Light Brahma

[3KillerBs]

My in-town rooster, Marion, was thought to be Rosemary all the way up to the point where I'd sent my packing peanuts to freezer camp.

Without those pests to compete with he revealed his true nature.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

My Light Brahma boy was also super obvious in his sex. He didn't really start growing feathers till about 7-8 weeks old and that was my first indication. I had a pullet of the same age to compare to, and he is now HUGE compared to all my other chickens. His flight feathers are still a bit slow. Here they are at 10 weeks and I had no doubt at this time. I'm just hoping he develops into a good boy without too much aggression, because I'd really like to keep him.View attachment 2457176

Ooo, pretty birds! Look how tall your boy is. What kind is the beauty in the front?

Our Brahma cockerel went from cuddlebug to beast at 15 weeks. My fault, I think. I raised him by hand with no older birds to teach him manners. After he caused a couple minor injuries in the coop, we built a separate cabin for him to roost in. He still doddled around with the pullets during day, and when they started laying, he turned sweet to them again and was able to move back in with everyone.

To us, still a jerk, but the Bitter Beaker stays. Despite his cranky nature, I like him as much as the pullets do. He's a great protector and a specter in the yard (and a fence keeps him from accosting innocent visitors). Yesterday morning, I was unusually down. He followed me into the coop to sit quietly by me while I scooped poop. He's never taken time out of his morning to sit with me before. It was neat.

 

[Smileybans]

Ooo, pretty birds! Look how tall your boy is. What kind is the beauty in the front?

Our Brahma cockerel went from cuddlebug to beast at 15 weeks. My fault, I think. I raised him by hand with no older birds to teach him manners. After he caused a couple minor injuries in the coop, we built a separate cabin for him to roost in. He still doddled around with the pullets during day, and when they started laying, he turned sweet to them again and was able to move back in with everyone.

To us, still a jerk, but the Bitter Beaker stays. Despite his cranky nature, I like him as much as the pullets do. He's a great protector and a specter in the yard (and a fence keeps him from accosting innocent visitors). Yesterday morning, I was unusually down. He followed me into the coop to sit quietly by me while I scooped poop. He's never taken time out of his morning to sit with me before. It was neat.

That’s sweet. I’m hand raising ours and I hope that doesn’t happen. My husband is really attached to these guys.
Although my EE Fuzzy, who I also hand raised, tries to challenge me now and again with a dance. But he’s learned that hugs are no fun. So every time he dances at me I just hold my arms out and say “Fuzzy wants a hug.” He stops dancing and walks away. It’s so cute. So maybe hugs will work with my Brahma when his hormones hit. Or Fuzzy will keep him in line.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

That’s sweet. I’m hand raising ours and I hope that doesn’t happen. My husband is really attached to these guys.
Although my EE Fuzzy, who I also hand raised, tries to challenge me now and again with a dance. But he’s learned that hugs are no fun. So every time he dances at me I just hold my arms out and say “Fuzzy wants a hug.” He stops dancing and walks away. It’s so cute. So maybe hugs will work with my Brahma when his hormones hit. Or Fuzzy will keep him in line.

Ha! Fuzzy wants a hug <--great band name.

Brahmas are awesome and smart, and they mature slowly, so even if anyone does go through an evil hormone phase, it can be worth giving them time to work through it. But everybirdy's an individual, and if you've had chickens before, you have wayyy more chicken sense than I did when raising Big 'Burn. If you do have a boy, he could be the biggest softie you ever met.

Coincidentally, Burn does want a hug. He likes being held, so that's never helped to tame him, sigh. Time helps, though. He's almost a year old and still growing and gets calmer as he puts on size.

 

[Smileybans]

Ha! Fuzzy wants a hug <--great band name.

Brahmas are awesome and smart, and they mature slowly, so even if anyone does go through an evil hormone phase, it can be worth giving them time to work through it. But everybirdy's an individual, and if you've had chickens before, you have wayyy more chicken sense than I did when raising Big 'Burn. If you do have a boy, he could be the biggest softie you ever met.

Coincidentally, Burn does want a hug. He likes being held, so that's never helped to tame him, sigh. Time helps, though. He's almost a year old and still growing and gets calmer as he puts on size.

I’ll have to keep that name in mind for my husbands next band project. It’s awesome.
I’ve never raised chickens before but my sister does. That’s actually where we got Fuzzys egg from. She’s more of the “chickens are strictly livestock and nothing else” variety though. But Fuzzy was a lone chicken for awhile and being a boy I got thrown into the deep end of chicken keeping. So it was either do you research or Fuzzy was going to beat me up. So I looked a lot of stuff up. Asked a ton of questions and ended up with an EE that doesn’t beat me up. Does he challenge me most mornings with a dance? Yeah. But I just give him a reminder hug of who is boss.
Actually this morning he came out of the coop spitting nails. Chasing his favorite hen and dancing like crazy. So I picked him up and held him until he calmed down. Then he went into the coop and sulked until I left. Just like a teenager who can’t get what he wants, he went to his room to pout.

 

[ladybrasa]

As mentioned, too young and not for sure until male saddles are in. I have an LB pullet that got a red comb early on (like 8 weeks?) and was always larger and had poor coloring (black leakage over her back; “hatchery” quality; but I think she’s pretty). I’m confident she is a pullet at 5 months now, though she hasn’t laid an egg yet (and might not til spring at this point due to short days).

 

[HiEverybirdy]

I’ll have to keep that name in mind for my husbands next band project. It’s awesome.
I’ve never raised chickens before but my sister does. That’s actually where we got Fuzzys egg from. She’s more of the “chickens are strictly livestock and nothing else” variety though. But Fuzzy was a lone chicken for awhile and being a boy I got thrown into the deep end of chicken keeping. So it was either do you research or Fuzzy was going to beat me up. So I looked a lot of stuff up. Asked a ton of questions and ended up with an EE that doesn’t beat me up. Does he challenge me most mornings with a dance? Yeah. But I just give him a reminder hug of who is boss.
Actually this morning he came out of the coop spitting nails. Chasing his favorite hen and dancing like crazy. So I picked him up and held him until he calmed down. Then he went into the coop and sulked until I left. Just like a teenager who can’t get what he wants, he went to his room to pout.

Aw, the pouting tiny dancer. I bet he's thrilled to have a flock. I had every intention of being a "chickens are only livestock" person. Then we got our first chicks and it was like, "Dang, I like these chickens more than people." Oh well!

Spitting nails is a good description. The Brahma spits nails for 5 minutes each morning. I close the door after he stomps into the yard so the flock can have breakfast without the cray cray. Then he calms down, and the flock can't wait to rush out and join him.

I'm a research ninja but somehow missed the flags about cockerels being hard for first-timers. We just saw the positive stuff about how roosters care for the flock and Brahmas are docile. So we thought, yeah, have the farmers co-op order us a cockerel to go with the first round of chicks we bring home Which, after 3 months, necessitated shifting to obsessing over rooster behavior, which is fascinating.

I suspect Burn's attitude came from a perfect storm of genetics & inexperience. He might never be completely sweet, but research helped us be happy with him and benefited our 2nd cockerel, the EE "sexed pullet" I hand-raised 12 weeks after Burn. Stilton's a real gentleman, thanks also to the older chickens. I suspected she was a he early on so started integrating the littles in a howdy pen asap. The boys bonded, which has been awesome to watch this year.

Keep us posted on your littles!

 

[3KillerBs]

As mentioned, too young and not for sure until male saddles are in. I have an LB pullet that got a red comb early on (like 8 weeks?) and was always larger and had poor coloring (black leakage over her back; “hatchery” quality; but I think she’s pretty). I’m confident she is a pullet at 5 months now, though she hasn’t laid an egg yet (and might not til spring at this point due to short days).

Like my Omelet, whom I sold as a POL pullet. She had that red comb and the same dark leakage. But at 20 weeks she was definitely a girl approaching POL.

 

[Broxi]

Ooo, pretty birds! Look how tall your boy is. What kind is the beauty in the front?

Our Brahma cockerel went from cuddlebug to beast at 15 weeks. My fault, I think. I raised him by hand with no older birds to teach him manners. After he caused a couple minor injuries in the coop, we built a separate cabin for him to roost in. He still doddled around with the pullets during day, and when they started laying, he turned sweet to them again and was able to move back in with everyone.

To us, still a jerk, but the Bitter Beaker stays. Despite his cranky nature, I like him as much as the pullets do. He's a great protector and a specter in the yard (and a fence keeps him from accosting innocent visitors). Yesterday morning, I was unusually down. He followed me into the coop to sit quietly by me while I scooped poop. He's never taken time out of his morning to sit with me before. It was neat.

The pullet in the front is a Sapphire Splash that we named Esmerelda. We got her from TSC so she is from Hoover. She is the most brave and friendly of the group.

 

[Smileybans]

Update at 6 weeks. It’s their first outing so their a little hunched up. It’s 30F out today. I only had them out for about 10 minutes but they seemed to enjoy it. Besides my marans trying to peck at them.