Backyard Brahmas!!

[livininbrazil]

Not sure about down there, but up this way we get an influx of hawks during migration. Historically, if I am going to have avian predation issues, it's likely going to be a young of the year hawk during fall migration.

When we told our friends we were moving from England to Brazil, they imagined machetes to cut the jungle, poisonous critters to kill you, other things to eat you....do you know, you guys have so much more trouble with predators there than we have here. I do so much appreciate that we have it easier here. There´s just one bird that can and does take chicks and ducklings, but it´s mainly a carrion-eater. That´s the only one I have to keep an eye on. I put up a scarecrow and move it around every few days. Actually, it´s just a fleece sweater on a hanger, but it seems to work, although the neighbours think I´m potty...oh, all except from one who´s copied me!! Actually, she´s gone one better and put a baseball cap on it!

But maybe the´re more timid here than there? (the hawks that is, not the neighbours!)

Anyone have any guesses on this little ones gender?


Roxy is about 6 weeks

Looks like a little male.

 

[livininbrazil]

Usually by six weeks I see the start of red wattles in the cockerels. That's why I say pullet, but I've been wrong before and will probably be wrong again. Keep us posted!

With mine here, the 100% way of knowing so far is the wing. The males always have that bald spot, where the adult cock-bird colours come through, whereas the females are always roundly covered in feathers. It´s never proved wrong yet with MY birds.
Red wattles, I´ve found, is not to be trusted, as I have two pullets which have had bright red wattles from the time they were tiny. I bought them, I went to the guy´s house and chose these two when they were just over a month old. I went by the feathering. It proved right.

Thank you I I'll let you guys know. I defiantly will be super happy if s/he is a pullet. I believe Roxy will have to be rehomed if s/he is a cockerel.

Woops, sorry! You won´t like my guess, then!

 

[Gryphon]

My two pullets had different tail feathers and one got much redder than the other at a much younger age. Turns out they were both pullets even though the red wattles worried me.

 

[kirbyekitchen]

I'm thinking this one might be a "he". Lots of assertive behavior and when my dog sniffs around, he holds his head up high and sounds the alarm. There is another in the bunch that regularly postures with him, but I haven't seen anything super aggressive in any of mine.

Playing in their holding pen while I get everything ready in their new coop. Today is moving day for these little bitties!
@bumpercarr I am taking your advice about not letting them become too dependent on the artificial warmth. I'm just gonna trust that they know how to keep themselves warm.
This has been such a fun experience!

 

[Junibutt]

Hmmm. I'm still leaning towards cockerel. My L Brahma pullet feathered out much quicker than the boys, and she has no comb to speak of. Out of my 5 boys, they all have stumpy tails like that one, and only 3 of them have massive red combs already. The other 2 boys are developing slower.

Of course, it's just a guess from my limited experience. Either way, You'll know for sure within the next 2 weeks.

I have one of the 4 Brahmas with a stumpy tail like that and was sold to me as a pullet. He/She will be 4 weeks old on Monday. I will post pics in a week or two to see if stumpy tail equals cockerel or not.

 

[GAFarmGirl87]

Usually by six weeks I see the start of red wattles in the cockerels.  That's why I say pullet, but I've been wrong before and will probably be wrong again.  Keep us posted! 

Thank you I I'll let you guys know. I defiantly will be super happy if s/he is a pullet. I believe Roxy will have to be rehomed if s/he is a cockerel.

I forgot about the wattles. I believe bumpercar is correct. She is likely just a bit slow feathering out. All chicks are different, which makes it a challenge to sex sometimes.

 

[bumpercarr]

I have one of the 4 Brahmas with a stumpy tail like that and was sold to me as a pullet. He/She will be 4 weeks old on Monday. I will post pics in a week or two to see if stumpy tail equals cockerel or not.

Stumpy tails is another one of those tough things to judge. The now 9 week old pullet that survived the dog attack had a stumpy tail at 4 weeks and I swore that she was a cockerel. But, she's not. I'd say that all of the things we are talking about, wing feathering, feathering in general, wattles and tail feathers are all useful for sexing about 90% of the time. It's that 10% that really stump me!!! Anyway, if all of the signs are there, then I can usually say it is a cockerel with some accuracy. It's when only one or two of the signs are there that I just decide to wait and see. I've read too many posts where they thought it was a he and at about 8-10 weeks realized it was a she and visa versa.

By the way, at 2 weeks I think all I hatched were cockerels, at 3 weeks I begin to think they are all pullets, at 4 weeks I can usually sex about 1/2 of my chicks accurately, at 6 weeks I can sex a few more and by 8 weeks I usually have almost all of them sexed. There are always one or two that I have to wait the full 10 weeks on before I can sex them. I have one right now at 6 weeks old that I'm leaning cockerel, but I still don't have any definite signs that it is one or the other except for slow feathering, but it is also the runt so it could just be slow to mature.

Anyway, I can't wait until we all find out how accurate our guesses are!

 

[bumpercarr]

I'm thinking this one might be a "he". Lots of assertive behavior and when my dog sniffs around, he holds his head up high and sounds the alarm. There is another in the bunch that regularly postures with him, but I haven't seen anything super aggressive in any of mine.

Playing in their holding pen while I get everything ready in their new coop. Today is moving day for these little bitties!
@bumpercarr I am taking your advice about not letting them become too dependent on the artificial warmth. I'm just gonna trust that they know how to keep themselves warm.
This has been such a fun experience!

Yep, that one looks like a cockerel to me as well. From what I can see in the flock shot, the ones that we can see their faces look like pullets. No guess on the three facing away.

How did it go last night for them?

 

[3KillerBs]

Building the coop today. Anyone have any tips for me? Anything you wish you knew the first time around?

I'm a week late, but if I'd have known how big the Brahmas were going to get -- twice the size of many chickens I've seen live in the feathers before -- I'd have built a bigger run and set the coop up at 2 feet off the ground instead of 18 inches.

 

[Junibutt]

Stumpy tails is another one of those tough things to judge. The now 9 week old pullet that survived the dog attack had a stumpy tail at 4 weeks and I swore that she was a cockerel. But, she's not. I'd say that all of the things we are talking about, wing feathering, feathering in general, wattles and tail feathers are all useful for sexing about 90% of the time. It's that 10% that really stump me!!! Anyway, if all of the signs are there, then I can usually say it is a cockerel with some accuracy. It's when only one or two of the signs are there that I just decide to wait and see. I've read too many posts where they thought it was a he and at about 8-10 weeks realized it was a she and visa versa.

By the way, at 2 weeks I think all I hatched were cockerels, at 3 weeks I begin to think they are all pullets, at 4 weeks I can usually sex about 1/2 of my chicks accurately, at 6 weeks I can sex a few more and by 8 weeks I usually have almost all of them sexed. There are always one or two that I have to wait the full 10 weeks on before I can sex them. I have one right now at 6 weeks old that I'm leaning cockerel, but I still don't have any definite signs that it is one or the other except for slow feathering, but it is also the runt so it could just be slow to mature.

Anyway, I can't wait until we all find out how accurate our guesses are!

I can't wait either! Will keep on posting!