Backyard Brahmas!!

[kegmanatee]

This is my baby, Boss. He's about 4 months now. Until this week we really weren't sure about sex. This is my first time with chickens, and my husbands not had any for about 25 years. Just started getting the pointy saddle feathers this week. Started crowing a couple weeks ago, but I've read that hens will crow sometimes. I posted this pic on the gender thread, and everyone agrees cockerel now. There were some differing opinions when they were younger. They've really been a great breed so far.

 

[speckledhen]

This is my baby, Boss. He's about 4 months now. Until this week we really weren't sure about sex. This is my first time with chickens, and my husbands not had any for about 25 years. Just started getting the pointy saddle feathers this week. Started crowing a couple weeks ago, but I've read that hens will crow sometimes. I posted this pic on the gender thread, and everyone agrees cockerel now. There were some differing opinions when they were younger. They've really been a great breed so far.

Hope he's a good one for you. Actually, he was getting the saddle feathers at around 12 weeks old, but you just didn't notice it-in the future, just so you know, if you part the feathers at the back around that age, you can usually see them starting to come in all iridescent and pointy.

The crowing hen thing is really not all that common, not as much as you would think by talking to people. Hens may make this long caterwauling wail, but they don't actually crow just like a rooster all that often. I have had one hen that did at around 5 years old after losing her rooster, but she did it two days in a row, a good rooster crow, and has never done it since. I have one little bantam hen who does this mooing-like, loud, protracted call when she is antsy and really wants out of her pen, but it doesn't sound exactly like a crow. Another Delaware hen used to do that, it was like a cow bellowing-she really put a lot of force into it. We called her the Mouth of the South, LOL. 99.9% of the time, if it crows, it's male. You can pretty much bank on it.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

We have the opposite; cat who wants to pale around with the chickens haha. I'm glad you had a good experience at Cackle, I've always done all my business by mail since I live in south Dakota with no hatcheries near by. Good luck with your new babies.

 

[speckledhen]

We have the opposite; cat who wants to pale around with the chickens haha. I'm glad you had a good experience at Cackle, I've always done all my business by mail since I live in south Dakota with no hatcheries near by. Good luck with your new babies.

We also have what we joking refer to as an LGC (Livestock Guardian Cat). He'll take down rabbits, chipmunks, mice, and an occasional wild bird, but he leaves the chicks completely alone. He likes to follow the flocks out into the pasture, just shadows them and watches. Amazing that Finn seems to see the difference in our birds and wild birds. I want to rock his world and get guineas again. That would make him nuts!

 

[Sjisty]

The crowing hen thing is really not all that common, not as much as you would think by talking to people. Hens may make this long caterwauling wail, but they don't actually crow just like a rooster all that often. I have had one hen that did at around 5 years old after losing her rooster, but she did it two days in a row, a good rooster crow, and has never done it since. I have one little bantam hen who does this mooing-like, loud, protracted call when she is antsy and really wants out of her pen, but it doesn't sound exactly like a crow. Another Delaware hen used to do that, it was like a cow bellowing-she really put a lot of force into it. We called her the Mouth of the South, LOL.  99.9% of the time, if it crows, it's male. You can pretty much bank on it.
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Not common, but funny! This is Oreo. When she went through "henapause" at about 8 years old, she started crowing. We just recently lost her at about 10 years old - she crowed for almost 2 years!

[VIDEO]

 

[speckledhen]

@Sjisty That's a darn good crow! What a deep voice she has! I think it happens more with older hens more than young ones, like when my blue Orp crowed after Suede died. She did it two days in a row and never has in the almost four years since that time. When Suede died, she was almost 5 years old. My husband and I were in the adjoining coop and we heard this crow, sort of hoarse, and we looked at each other. I said to him, "who the heck is that?" He went over to the other side, it happened again, and he came back. So, I asked him, "Well, who's making that noise?". He said, "It's Dusty." My jaw dropped and I said, "DUSTY??? Suede's Dusty??" I couldn't believe it. But, overall, I think folks who don't want to believe they have a male hang onto the 'hens crow" rope when it really is not all that common for a young hen to do it.

I had a recording of my Mouth of the South Delaware hen doing her bit, but I have no idea where it is or how I'd post it on the new system (it's audio only). A guy who was doing our well pump work heard her about 250 ft away and said, "Is that a chicken?" LOL.

 

[Hobbshouse14]

 

[SD Bird Lady]

Adorable

 

[theuglychick]

This is so cute, I love it! I have 3 dogs and out of all of them, my little Jack Russell terrier is the most gentle and interested in my chicks. He's always watching them, sniffing them, checking on them when one sounds distressed, and will lick them. My old pit lab mix couldn't care less and my cattle dog mix refuses to acknowledge their existence.

 

[Hobbshouse14]

This is so cute, I love it! I have 3 dogs and out of all of them, my little Jack Russell terrier is the most gentle and interested in my chicks. He's always watching them, sniffing them, checking on them when one sounds distressed, and will lick them. My old pit lab mix couldn't care less and my cattle dog mix refuses to acknowledge their existence.

I love it! We have a 10 year old pit/lab mix. He is like their rooster, very protective and loves to get rewarded with chicken poop!