Brahma Breeders thread

[Junibutt]

Sorry to bother your guys here, its just that I need a recommendation soon and I posted on Backyard Brahmas and did not get any suggestions. Hopefully you guys can make some recommendations. Thanks:

I have to cut down my flock and may have to give up 2 of the 4 Light Brahma 11 week old chicks that I have. I am posting their pics again and asking your opinion as to which ones are better quality so far. Please don't feel shy letting me know the good and the bad. Here are the pics:



These 3 pics above are of the cockerel Chewie. He is 1000 g (2.2 lbs)



These 2 pics above are of Sapphire. She is the lightest of the 3 pullets. 800 g (1.75 lbs), however, she has the brightest of white in the feathers



These 3 pics above are of Sleepy. She is the friendliest of them, 1092 g (2.4 lbs)



This is the only picture I have of Cutie. She is 1135 g (2.5 lbs), so the heaviest of the 3 pullets. I have also noted that her comb, wattles and area around the eyes has started become red (its evident in the picture as well). Is it because she might be maturing early or contrary to my belief, she might be a cockerel and not a pullet after-all.

Thanks in advance for all your comments and opinions.

P.S. I am not a breeder so don't have to keep the cockerel if he is not good quality.

 

[Samuel Shirley]

Junibutt,
Hello, I will try to give you some info to help you cull I will give you the uncut truth. it very unfortunate that you couldn't wait a few more months before you cull so they could be a little more filled out. It is very hard to cull birds at this age because they change alot between this age and to what they actually will turn out to be. Since this dosent seem to be an choice for you I would recommend that you choose the two with the best tail lift and best columbian markings, the one with the least amount of black spotting on the back and chest. Sorry I couldn't have been of more help but its tough culling birds at this age.
Best of luck, Sam

 

[Junibutt]

Junibutt,
Hello, I will try to give you some info to help you cull I will give you the uncut truth. it very unfortunate that you couldn't wait a few more months before you cull so they could be a little more filled out. It is very hard to cull birds at this age because they change alot between this age and to what they actually will turn out to be. Since this dosent seem to be an choice for you I would recommend that you choose the two with the best tail lift and best columbian markings, the one with the least amount of black spotting on the back and chest. Sorry I couldn't have been of more help but its tough culling birds at this age.
Best of luck, Sam

Thanks, I was about to give away the one with the least amount of black in the tail and the chest just because she was lagging behind in weight. So I will reconsider and evaluate.

 

[bumpercarr]

Thanks, I was about to give away the one with the least amount of black in the tail and the chest just because she was lagging behind in weight. So I will reconsider and evaluate.

Just my personal experience, but they change a lot in color before they are about 6 months old. If you can wait to cull, that might be best. If not, I'd try to figure out who has the best type (although difficult at this particular stage of their development) and color uniformity. Just my two cents worth, which is really about all it is worth.

 

[Samuel Shirley]

Ya sorry I couldent have been of more help it's just hard to tell at this age which ones will turn out to be best. The ideal way to do it is wait until they are about or just under a year old before you cull, that way you know for sure what you have. If I get q chance I'll add some pics of my #1 pen just to try to give you a visual of what they should look like, or what my interpretation of the standard is

 

[Junibutt]

Ya sorry I couldent have been of more help it's just hard to tell at this age which ones will turn out to be best. The ideal way to do it is wait until they are about or just under a year old before you cull, that way you know for sure what you have. If I get q chance I'll add some pics of my #1 pen just to try to give you a visual of what they should look like, or what my interpretation of the standard is

Thanks, that will be helpful.

They are all so pretty, I would love to keep them all but there are space constraints and my kids do not want to give up our original grandfathered chicken (An Australorp, a Red Star, a RIR and a Leghorn X Wyandotte mix). Sometimes I think of having them magically disappear but I know they will have the whole neighborhood looking for them.

 

[bumpercarr]

So, now that I've started my flock over (pretty much) I want to make sure that I don't have any Vulture Hock carriers in the group. From what I understand, if I breed a vulture hocked bird to a carrier (v/v x V/v) I would get 50% v/v or vulture hocked offspring. Does anyone know if that is correct? I think this is maybe the best way to try to see if the recessive gene is in any of the birds, does anyone else have any thoughts?

I happen to have a v/v cockerel from my dark hatch and was thinking of putting him over the pullets once they all reach breeding age, just to make sure that there aren't any carriers in the group. Don't have a v/v pullet though, except a bantam so I'll have to figure out another way for checking any males I may want to breed. I suppose if I find a carrier, I could mate the two, 25% should be v/v?

 

[big medicine]

So, now that I've started my flock over (pretty much) I want to make sure that I don't have any Vulture Hock carriers in the group. From what I understand, if I breed a vulture hocked bird to a carrier (v/v x V/v) I would get 50% v/v or vulture hocked offspring. Does anyone know if that is correct? I think this is maybe the best way to try to see if the recessive gene is in any of the birds, does anyone else have any thoughts?

I happen to have a v/v cockerel from my dark hatch and was thinking of putting him over the pullets once they all reach breeding age, just to make sure that there aren't any carriers in the group. Don't have a v/v pullet though, except a bantam so I'll have to figure out another way for checking any males I may want to breed. I suppose if I find a carrier, I could mate the two, 25% should be v/v?

That's how I understand it.

Just be dead sure that you mark all chicks from this breeding, as all resulting chicks from the first breeding will be carrying at least one copy. The two copy birds will be obvious, the one copy chicks not so much.

It is the best way I know of to find out what you have, but you will also be producing normal looking one copy carriers. Proceed with caution.

 

[bumpercarr]

.
That's how I understand it.

Just be dead sure that you mark all chicks from this breeding, as all resulting chicks from the first breeding will be carrying at least one copy. The two copy birds will be obvious, the one copy chicks not so much.

It is the best way I know of to find out what you have, but you will also be producing normal looking one copy carriers. Proceed with caution.

Exactly, all of these offspring will have to be culls because they will all either be V/v or v/v. I just can't think of another way to make sure that I don't have VHs in the flock. I'm thinking that if I'm starting with a clean slate, I should at least make sure that I don't have vulture hocks before I start breeding anyone. It would be devastating to breed F1, then see VHs showing up, even though none of the parents showed VHs....almost a year down the drain if that happened when I think I can prevent it by being careful from the start. Of course, the way my luck is running lately every pullet will be a carrier.

I should probably think of a few other things that I don't want to breed into this group as well and see if I can't figure out a test for those genes as well. It will be a nice winter project. Maybe I'll be able to find a VH pullet somewhere close by to test cockerels on, wouldn't even have to be a Brahma would it? I think I saw in the New Mexico thread that someone was disappointed that their hatchery Brahma or maybe it was a Cochin, had VHs...I'll have to read through it and see.

Thanks big medicine. You are always a huge help and you make me think!

 

[big medicine]

Exactly, all of these offspring will have to be culls because they will all either be V/v or v/v. I just can't think of another way to make sure that I don't have VHs in the flock. I'm thinking that if I'm starting with a clean slate, I should at least make sure that I don't have vulture hocks before I start breeding anyone. It would be devastating to breed F1, then see VHs showing up, even though none of the parents showed VHs....almost a year down the drain if that happened when I think I can prevent it by being careful from the start. Of course, the way my luck is running lately every pullet will be a carrier.

I should probably think of a few other things that I don't want to breed into this group as well and see if I can't figure out a test for those genes as well. It will be a nice winter project. Maybe I'll be able to find a VH pullet somewhere close by to test cockerels on, wouldn't even have to be a Brahma would it? I think I saw in the New Mexico thread that someone was disappointed that their hatchery Brahma or maybe it was a Cochin, had VHs...I'll have to read through it and see.

Thanks big medicine. You are always a huge help and you make me think!

Actually it might be beneficial if you could outcross to a non Brahma vulture hocked bird, or better yet, a splash colored vulture hocked bird, rendering every resulting chick blue, there by removing any chance of mismarking any chicks and inadvertently increasing the problem in your flock.

Yeah well, I haven't seen you refer to "pyles" in Brahmas yet.