Buff and Light Brahmas

We had several Brahmas, Buff and Light, and they were awesome. We let them go for one full laying season, then processed them for the freezer. I don’t know what the average weights were, but I can tell you that there was a lot more meat on them than on something like an Orpington, which is often touted as a good dual purpose breed.

The only one we didn’t process was Tank. She was a Light Brahma, best buddies with our English Setter. We called them “bookends”. She was so friendly and gentle. She was always the first to greet the chicks as they came out of the brooder every morning, never harming so much as a bit of peach-fuzz on them.

Our littlest granddaughter Kendra has been in her wheelchair since she was 9 months old. I was her full time day-care provider. She loved the chickens, so we’d take her out when they were free-ranging. One day when Kendra was about 4, Tank flew at her. Because Kendra was so closely supervised, I manage to deflect Tank like a football player deflecting a pass. But Tank kept it up every time we took Kendra out. So one day I picked her up and put her in Kendra’s lap. She snuggled right down, despite Kendra’s excited flapping and giggling. Then Kendra took Tank for a ride. It became a routine. I have always regretted not getting a photo of that, but when Kendra was outside with the chickens my focus was on her and making sure she was safe, not on taking pictures.

if I ever get chickens again - which is not likely - you can absolutely bet there will be Brahmas. They did amazingly well in our wild Wyoming winters. The area we live in is semi-desert, so it gets super hot and dry in summer. They weren’t as comfortable in summer, but some common sense cooling methods for the whole mixed flock did just as well for them. They were, however, a little clumsy in the nesting boxes simply because I hadn’t taken into account how big they would be, :idunnoI’m sure you’re going to be thrilled with your Brahma assortment - and I confess to a bit of jealously!

View attachment 2949604
Tank supervising as the Silkie chicks leave the brooder for the day. She did this every morning.
This is such an uplifting story, thank you for sharing it with me. Definitely helps me appreciate my little Brahmas a bit more and I really hope I have a little “Tank” in my mix.
 
I have two each of the Light Brahma and Buff Brahma chicks to add into my flock. Picked them up Yesterday from the post office. There was 6 other chicks in the box but these immediately stood out. I did not select these since I purchased a hatchery choice variety pack but it is a interesting surprise. I live in Oregon and am not sure how well suited this breed is to my climate. I have read that they are extremely cold hardy but struggle in the heat. I have done the rare breed variety pack through Tractor Supply online before and I received 3 Light Brahmas in that bunch which I ended up giving away since I wasn’t sure they would fit the flock goals I was aiming for. Now that these arrived I am thinking maybe they are worth a try.
I live in central Texas and my Brahma does really well in the heat
 
Brahmas do well in the heat and the cold. Mud is not their friend. Most feather-footed breeds do not do well with the mud. I have Brahmas and Faverolles in my flock and they tend to be the ones I wash their feet when we have a ton of rain. The mud will cake to the feathers around their feet.
 
We got a 3-month-old LB from our local feed store as a emergency friend for our other hen who was left on her own after the mysterious death of her sister (so we had 2, then 1, and added the LB to get 2 again).

The LB was already about 3 months old and was basically a rescue, so I was like, "well I didn't raise her from a chick and she was in a cage on her own for a while, so let's set low expectations for her behavior."

She is a delight. She's VERY friendly, weird, up for anything, a lap sitter, curious, and vibrates/stamps when she squats. She is slightly perplexing to my Barred Rock (who is all-business) because she's So. Much. Fun., but they've ended up getting along great.

It's not a breed I would have chosen myself (because of the feet feathers - though she keeps them well-groomed), but I adore her. I'd absolutely get another LB even in my very small flock because this one has been such a treat.

Obviously, every chicken is different. But, if my experience is any guide, you're going to like them a lot.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom