i have another question, i noticed your chicks have feathers missing, why? almost like the bird is growing faster than the feathers can come in. is this a thing with the brahma's ?Yes. The pullets have the penciling as they feather. The cockerels will have bars of black or red without the penciling. You can see the difference in this picture that I posted earlier - Notice the solid colors on the little guy on the left, the solid black and red coming through. The pullet to the right is evenly colored and has the penciling (or barring). You can't see much of the two in the front, but the one on the left is a cockerel and the one on the right is a pullet, too. As the cockerels grow, their colors become much brighter.
here are images of my two 21 week old light brahmas. They have been on layer feed for about a month, they get the occasional black oiled sun flower seeds and free range in the yard. One of these pretty lady's has been squatting for me for over 2 weeks now and mated with my rooster yesterday in the yard (she layed down and waited for him to mount). They have both been singing the "egg song" for week over a week. They have nesting boxes all filled with golf balls. I understand this breed is known to be light bloomers. Based on the images, should their waddles be more developed before they are truly ready? I have done egg hunts around the yard and found nothing, they free range in the afternoons in hopes of ensuring the first few eggs will atleast land in the coop. Any ideas how close these lady's are? Should I continue to be on guard or stand down (so to speak) for another 2- weeks or so? Thanks brahma lovers!
