New Brahma Group: Blue Partridge x Partridge, Plus Dark

[ColtHandorf]

Oh, you Texans, LOL. I would be thrilled if temps were between 50* and 75* year round, forever and ever, Amen! Wherever that is, that's my perfect place, though growing food might be a bit of a challenge.

It has been miserable here. I much prefer winter. If I could pick up and bring my fatties to the UK I definitely would. The weather is much better there. And if can bring an AC unit with me everything will be lovely jubley.

 

[speckledhen]

By the way, I love Texas, though I may not survive that type of heat. Maybe the Hill Country would work, though !
My son spent a year in Dublin, Ireland getting his Master's Degree and he didn't like the constant wet climate, though the scenery was stunning. I actually love it out west where the humidity is much lower, though the temps are higher. I did great in Colorado and Utah, but that was in my younger years. Not sure how it would be 40 years later.

 

[speckledhen]

I got a Brahma egg! Cora is back in production and Brandy is messing around in the nests for the first time in many months.
Seems an interesting coincidence that the three hens we lost last year in that group are the ones that never went broody their entire lives. Brandy and Bonnie have raised many clutches of chicks and Cora has been broody at least twice, though we never allowed her to have eggs to hatch. Same thing happened with my original flock in 2005. The longest lived hen from that group was the only one to go broody and she did it twice. None of the others were so inclined. Sunny lived a year and a half longer next to the last one to pass away. Those broody breaks seems to do them a lot of good, for the most part, though some of my oldest lived hens never showed any broody inclinations, like June, Snow, Gypsy and Amanda.

 

[1muttsfan]

That is happy news. I wish my girls would get on board - however, the days are still very short up here.
I have had so few broodies that I have no way to tell if they live longer, but it would be interesting if so.

 

[speckledhen]

Bash is still with me. He, Brandy and Bonnie are going to be 7 years old if they make it until June with Cora a year behind. Snapped a few pics as I was leaving the barn after taking pictures of another group. Cora's pic was bad so I deleted it. Bash lost one spur entirely and it's grown back a bit, but the other one I really need to Dremel down a bit as you can see.

 

[1muttsfan]

He is such a handsome beast! Such a kind eye. And the girls are so pretty.

 

[speckledhen]

That big boy waits every night for me to pick him up and put him on the roost. His girls will already be settled and when I come in to check everything before I lock up, he's standing at his pen door, waiting for Mom. I tell him I'm going to pick him up and he stands very still so I can hoist that big body up and he lays his head against me and closes his eyes. He is an absolute angel, I swear. I'm afraid I will lose him this year because he sits a lot, mostly under the edge of the elevated nests facing the back corner. He is getting way up in years for a big guy, without a doubt and I have no idea the longevity of this line of Brahmas as far as the roosters go. Of course, I've already lost three of his hens so I would guess he won't be around as long as Atlas was, unfortunately. I've had the best roosters in the world.

 

[speckledhen]

My older son visited today and as he was taking pictures of the chicks for his girlfriend, he snapped this one of me with one of my favorite guys. Do you recognize him? I loved Hector, but he was different and I let Hector be Hector (he hated being picked up), but this guy loves to cuddle and be held close.

 

[1muttsfan]

Bash

 

[speckledhen]

Bash, Bonnie and Brandy are now 7 years old. I can't even imagine him being that old. He is the sweetest rooster I have ever had and you know I've had some of the best tempered roosters ever known to man. He spends a lot of time sitting now, showing his age, I guess. Brandy lays almost every day right now, a super jumbo size. Bonnie was until she molted and Cora hasn't produced an egg in quite awhile-she's a year younger.