New Brahma Group: Blue Partridge x Partridge, Plus Dark

[speckledhen]

They will turn 19 weeks old this coming Wednesday. Aren't Bruno and Bash hunky?

We've been having dog issues lately; just this morning, two that have been sniffing around breached the perimeter fence. Makes me so scared for my birds.
Betsy



B.J., so sweet and gorgeous.



Da MAN!



@Sjisty Janice, are Bruno's wattles a tad to large? Seems they are verging on that, but I'm not sure what constitutes acceptable size in a Brahma. Bash's are not as large as Bruno's.

Betsy, silly, goofy Betsy. She is a crybaby, that's for sure.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, well, well, Mr. Bruno has started biting when I reach toward him. Probably comes from him always expecting me to hand feed him something. Gonna stop that for awhile and see if he shapes up. Bash, on the other hand, does not crow and is super mild-mannered, probably in deference to his larger, more dominant brother. I hope beyond hope that I can nip this in the bud (no pun intended). I certainly cannot have a male as large as Bruno will be deciding to be a butthead. He's flared up and nipped my hand two or three times is all so far. They are 19 weeks and 2 days old today.

My two favorite pullets as far as personality are B.J., the dark, and Brandy, the lighter colored partridge. They both know their names and will come to me. The girl that wants to be touched the least is Bonnie. Betsy will let me pick her up when she's in distress and becomes separated from the others or someone in another group is hassling her, very sweet girl. Bailey is always going the wrong way, getting left behind, going left when I want her to go right, but she will let me pick her up and get her back to her group if I approach her and speak soothingly to her. They are a good group, though. Just have to watch Bruno's behavior.

Question: are Bruno's wattles too large for a Brahma? That was my impression, but I'm no breed expert on these just yet.

 

[Sjisty]

I think his wattles are okay. I'm looking at pictures of my guys, and they seem comparable. I'm not sure what the standards are, though.

 

[speckledhen]

I think his wattles are okay. I'm looking at pictures of my guys, and they seem comparable. I'm not sure what the standards are, though.

Your guys are so handsome. That first guy is so stately! I was thinking that the wattles on the Brahma were supposed to be more like the Ameraucana, "tight" to the underside of the jaw, or just not hanging down much. Bash's are tight, but then, his comb is also not as "manly" as Bruno's, either. Maybe @junebuggena can tell us her opinion on it.


ETA: I had bookmarked the Brahma Club of Australia site awhile back and I checked the list there. This is what they say about wattles:
Quote:

 

[junebuggena]

Your guys are so handsome. That first guy is so stately! I was thinking that the wattles on the Brahma were supposed to be more like the Ameraucana, "tight" to the underside of the jaw, or just not hanging down much. Bash's are tight, but then, his comb is also not as "manly" as Bruno's, either. Maybe @junebuggena can tell us her opinion on it.


ETA: I had bookmarked the Brahma Club of Australia site awhile back and I checked the list there. This is what they say about wattles:

The Ameraucana have the muff/beard gene that also inhibits wattle development. Brahma wattles should be fairly small compared to what most breeds have. Your guys look just fine.

 

[speckledhen]

The Ameraucana have the muff/beard gene that also inhibits wattle development. Brahma wattles should be fairly small compared to what most breeds have. Your guys look just fine.

Thank you, was wondering about Bruno, especially, since his were slightly larger than Bash's. Good to know.

 

[speckledhen]

Today, B.J. came up to DH, who bent down to pet her. He had his hands on both of her sides when Bruno ran up and pecked his hands, sort of like, "Unhand that girl, she's mine!". Then he ran off because he knew he was in trouble. I'm hoping he doesn't become a problem. I love his bulk and his overall look.

I love Bash's coloring but he's taller rather than wider, at least at this point in time. He is very mild mannered, doesn't even crow. He has an almost completely blue chest now, red all gone but one little spot.

 

[speckledhen]

The 20 week old Brahma Brigade. They are growing in brand new hackle feathers, especially the boys, whose darker hackles are being replaced by gold ones. @Sjisty tried to get some Bash pictures especially for you to show his chest, but he was not that cooperative in standing up straight so I could get his chest in the picture. Still, you can probably see okay. The girls decided the camera was going to eat them so they were completely uncooperative.

 

[1muttsfan]

Very pretty.

 

[speckledhen]

I announced this on my other threads, but since this is a Brahma thread, I'll tell folks here who may not read my others. My Buff Brahma hen, Caroline, the only hatchery hen I still owned and the oldest of all here, passed away today at 4:15 p.m., surrounded by her loyal subjects, who sat vigil literally all day long with her. She would have turned 10 years old the first week of January. She is the main reason I wanted more Brahmas. RIP, Caroline, Queen of All at Mountain View Heritage Poultry. This was one great hen and we will miss her badly.