Backyard Brahmas!!

[carcar80]

Actually what I gather from some non Brahma folks, some times when they have problems with a male getting nasty with their people, it is often a bird that was super tame as a youngster. As they matured and hormones kicked in, they became aggressive. They had long ago lost any fear of their people, and I don't know if they looked at people as rivals, or maybe just thought they needed to be brought in line.  So what I'm saying I guess, is having your cock bird be a little bit scared of you may not be an altogether bad thing.

Ooh never thought of it that way- interesting thought. I never spend much time at all purposefully "taming" my birds, although their flighty ways do get on my nerves when they're chicks and I'm having to gather them here and there all the time. I figure a free-range bird (which all of mine are, to varying degrees depending on job) is better off keeping its natural tendencies anyway.

 

[bumpercarr]

Actually what I gather from some non Brahma folks, some times when they have problems with a male getting nasty with their people, it is often a bird that was super tame as a youngster. As they matured and hormones kicked in, they became aggressive. They had long ago lost any fear of their people, and I don't know if they looked at people as rivals, or maybe just thought they needed to be brought in line. So what I'm saying I guess, is having your cock bird be a little bit scared of you may not be an altogether bad thing.

100% agree. My cocks have to know that I'm the boss, all of the time, every time. That's why no mating in front of me or charging me when I'm handling the rest of the flock. It is also why I don't tame them and handle them just enough to know that they are healthy. They have to have respect for me, period or they go to freezer camp.

Along the same lines, went out to absolute chaos tonight when putting them up for the night. The barnyard mix cock has been beating up the brahma cockerels that are in the cockerel pen with him, they are much milder and this guy is not. Anyway, he flew over the fence tonight and decided to take on Big Boy for the flock. So, came around the corner with all of the 4 week olds hiding in one corner, the older pullets going in and out of the coop in a panic and the hen no where to be found. The cacophony was ridiculous! Chirping and squawking and crowing and growling. Fortunately, they were fighting through the fence, so I scared the barnyard mix away, he ran and hid under a bush. Gathered up the rest of the flock and started herding them to the coop to put them to bed. Found the hen in the coop on her roost, shooed Big Boy in to join her and closed the door. The barnyard mix then went into the walkway, certain that he could get to Big Boy that way. Grabbed him by the leg, threw him into his coop and closed his door.
Looks like I'm going to have a freezer camp party tomorrow....was hoping to wait until I got back from vacation but can't expect my house sitter to deal with this crap. Ugghh!

 

[big medicine]

I never put any thought into whether or not they mate when I am around. As long as we agree that I can come and go, grab any bird I fancy, when I fancy, we are good. Back a couple years ago, when they still free ranged, all would come up for kitchen scraps, most would eat out of my hand. Only one that would jump up on me was my daughters 4H showmanship bird, a old English game bantam hen, Slinky. One of the only birds on the place that ever had a name. Since the coyote situation got so out of hand, the birds come running to the front of their run when ever you come out of the house with anything in your hand.

I think out of the thousands of cockerels I have hatched over the years, I can remember only one cockerel who figured out a friend of my (grade school at the time) daughter was afraid of chickens, and would run from him. Needless to say he never graced a breeding pen.

 

[coaldigger]

just started crowing..... Pretty horrendous sound.... Lol

 

[Huntress78]

Midget duty today. Kid's got a sense of humor, at four months old, have a volcanic eruption in her diaper, then look at you and smile.



Single combs are recessive and only occur when there is a lack of pea comb (P), and rose comb (R) genes present. Breeding a single combed bird (pp) to a two copy pea combed bird (PP), which good Brahmas should be, would result in all (Pp) chicks which will be pea combed in appearance, but can pass a (p) on to half of it's chicks.

This is directed at rose comb breeding but you get the idea. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/understanding-the-heritiability-of-the-rose-comb-trait

Thanks for the link! So much to learn, I'm gonna have to start taking better notes.


On the subject of mean cock birds...I've always done about the same as Big Medicine. I just walk through the flock and any cockerel that doesn't give ground to me gets a toe nudge. I also winter any cockerels that I'm keeping with my oldest cock. He teaches them manners and when they see him avoid me they do the same. For the most part I've always raised respectful males but there are always exceptions. This last winter I housed a non-Brahma cockerel with my old Brahma cock as usual and he was very good...never even thought of making a move toward me. This spring I gave him a couple girls of his own, hatched some chicks and took the girls back out of his pen. He just went nuts. For weeks afterward he attacked me every time I went in the pen and then started coming at me through the fence so it was off to the freezer with him.
There are times I cut a male some slack for coming at me but only if it's clothing related. I've come to realize that the birds don't view you as a whole person...you are mostly legs and feet to them. So if I wear the same brown boots in the pen for months and then change to white tennis shoes and get my feet pecked they get a pass.

Coaldigger, that sound will mellow out to the most wonderful crow you've ever heard. I just love the deep throated sound of a mature male.

 

[Katt66]

I never put any thought into whether or not they mate when I am around.  As long as we agree that I can come and go, grab any bird I fancy, when I fancy, we are good.  Back a couple years ago, when they still free ranged, all would come up for kitchen scraps, most would eat out of my hand. Only one that would jump up on me was my daughters 4H showmanship bird, a old English game bantam hen, Slinky. One of the only birds on the place that ever had a name. Since the coyote situation got so out of hand, the birds come running to the front of their run when ever you come out of the house with anything in your hand.

I think out of the thousands of cockerels I have hatched over the years, I can remember only one cockerel who figured out a friend of my (grade school at the time) daughter was afraid of chickens, and would run from him.  Needless to say he never graced a breeding pen. 

I admire you as a responsible breeder more than words can say for this last statement.
Too many people obsess over the perfect color, head, tail, hocks, ect. And will breed from a bird eith a bad temperament or one that's obviously dumb as a box of rocks for the sake of looks. And with a bird as big as a full grown brahma cock that can be a very scary way of breeding.
I know I for one don't want a 3 ft tall 15 lb baby T Rex eith a bad attitude strutting around my place D: I don't care how pretty he is.

 

[suyoder]

just started crowing..... Pretty horrendous sound.... Lol

Yah, its pretty awful! I have a 8 week old orp cockerel who has been trying to crow, and a 7 week Brahma bantam who just started trying. Lol.

 

[bumpercarr]

Thanks for the link! So much to learn, I'm gonna have to start taking better notes.


On the subject of mean cock birds...I've always done about the same as Big Medicine. I just walk through the flock and any cockerel that doesn't give ground to me gets a toe nudge. I also winter any cockerels that I'm keeping with my oldest cock. He teaches them manners and when they see him avoid me they do the same. For the most part I've always raised respectful males but there are always exceptions. This last winter I housed a non-Brahma cockerel with my old Brahma cock as usual and he was very good...never even thought of making a move toward me. This spring I gave him a couple girls of his own, hatched some chicks and took the girls back out of his pen. He just went nuts. For weeks afterward he attacked me every time I went in the pen and then started coming at me through the fence so it was off to the freezer with him.
There are times I cut a male some slack for coming at me but only if it's clothing related. I've come to realize that the birds don't view you as a whole person...you are mostly legs and feet to them. So if I wear the same brown boots in the pen for months and then change to white tennis shoes and get my feet pecked they get a pass.

Coaldigger, that sound will mellow out to the most wonderful crow you've ever heard. I just love the deep throated sound of a mature male.

I think that is what the problem with my barnyard cock is, he had his own flock but they were all killed and now he wants to steal Big Boys. I just don't have room to deal with a cock that is uncooperative, so he'll have to go. He got out again this morning, trying to figure out how he is getting over a 6' fence, but I guess where there is a will there is a way. The brahmas can't fly nearly that high, so I've never had a problem with them. I'd consider just clipping his wings, but he's also beating up on the rest in his pen, so I think it is time.

I love listening to the juveniles learn to crow....they are so funny sounding, almost like a frog croak.

 

[cabinchicky]

Well my EE male is 15 was. old and started getting randy over the weekend. He made one big mistake with my largest Brahma pullet. She wasn't interested and knocked him on his butt. Poor Fester is not the Brahmas favorite while the banty EE male is. I haven't seen the lil guy try any romancing yet but he sure hangs out with the LF most the day. Both my cockerels know I am boss so far and don't try anything yet but I watch and have a foot ready in case. And i only mean as anudge not a punt!Suppose I should switch to boots now instead of flip flops, sigh.

 

[carcar80]

@bumpercarr - I'm afraid I didn't realize before now that you have a "Big Boy" also. I called my guy that more for lack of a name but it stuck, lol. Just so you know I wasn't high jacking your name.