridge breeders to try to get rid of my vulture hock problems, but a couple of them turned out to have straight combs. All of my black hens threw chicks with straight combs, so I culled them.

I now have only 2 roosters, of my own breeding. I have some nice looking partridge (and one blue partridge) pullets up and coming and a new cockerel who is looking as good as a gawky teenager can look and also standing almost a head over his brothers. The plan is to take this year off from serious breeding and cull, cull, cull, or at least remove a lot of girls from my breeding program. The youngsters will be ready in the summer and we'll go from there, hopefully without vulture hocks and without straight combs.

You're always welcome over here - I have learned a lot from you over the years by reading your threads. Hopefully some day you will send me some hatching eggs so I can experiment with your beautiful new colors!

 

[big medicine]

That's the thing with recessive traits, unless you test mate, you can't be completely sure you have gotten rid of them.

 

[bamadude]

Sjisty: that thing is bigger than the lawn chair in the pic. Now thats a sasquatch. Big medicine u have always been cool on the other thread to us newbies and to our dumb questions. Although this isnt my thread, I welcome u here.

 

[Sjisty]

Sjisty: that thing is bigger than the lawn chair in the pic. Now thats a sasquatch. Big medicine u have always been cool on the other thread to us newbies and to our dumb questions. Although this isnt my thread, I welcome u here.

Naw, he's a bit in front of the chair, so he just looks bigger. He is pretty big, though.

 

[bamadude]

Looks like the new brahma thread for show quality birds is up. There is a link on the old brahma thread

 

[draye]

I have some backyard brahmas. I don't think they're full blooded though. Not enough feathering on their feet and the body type is off. I can't complain I guess I bought them at an auction and didn't notice these things until later. I have hatched out chicks and have had a cuple that have a reddish tint to their featheirng (baby Feathers). I haven't kept any yet to see if they feather out red or not.

 

[trueblue1]

My 9 week old cockerel (was supposed to be a pullet...SURPRISE!!!! ) Kurt Crowbain. and yes he's spoiled. His brooder mates are all his & well mine since they have to depend on me LOL!!!! They will all be introduced to their new coop this weekend it's almost bitter sweet.