Brahma Thread

[BGMatt]

That is a really good idea. I like letting my birds roam some, but I think in this situation, the cock birds are going to have to be in pens. I was trying to determine where to put some show preparation pens as well, so your idea could work for me. Maybe build the smaller pens for show prep on top of the larger cock bird pens. That way, I could keep quite a few cocks if I wanted to. More food for thought, I really appreciate the comments...they get me thinking

So many of you have such great experience.

Roaming is fine, but when not breeding you can rotate them through pens with runs and the like, and then when breeding/hatching/etc you have someplace for them. I'll point out that the commonly used and referenced rule of thumb of 4 sqft or coop and 10 sqft of run per bird is 14 total sqft, a 4'x4' pen for one bird is 16 sqft, so really...you're still giving them more than the recommended amount of space. And in a confined pen like that they aren't going to get dirty so you could easily use it for show prep.

 

[bumpercarr]

Roaming is fine, but when not breeding you can rotate them through pens with runs and the like, and then when breeding/hatching/etc you have someplace for them. I'll point out that the commonly used and referenced rule of thumb of 4 sqft or coop and 10 sqft of run per bird is 14 total sqft, a 4'x4' pen for one bird is 16 sqft, so really...you're still giving them more than the recommended amount of space. And in a confined pen like that they aren't going to get dirty so you could easily use it for show prep.

I didn't tell you guys that I also don't have to worry about weather overly much. It's rare that we get rain or snow, our highest highs are usually a little bit over 100 in the summer for about 2 weeks (not all at once) and our lowest lows are generally in the high 20s for about 2 weeks (usually not all at once). We have occasionally gotten as low as 15 below, but that was an anomaly. I have very temperate weather here, very dry and usually 70s at night, low 90s during the day in the summer with 30s at night, high 60s in the day during the winter. I'm putting the new set up in the shade under some 50 year old pecan trees, our sun can be very intense, particularly the western side of any buildings.

 

[ocap]

I'll have four pens and the storage pen, so maybe I can put the mature cock in there. The year olds would be gone from my flock, I only want to keep the one or two that I want to breed of each color. I suppose if I wanted to keep more than one cock, I could divide up the cock pen to give each of them their own run and house. I don't think I can do afford more than four runs, but I could divide one of them up into two or three pens (but would this get me looking like the Clampetts again?). Got me thinking here. Or, I could take a portion of the storage for second or third cocks. I will only let the cockerels grow to about 8 months old before they would be in the freezer, just long enough to see if I they are a better choice for the breeding program or not. I'm trying to stick with just brahmas, but I'd like to have some different colors and maybe even some bantams and I'd really like to keep the colors pure if I can figure this all out.

Single cock birds don't take a lot of space. You could build a row of double (or even triple decker depending on height) pens 4'x4' or 3'x4' to house individual males. I have in the past built a canopy and kept extra males under it in jumbo dog crates (the Great Dane size, like 30"x40" or bigger).

The basic problem that I have is exactly what your DH is trying to get away from and that is a "satisfactory" design is not eye appealing. Giving each group of birds access to sunshine and grass while keeping each building similar in construction so that I still have beauty that adds to the overall experience and beauty of the brahma. So.......I am thinking of a long alley of fence covered run that has several of this type of building attached:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/american-canyon-coop
Then to give even move room I could have multiple doors off the run to an area of electric poultry net, I move the net along the permanent fenced run to another door and expand the run and add another building as my desire grows.
Those dreams are hampered in the summer with weed eater chores keeping fence weed free and hampered in the winter with minus ten degree weather.
BGMatt's ideas are very appealing to me of stacked temporary cock storage pens.
I must get away from multiple breeds and I can't until I know that my Buff Brahma pair are producing. These dreams are multiple year projects as my desire grows, this is the end of my first year of raising exhibition (SOP) poultry.

 

[Apdeb]

You guys showing is not hard! But yes brahmas have more entries! Choose 2 or 3 of your best birds wash them put them in the car/truck and go!! If judge dqs your bird ask them they are happy to help and want new people coming and showing!!! Im going to delmarva but not bringing any TV brahmas yet to hatch any from my skytop birds

 

[LaLa Chickie]

My Gold and Buff laced Brahmas. The single combs were the F1 generation. I bred and kept the babies. The single comb girls were then removed from the flock. Working with F2 generation now

F1 Rooster
F2 Pullet



F2 Pullet
F1
F1
F1
F1
F1 See all the horrible single combs
F1
F2


When I first started Gold and Buff brahmas, I went thru about 60+ birds and culled the bad lacing and single combs. Im down to 10 Brahmas now. I don't sell eggs but breed on a small scale.



Also starting with this pair for 2014
F1 Partridge Brahma
F1Partridge Brahma

love the colors...F2 and F1 Partridge...amazing

 

[LaLa Chickie]

Video won't play, says it's private.

I fixed it Thank you

 

[bigjohn752000]

hey im trying to find a chicken my wife wants she likes the feathered feet and i like big birds so here i am!!! looking for eggs or chicks affordable but better that hatchry quality. any ideas would be appreciated

 

[CackleJoy]

You guys showing is not hard! But yes brahmas have more entries! Choose 2 or 3 of your best birds wash them put them in the car/truck and go!! If judge dqs your bird ask them they are happy to help and want new people coming and showing!!! Im going to delmarva but not bringing any TV brahmas yet to hatch any from my skytop birds

Thank you for the encouragement. I'd like to take birds and show them so I can better learn how to breed. SOP is my goal but I've been afraid to take lesser birds in to show and wondered at the same time how I was ever to get feed back on what I have.

Terrible set back this winter so as far as my DB's go, I have to wait for my order of chicks from Urch to come in and grow them out before I know what I have to work with.

 

[Tuhmu]

I wish there was more shows up north here. In North Dakota we don't have any poultry shows or anything (that I know of) other than kids 4-H projects at fairs and such. I would love to breed brahmas just for show, but yea....chickens are just seen up here as chickens good for nothing else other than eggs and meat......except for some of us who have them anyway

 

[ocap]

hey im trying to find a chicken my wife wants she likes the feathered feet and i like big birds so here i am!!! looking for eggs or chicks affordable but better that hatchry quality. any ideas would be appreciated

many of the people on this thread have what you are looking for, what part of the world do you reside?