Brahma Thread

[LukesCityHens]

That would of been me of you mean Dark Brahmas do you test for anything ? Gm Lt typhoid or any of the major illnesses

No ma'am, Just a small backyard breeder. Was NPIP a few years back but haven't brought in any new blood since

 

[BorderBrigade]

No ma'am, Just a small backyard breeder. Was NPIP a few years back but haven't brought in any new blood since

Where are you located? I would like to hatch some next spring.

 

[LukesCityHens]

Where are you located? I would like to hatch some next spring.

North Carolina, pm near the end of the winter, well more like mid-winter in PA. I normally start collecting hatching eggs Feb.

 

[DEEINIOWA]

No ma'am, Just a small backyard breeder. Was NPIP a few years back but haven't brought in any new blood since

. Correct me if I am wrong but in most states you need to be NPIP certified to legally sell poultry & hatching eggs. Just FYI

 

[dak]

. Correct me if I am wrong but in most states you need to be NPIP certified to legally sell poultry & hatching eggs. Just FYI

Dee, I have been selling eggs for three years now on BYC. I am NPIP, but I have never been asked by any of the buyers if I was. It seems to be a non-issue. I am not saying this is good or bad. Just the way it is.
Clare

 

[BGMatt]

. Correct me if I am wrong but in most states you need to be NPIP certified to legally sell poultry & hatching eggs. Just FYI

I know for my state you don't have to be for in-state sales. To ship in or out (live birds only for shipping out, not applicable to eggs unless I missed something) they're supposed to be, but I also have never seen it enforced.

 

[informative]

. Correct me if I am wrong but in most states you need to be NPIP certified to legally sell poultry & hatching eggs. Just FYI

Many many states do NOT require NPIP for selling poultry or eggs "within the state" - two that come to mind offhand are Ohio and Texas (my guess would be interstate sales between these same "minimal NPIP regulated states" would probably also not cause any legal problems - I'm guessing if people in Ohio don't require NPIP to sell chickens and people in Texas likewise don't require NPIP to sell chickens then if someone in Ohio sells and ships a chicken to someone in Texas does it make a sound - I doubt it)

These same states (many) also do not require NPIP for "importing" birds or eggs from other states.

It is wise to caution people if you are buying live birds especially (or to a much lesser extent eggs) you should always buy from NPIP sellers regardless of if they are required to be NPIP or not because ensuring they are coming from NPIP certified sellers minimizes the risk to your entire flock to one bad shipment from an unscrupulous seller of sick birds/eggs.

 

[informative]

After all the horror stories I have heard of people taking prized birds to shows and coming back sick - the only showing I plan to be doing with my chickens is on these forums (much safer).

I am a fan of Langshans and Jerseys (just not a fan of the black color so much) and am thinking about getting into additional feather footed types (similar to the Langshans) such as Brahma or Cochin and I'm weighing their qualities.

So overall how do you all like the Brahma breeds? What is the most wonderful thing about them? Hardiness? Growth rate/size? Personality? Flavor? Quiet? Good foraging skills?

 

[CarolinaHen]

After all the horror stories I have heard of people taking prized birds to shows and coming back sick - the only showing I plan to be doing with my chickens is on these forums (much safer).

I am a fan of Langshans and Jerseys (just not a fan of the black color so much) and am thinking about getting into additional feather footed types (similar to the Langshans) such as Brahma or Cochin and I'm weighing their qualities.

So overall how do you all like the Brahma breeds? What is the most wonderful thing about them? Hardiness? Growth rate/size? Personality? Flavor? Quiet? Good foraging skills?

For us, the Brahma personality is their best trait. They are the friendliest of our flock and the first to run for attention. The scary part is when they all want attention at the same time!

 

[BGMatt]

After all the horror stories I have heard of people taking prized birds to shows and coming back sick - the only showing I plan to be doing with my chickens is on these forums (much safer).

I am a fan of Langshans and Jerseys (just not a fan of the black color so much) and am thinking about getting into additional feather footed types (similar to the Langshans) such as Brahma or Cochin and I'm weighing their qualities.

So overall how do you all like the Brahma breeds? What is the most wonderful thing about them? Hardiness? Growth rate/size? Personality? Flavor? Quiet? Good foraging skills?

Those horror stories usually come from folks that have never shown and are anti-show for whatever reason. I have never taken a bird to a show and brought them back sick. Nor have any of my friends who show. I would still be cautious about fairs that have a lot of backyard folks showing at them but actual separate poultry shows are really not a risky business at all.

I've raised all three Asiatic breeds at one point or another, and although the Langshan (in all three varieties) is by far my favorite breed of chicken period, the Brahma is a close second. They're quite hardy, although they did scare me in the one week of 100* F temps we get a year in WA. They are slow growers, as are all asiatic birds. I have always found them very docile, Brahmas and Cochins were the only breeds that I have never had to use a net to catch. Flavor is good (as is Langshan and Cochin) but by the time they reach good butchering size you do need to treat it as a roasting bird, more like a turkey. I love the deeper crows of the bigger birds, very mellow. Foraging skills I don't know, I don't range my birds much or at all. Too high a risk of predation, plus ranging exposes them to catching all manor of sickness and/or parasites from wild animals, much higher risk then a showroom!