Brahma Thread

[sableboi]

LOL - You're right. But I was having too much fun watching my birds. LOL How can you build stuff with these guys wanting to be petted...

I am going to look for some SQ Lights and Buffs, maybe just pairs or trios to start with.

 

[Sjisty]

There are some buffs in the area. Ask Susan - it's someone she knows. I bought a couple of youngsters at a chicken swap a few months ago. Bigdawg here on BYC sells light hatching eggs. I had a 100% hatch with the ones I bought from him, sold all but four chicks, and then had the neighbor's dogs come into our yard and kill all but one, plus several of my dark babies and one of my two buff pullets.

 

[PoultryPeeps]

Hi - I've been 'lurking' on this thread for some time....I love ALL the colors of Brahmas! I have a roo from MacMurray's who is about 10 months old. His girls are also hatchery and I don't expect much of them, but to me 'Goliath' seems to have pretty good form. Could some of you who are more familiar with good type please give me an opinion on him? Thanks!

(He's crowing)

 

[sableboi]

Pretty Birds...it doesn't matter if they are SQ or Hatchery - love them all! Brahmas are the best...

The Rooster looks like he could use a little better "Beetle Brow" If you notice the Dark Rooster in the picture above, he has a pronounced brow. I do like the small comb your rooster has. Not sure of his size. Do his feathers on his feet go all the way down his middle toe? Brahmas should also have a shorter beak and have an "Eagleish" appearance. They should wide in the back. Buff coloring I am not sure about, but Tim (who frequents here) has SQ Buff Bantams and can give you a better run down of the color.

Here is one of my Dark Hens (Bred by Susan Nicolas) she was best Asiatic at the Inverness show (Double Point show she was BA both shows)

To me she has really nice "Type" heavy leg feathering, good brow, she looks like a Brahma and not a Cochin. I adore her. She is Heavy!!!!

Carole with Fowl Visions also had some of the most massive buff brahmas I have ever seen...She can probably post some pictures of her heavy weight boys to give you a comparison.

 

[Illia]

sableboi -

VERY nice Brahmas!!

PoultryPeeps - He's missing the nice crown one should have (notice sableboi's rooster and how his eyes are deeply hooded) but otherwise he looks okay. The picture really doesn't tell much. If anything else, he lacks definition (needs a deep set, thick type body) plus it may just be his posture, but he's got a very long neck, which seems to be a common hatchery thing for Brahma roosters.

 

[Carolynspeeps]

Hoping someone can comment on my girls, I can take it

They are 4 month old hatchery birds. My first Brahmas and I just love them! The girl on the left, Bitty is obviously cold and fluffed out, but she is so much smaller than her sister and her coloring seems....off? Beauty, on right, is holding her foot up so you can't see her foot feathering, although they both have very fluffy feet.

 

[sableboi]

Originally I ordered my first Brahma Assortment from Ideal Hatchery - while the type and size were not at all what it should be, the egg production and temperment were outstanding and those birds are the reason I wanted better stock and why I thought it may be fun to show my Brahmas. If you are looking for good egg layers with those great feathered feet and good dispositions, then there is nothing wrong with Hatchery Birds. I wanted a little more and love my show birds.

These hens are cute. At four months they have a lot of growing to do. Dry Cat food will help with additional protein and weight. It probably isn't fair to pick them apart at this stage in the game. Give them a few more months and you can see closer to what you will have. They say it takes 2 years for a Brahma to mature. Your girls are a long way off at only four months.

Here is a 4 month old roo I had:

Here he is at 5 months :

Him at 10 months:

 

[Illia]

We're not meaning to put down your birds.

Those girls are actually really nice for hatchery, much better in color than my Light Brahmas. I actually don't have any show quality birds yet, I just admire the breed and its true standard a bit much. I myself have some horribly underweight, overly patterned, and not quite Brahma-esque bodied, umm, Brahmas. And yet I still love them dearly, I just don't consider them "true" Brahmas.

But back on the girls. . . Brahmas are slow growers, so there's not much to say yet other than their bodies look good, they do indeed still have some excess "pencilling" on the back, towards the tail, and they don't quite have the hooded eyes, but they're still pretty girls. Have you weighed any of your Brahmas yet? They're a breed known for being BIG, however even my hatchery girls are sadly only 5 pounds, while the breed should typically be 9 pounds for a hen. I'm curious if different hatcheries vary much.

 

[Carolynspeeps]

Thanks! They are VERY sweet. Does that mean I should start working on my next Brahmas?

I had heard they take a long time to mature. I do like the partridge and blues too

. So hard to choose! I did not know anything about hatchery vs breeder stock but quickly become drawn to good quality birds. I really like the heavy feathering on the legs and feet that I am seeing on good quality Brahmas. I wasn't sure if it was a European thing or just a quality thing. Very interested in learning more. Been stalking this thread.

 

[Illia]

With Brahmas, the biggest importance to me in hatchery vs show quality is 1) SIZE and 2) the body type. Hatchery type Brahmas are almost never Brahmas. . . They're just feather legged chickens with pea combs. Brahmas are BIG feather legged chickens with a beefy body, smooth top line, and a fierce expression, on top of course a pea comb.