New Brahma Group: Blue Partridge x Partridge, Plus Dark

[speckledhen]

The contrast is quite striking, isn't it? Size and color, of course. I'll bet he is going to be just beautiful!

They are really coming along. Only one is way behind in feather development, with bare wing tops.


Funny story: We found the perfect way to get all the Brahma chicks to run back into the barn as a group, no rounding up required. We always do what we call "pole training" with our chicks, starting from when they are about a week old. It's amazing how fast they learn.

A long length of small PVC pipe is used as a herding stick, along with the words, "Go inside! Go home!" at the same time. Well, this young Brahma group was all over the place, splitting up and avoiding the entry door, some would go in, some would run off...until DH added "sound effects". He blew into the pipe, making a Shofar horn sound. That did it! I had not done it myself yet, but I tried it today rather than even start attempting to herd them. They immediately flew back into the barn and all the way down the aisle into their pen. The Barred Rocks, well, they are not so easily fooled. They ignore it and have to be actually herded back home.

 

[speckledhen]

@junebuggena , @Sjisty and anyone else who knows more than me, among these partridge/blue partridge males, are there you'd consider a possible keeper, other than the very black/dark partridge male? None have a predominantly blue chest like the black chest on the big partridge male. Some have less red than others, granted.

See the bare wing top? That boy is super slow to feather in.













I like them all, but I'm partial to the very light one on the left since he/she is the second largest of all nine.

 

[Sjisty]

It's too soon to make a decision. Keep them as long as you can. They are very slow to mature.

 

[speckledhen]

It's too soon to make a decision. Keep them as long as you can. They are very slow to mature.

That's the problem. Though I realize they are very slow to mature, I will have to choose way sooner than is optimal, going on early impressions/cues to pick one. I may be able to keep two males for awhile and then choose the better of those two, but my space is very limited.

 

[speckledhen]

I think I can let go two of the males, the one who has little foot feathering and the one with the "patchwork-y" chest. A lady says she'd like to have them and is coming by after 6 p.m. for them. She has Orps and Cochins for them, not Brahmas yet, and I sadly have none to let her buy. I think it's this one in the first pic- In person, I can tell this one from the other one with a darker chest. The one that has brighter red on his chest is the one I think I can let go. The two are similar except for the brighter red.


And this partridge guy was the first selected to go. Usually, foot feathering doesn't just "show up", in my experience with that, either it's there or it's not there.

This will leave me the big light blue Partridge, the really gorgeous dark Partridge and one other blue partridge to choose from.

 

[speckledhen]

I separated the three males other than the largest blue pt and my big dark partridge boy. I will take back the largest blue pt from these three later on, but I wanted to see them all together and separate from the rest before the lady came this evening.

The one I am holding back for now among these three is the largest blue pt with the best foot feathering. Would you say he's the best of the three here? I'm thinking he is but would like input on that. That will leave me with three males and the four pullets for now.

These two facing the bottom of the picture are the ones I'm selling.



For now, I'm planning to hold back the one standing upright.

 

[speckledhen]

@junebuggena , @anac1979 , @Sjisty @brahmapapa check out this post and the next. and again, thank you for your tutelage on this color variety.

I think I made the right decision on the two males to let go and the three to keep and continue growing out. These were the ones the nice local lady bought from me:

(middle one in first pic and the bare wing top/sparse foot feathers guy in second)




Other than the big dark colored partridge and the super light blue one, who is second largest in the group visually (didn't weigh), this is the blue partridge guy I kept as #3 to grow out to choose from, the one facing the camera. He has a gorgeous darker blue, super nice foot feathering and though he has some red in the chest, it overall appears darker than the one I sold last night.



with only a 5x8 pen, I had to make room for these to grow a little. There are 4 Barred Rocks and 7 Brahmas in there now. That's a lot of birds in that size pen, considering the size of all of these at maturity. I may have to make other arrangements. I could possibly move the 7 bantams back into their original coop since I am not adding to their numbers and they will age out and not be replaced. That would free up another 5x8 pen in the barn, but I'd have to make adjust the roost in there for larger birds. It can be done, sure, but we'll see.

 

[speckledhen]

Now that these 7 Brahmas will be staying until I pick my keeper male(s), I moved their newest photos to their own folder.















I swear, that light blue pt looks more girly than male to me most of the time. Then, I am on the fence again. Ack!

 

[speckledhen]

Brahma kids outside today. They'll be 8 weeks old on Wednesday. The huge Partridge male is a keeper since he's the best all-round example of the breed so far, plus a fast developer. His name is Bruno.







The big light colored one, who runs the opposite way when a camera comes out.







and the rest.




The Partridge pullet who was masquerading as a Dark for awhile.

and nosy BJ.

 

[1muttsfan]

Shy but he has a cute fanny