New Brahma Group: Blue Partridge x Partridge, Plus Dark

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have a few old gals that need to go too, but they hang on. I also have a 31 year old donkey who also needs to go as she doesn't have enough teeth to go through another winter. Last winter she barely made it, so unfortunately that's on my to do list, but hasn't gotten done.

My husband goes too much. It's hard to get him to take it easy. He's outside currently shoveling out the old mulch and replacing it all with new stuff. Normal people just top it off. The chickens love the old mulch, and it makes nice fill, so at least there's that.

 

[speckledhen]

I have a few old gals that need to go too, but they hang on. I also have a 31 year old donkey who also needs to go as she doesn't have enough teeth to go through another winter. Last winter she barely made it, so unfortunately that's on my to do list, but hasn't gotten done.

My husband goes too much. It's hard to get him to take it easy. He's outside currently shoveling out the old mulch and replacing it all with new stuff. Normal people just top it off. The chickens love the old mulch, and it makes nice fill, so at least there's that.

You have a good husband. I do, too, but he's in constant pain and that shadows every day of his life, unfortunately. I just feel like I'm watching this place crumble away. I shudder to think what will happen when I tell him we need to paint our million deck railings and I'm going to hire someone else to do that, plus all the high up trim that neither of us can reach without taking our lives in our hands on a tall ladder.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You have a good husband. I do, too, but he's in constant pain and that shadows every day of his life, unfortunately. I just feel like I'm watching this place crumble away. I shudder to think what will happen when I tell him we need to paint our million deck railings and I'm going to hire someone else to do that, plus all the high up trim that neither of us can reach without taking our lives in our hands on a tall ladder.

I guess I'm lucky I'm the cripple in the relationship. I couldn't keep most of my critters without my husband. It's also the main reason I need to downsize soon. I feel bad every year when he bales the hay for my goats and donkeys, but he says they are his too.

My husband wouldn't want to hire people either, but eventually I guess you have to.

 

[1muttsfan]

I would be happy to just get my gardens weeded. And I'm grateful that Jimmy mows the grass (well Sometimes mows the grass anyway). Not sure I trust him with a chainsaw, and he is not allowed on the tractor .

Seriously though I do wish at times he was more help or less work. Or both.

 

[speckledhen]

My husband did all the chicken chores this morning. He came in and was raving about how wonderfully smart that Bash is, yet again! He said Bash was standing in a nest when Tom was about to open their pen door to let them go outside. Not wanting him to jump down from that height, he said, while motioning with his hand, "Bash, you do over there (as he was pointing to the platform on top of the large portable nest boxes), then you go down those steps (gesturing for him to walk down the ladder roost steps). Don't jump! Walk down!". He said that Bash did exactly as he was told, hopped to the top of the portable nest boxes, then to the top roost step and walked down the steps and onto the floor, then ran out the door. He is probably the easiest to manage rooster I've ever owned, and most of you know the caliber of roosters we've had here, how smart they've been and how sweet-tempered. And he doesn't mind a real cuddle, either, unlike silly Hector. We both adore Sebastian!

 

[speckledhen]

I have a weird issue with my Brahma girls. First, Brandy went broody so she was on limited food, of course. I kept trying to break her, but she was only eating the grains when they'd go out and I threw her off the nest in the coop. Her crop bloated up. It did that last time she was broody. It's better now. I put her in the hospital cage, made sure she got no grains, and gave her only the yogurt, gas-x occasionally, water with epsom salts and/or baking soda in it and then scambled eggs and chick starter after that. So, she's better. But, Betsy has been in a molt and her crop is all huge and doughy now and her poop nothing but water. So, now she is in the cage and I'm starting to treat her.

Their crops seem just so sensitive for some reason. I've had so many crop issues with the Brahmas. Maybe it's because they're bigger eaters than the other birds or maybe they are not as selective in what they eat on range, or maybe they got hold of something moldy out there with all the rain we've been having. I mean, white mold pops out of the ground in their mostly dirt pen all over the ground and I can't get rid of it. It's scattered over too large of an area. I don't think they actually eat it, per se, but it's there when they peck on the ground for things. Maybe I can spray vinegar all over the ground or something to try to kill it, not sure, but I don't even know if that's part of the problem. It is the same for all the other birds on the same ground and their crops are perfectly fine. So, it seems that I have more issues with the Brahmas crops than any other breed. I used to have crop issues with the big Blue Orps as well. Maybe it's just a big bird thing. Who knows?

@1muttsfan any idea why the crop issues are only with my Brahmas? It's nuts. Same feed, same routine, same ground, same everything except breed/size.

 

[1muttsfan]

Got to be something different about the way they handle their environment. Remember, though, you have a very limited genetic pool, so it would be hard to say if that is true about the breed in general. Maybe other Brahma breeders could say if they see similar issues.

You need a serious broody cage to help you break these girls, or they will make themselves sick to dying.

 

[speckledhen]

Got to be something different about the way they handle their environment. Remember, though, you have a very limited genetic pool, so it would be hard to say if that is true about the breed in general. Maybe other Brahma breeders could say if they see similar issues.

You need a serious broody cage to help you break these girls, or they will make themselves sick to dying.

I put them in the hospital cage with zero bedding and they just sit there, a fan blowing directly on them to keep them cool. It's insane, Mary.

You may be right, but I have tagged several Brahma breeders on this thread and lately, no response. I'll have to seek them out some other way. @Sjisty is one that I have not seen around lately, but maybe I've just missed her.

 

[Pyxis]

I haven't had my nice ones very long, but I haven't seen any crop issues in them. My hatchery ones never had crop issues, but, of course, hatchery birds are nothing like the real ones.

 

[speckledhen]

I haven't had my nice ones very long, but I haven't seen any crop issues in them. My hatchery ones never had crop issues, but, of course, hatchery birds are nothing like the real ones.

If I recall, my older Buff Brahma hen, Caroline, had a few bouts with her own crop. The Lt. Brahma only lived to 5 1/2 years and never had any issues with hers. Caroline was almost 10 years old when she died so hers could have been her aging systems not working properly. But, I've had to treat sour crop and doughy and/or impacted crop several times with these hens, or at least, Brandy, Bonnie and Betsy. I can't remember if Bailey had that or not, but seems she did. Cora and B.J. have always been fine in that department. I realize that a molt can make things worse, have seen some slightly sluggish crops on molting birds, but nothing like these Brahmas.