Backyard Brahmas!!

[sroy]

I am supper excited!!! I have just added 23 Dark Brahmas to the incubator

I am hoping for a wonderful hatch. I am new to this breed and can't wait to see the littles running around.

Oh how exciting! Wishing lots of luck for a great hatch!!

 

[bumpercarr]

Bumper Carr I am trying to figure out how to cross post. Wall meet forehead!! On mobile and I don't think the options are as vast as pc.
But I wondered how well it would teach my Lil Guy he is not the boss he believes he is. He is not a Brahma but males are males.

Yes, males are males. You can always just repost it in your own words if you'd like.

A couple of things that I do to ensure that my males aren't aggressive. I never let them mate in front of me, that is a sign of disrespect. I'm never the first to break eye contact or turn my back if they show signs of chest thumping (human term, but you know what I mean) with me. If they come toward me in an aggressive manner, I try to push them into the ground to show who's boss. I try not to handle the boys very often, generally only for mite dusting or to check on weight and health. I don't interfere in their squabbles.

I have an older cock bird (2 1/2 years) that is in the bachelor pad right now until I decide what I'm going to do with him. It is interesting to watch his behavior with the rest of the boys. He doesn't have to do anything, just walk by and everyone scatters. When he wants to eat, he walks up and eats and the rest leave him alone. When there is a squabble in the group, he'll saunter over and stare down the aggressor until the aggressor turns around and leaves. He's definitely the alpha in the pen, but he never ever comes near me or anyone else when people are around. He doesn't run away, but he doesn't try to assert himself either.

I rarely have very many problems with Brahmas, just the one that I hand raised and that likes my slippers (thanks @big medicine can't get the picture out of my mind). The biggest problem that I've had with brahma males is that they can be too passive....if such a thing exists. But I've had other cocks and they can be vicious if they aren't raised properly and taught how to behave around people but brahmas are a different personality type altogether.

 

[sroy]

Yes, males are males.  You can always just repost it in your own words if you'd like.

A couple of things that I do to ensure that my males aren't aggressive.  I never let them mate in front of me, that is a sign of disrespect.  I'm never the first to break eye contact or turn my back if they show signs of chest thumping (human term, but you know what I mean) with me.  If they come toward me in an aggressive manner, I try to push them into the ground to show who's boss.  I try not to handle the boys very often, generally only for mite dusting or to check on weight and health.  I don't interfere in their squabbles. 

I have an older cock bird (2 1/2 years) that is in the bachelor pad right now until I decide what I'm going to do with him.  It is interesting to watch his behavior with the rest of the boys.  He doesn't have to do anything, just walk by and everyone scatters.  When he wants to eat, he walks up and eats and the rest leave him alone.  When there is a squabble in the group, he'll saunter over and stare down the aggressor until the aggressor turns around and leaves.  He's definitely the alpha in the pen, but he never ever comes near me or anyone else when people are around.  He doesn't run away, but he doesn't try to assert himself either.

I rarely have very many problems with Brahmas, just the one that I hand raised and that likes my slippers (thanks @big medicine
 can't get the picture out of my mind).  The biggest problem that I've had with brahma males is that they can be too passive....if such a thing exists.  But I've had other cocks and they can be vicious if they aren't raised properly and taught how to behave around people but brahmas are a different personality type altogether.

So maybe there is hope for my brahma staying a good rooster. He is a very nice cockerel so far. He's quite passive right now. I just hope I haven't ruined him raising him as a pet. Thank you SO much for sharing your advice and experience!! It's greatly appreciated.

 

[Violetsfeathers]

I have two buff brahma bantam pullets for sale, and I can't figure out how to post them on the buy-sell-trade section, anyone interested? I live in Minnesota

 

[cabinchicky]

Bumper Carr thank you for the info. I do most of the same things with my adult males.They both stay clear of Mom, she will pick you up and put lotion on your regrowing tail! I did not know the forcing them to the ground bit. Hubby said Lil Guy put Stumpy on the ground yesterday.

 

[BeachBumBiddies]

I am curious to know at what age do others cull, eat, sell or whatever their older Brahmas? I know they mature slower, so does that mean that they produce longer? When do you (anyone) usually replace older birds with younger stock? Also, what do you do with them? Eat them, sell them, ???

 

[bumpercarr]

I am curious to know at what age do others cull, eat, sell or whatever their older Brahmas? I know they mature slower, so does that mean that they produce longer? When do you (anyone) usually replace older birds with younger stock? Also, what do you do with them? Eat them, sell them, ???

I put the extra cockerels at about 10 mos - 1 year old in the freezer. I sell any females that are still laying and that I'm not going to breed to people looking for layers. Right now, the oldest hen I have is 2 years old, the rest of the breeders/layers are just over 1 year old. My plan is to replace my breeders with stock that was hatched out the previous fall. However, that doesn't always work out, since it has been my plan for 3 years and I never quite get there. I try really hard to not have any older females in my flock, selling them off before they get to the non-laying stage. I don't generally put the hens in the freezer, probably because I think their value is in the eggs that they lay.

Because brahmas are not heavy layers, they tend to lay longer than some of the other breeds. There are several good articles on exactly how long hens will lay, but I can give you a small synopsis. Basically, a hen has so many eggs in her ovaries. Let's say it is 500. If they lay 6 or 7 days a week, then they will stop laying sooner than a hen that only lays 4 eggs a week. Most heritage breeds (breeds that aren't crossed and genetically engineered for egg laying or meat) will lay eggs until they are about 7 years old. Some will lay longer than that. The reason that I replace my layers every year is because year one is the most productive, after year one they tend to lay less and less. I had an old leghorn once that laid about an egg a week until she was over 10 years old.

So, this is basically what I do right now. I hatched eggs last spring (March & April). Those girls started to lay in October. In October, I sold off all of the hens that were older than a year and any of the hatched girls that I didn't want to breed so I got down from 10 girls to 5. This year, I hatched and bought girls in March & April. These should start to lay in October/November. I will take the last eggs from my current breeders (I have 7 now, some that hatched last fall) and hatch them in October/November and then sell off the older girls (now about 1 1/2 years old) and replace them with their daughters that were hatched this spring. I do the same with the cockerels/cock birds, just don't replace them that often. I try to keep 3-4 around so that I can interchange the males depending on the purpose.

I've heard that there are some good reasons for keeping your older hens around when you are breeding for chicks rather than for egg production. I can't remember what those reasons were though....maybe someone else will jump in here and remind me.

I hope that answers your question.

 

[Flowerbh]

New to this thread. Thought I would post a pic of my 11 month old Brahma roo.

 

[sroy]

New to this thread. Thought I would post a pic of my 11 month old Brahma roo.

Hello!! Wow what a BIG pretty boy!!

 

[cabinchicky]

Oh my he is handsome! How much does he weigh? I have female Brahma only but have a male Cochin I hope gets close to your fellers size.