brahma behavior normal?

[Tawodi]

I recently bought a chick to replace a friends light brahma that she had to put down. this 3 week old attached itself to me, and would sit on my shoulders the first day i got her. i wasnt able to go back for a couple weeks, but when i did it ran up and stood between my legs for me to pick her up. she would gently nibble at my fingers and loved being pet and picked up by me. i decided to build a coop so i could bring her home. the day i picked up the material is when her dog got loose and out of 40 birds, it got mine. needless to say, i am heartbroken.

my question is, was this a unique fondness or does this happen quite often? my friend also said the chick would sit at the end of the drive like she was waiting for me.

i am still building a coop this week, but should i not expect that sort of affection from a chicken? is it mostly by breed?

 

[Sjisty]

Several of my Brahmas will sit on my lap and/or shoulders when I am outside. They follow me around like puppies. As they get older, they will become a little more distant, but I love the breed for its friendliness and laid-back attitude.

 

[pgpoultry]

My Brahmas are very affectionate, but I also have a very loving Naked Neck and a mutt which jumps onto my lap at every available opportunity. I think it happens with individuals of a number of breeds.

 

[gritsar]

I have several breeds now, but still love my first flock of brahmas the best. Really gentle giants.

 

[Super Chickenman]

On the subject of Brahmas, are they poor layers? I have a dark B. hen that is almost 8 mo old and has never laid an egg. Also, my light Brahma had been layin, but now has stopped. She sat in the nest box for a couple of days as if she was gonna lay but never did. She has now stopped sitting in the nest box and still no eggs. Broody?, Egg bound?? she does not appear to be sick, Molting, I'm not seeing the rag tag of feathers, or are they just poor layers?

 

[midd2005]

brahmas are supposed to be decent layers. not top notch but they lay eggs regularly. they can go broody.


i have brahmas and barred rocks. of all of them, i have one barred rock who is very cuddly. she is incredibly tolerant of being held in awkward positions and always hops up into my lap and nods off. course, i have another barred rock who doesn't really care for treats and is clever enough to always stay just out of hand's reach.

my brahmas are all nice and will jump into my lap now and then but they aren't terribly affectionate. i love that they are so big that they can't really get off the ground even at just 14 weeks. it's pretty funny.

i'd say that you were lucky and had a particularly nice one, especially considering that you didn't get her right out of the egg or spend a lot of time with her. it's partly breed temperament but largely an individual thing. the behavior you describe seems to happen more often when a chick imprints on an individual from hatch on.

i'd say if you want to try for another affectionate pet, get them right out of the egg and get a few so that you up your chances. choose a breed known for being docile. then, spend a lot of time with them always making your presence a pleasurable thing for the chicken. figure out what favorite treats are and hand feed them. always pick it up and pet it very gently. when our girls were 3 weeks and younger we would take the chicks out of the brooder one by one and sit with them on our laps while watching tv for 45 minute+ segments.

that should do the trick. it's no different from any pet really.

 

[pgpoultry]

Hi, never found my Brahmas to be great egg layers as they spend much of their lives broody...but great hatchers and mums!

None of my girls have started egg laying until about 7 months and my current juveniles are 26 weeks old and show no signs of egg laying.

Great personalities, though, calm and amusing. One of my girls sleeps with the dog and even brooded a clutch of eggs on his bed (Tolerant dog, too!)

 

[HeritageHens]

I'm so sorry for your loss!

My Dark Brahma, Fiona, is totally affectionate. When I go out there, she runs to me and expects attention, which of course, she gets. When I sit in my chair, she is in my lap and wants to be stroked. She loves to be stroked on her back which is unlike any of my others. Fiona starts softly purring when I scratch under her belly and will then go to sleep. I've actually had her growl when another chicken got between her and me!

She has lots of competition though. When I sat out there yesterday, there were 5 other chickens using me as a roost and some of them kept trying to walk on Fiona, which she loudly protests. When they finally moved on, she went back to sleep. I never knew a chicken could be this affectionate! Check out the Brahma thread in the Breed section and you will see others have the same experience.

 

[Illia]

One of my Brahmas, 'Cheesecake,' OWNS my lap and my back and my shoulders. Don't anyone disagree with her!

If she sees me kneeling way off in the distance, she will make sure she runs up there and catches the seat in time. If anyone else is on it, she will make sure to scoot them off with her big white fanny.

Oh, and she LOVES to dustbathe on my lap. . . Don't ask.

Yes, Brahmas are VERY friendly and people oriented. . . 'Tis why I love em so much. (and other reasons too)

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
My brahmas have been very good layers - the only time I'm not getting 5 eggs a week from each of them is when they are molting. Lay well all winter long without the addition of artificial light too.
I have yet to have a broody amongst my brahmas and now that they are going on three years old, I doubt I ever will see a broody out of them.
MY darks were the last of the brahmas to lay. Two didn't start laying until they were 9 1/2 months old.