New Brahma Group: Blue Partridge x Partridge, Plus Dark

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Your trees are still pretty, everything here is bare and gray now. Your birds look happy.

 

[speckledhen]

Your trees are still pretty, everything here is bare and gray now. Your birds look happy.

The colorful leaves don't last long enough, do they? Bash is such a doll and he's happy to have all his hens with him. Betsy and Bonnie are in full molt, tons of feathers growing in everywhere, so they act sort of sad-sack right now, but they perk up when they get out to run.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I'm still waiting on a few to molt yet, they are gonna be cold if they don't get busy. When the chickens are happy, I'm happy.

Do your leaves crunch when walked on? We seem to have missed that phase this year due to the late frost. I didn't get any crunching. I like the crunching.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm still waiting on a few to molt yet, they are gonna be cold if they don't get busy. When the chickens are happy, I'm happy.

Do your leaves crunch when walked on? We seem to have missed that phase this year due to the late frost. I didn't get any crunching. I like the crunching.

Ours are not all down yet. They do crunch when they're really dry, but they are very slippery when wet, so I dread having them everywhere but the carpet of color is really pretty.

 

[speckledhen]

DH and I were talking while we did chicken chores this a.m. in different barn pens. I was saying that I think sometimes that I think perhaps a couple of the older hens may not have such bad joints if they had not had to deal with a big rooster's attentions in their earlier lives. We all know that injured or stressed joints develop arthritis in us, like my own broken ankle, so why would it not be the same with them?

Then, we were talking about how it would be so much easier to have just one breeding group to replace birds in the future as needed, but the rest only needed a little munchkin rooster as a lookout while free ranging, like our late Xander did with his big girls. And I was saying that would mean choosing between the BRs and the Brahmas.Then, out of the blue, DH says, "You know, I like my Barred Rocks, but if we had only one breeding group, the Brahmas are easier to sell, they're sweet birds, they'll brood chicks..." and I can't remember exactly the whole paragraph, but we discussed how much easier it was to sell even the roosters in that breed/color variety. I have waiting lists of folks wanting breeding groups of these birds in the spring, not just layers.

 

[1muttsfan]

It can be so hard to contemplate change, and letting go, but once it's over sometimes your life is so much easier.

 

[speckledhen]

It can be so hard to contemplate change, and letting go, but once it's over sometimes your life is so much easier.

but, but, but, to let go of my little tyrant? A world without Hector? Easier said than done. although, when he goes off at the least little thing, I do think my big, raucous alarm clock needs a new location...like a few miles down the road. He's such a goofball. And I know that when he runs up to me with his head down and then looks up at me fast, he's a big old fake. Someone else might think he was being threatening and react too quickly. He does it every time I pick up Thea, who loves to be held and cuddled. I just say "Go on, Hector" or "Cut it out, Hector" and he trots with me to the barn or just turns and leaves. We have each other trained, LOL.
What may happen is that if something happens to Atlas, I put Hector over those hens. And if something happens to Hector, he won't be replaced. That way I don't have to think of rehoming him somewhere not up to his, and my, standards.

 

[1muttsfan]

It certainly seems that roosters seldom have the longer lifespans of hens, probably just wear themselves out being constantly on alert.

 

[speckledhen]

It certainly seems that roosters seldom have the longer lifespans of hens, probably just wear themselves out being constantly on alert.

I believe that, too, the high stress life they lead. Now, my porcelain D'Anver rooster, Aubrey, has met the age that my late Delaware rooster, Isaac, achieved when he died, 6 years 7 mos. That is the oldest rooster I've had so far, with Suede coming in second at 5 years 8 mos and then, crippled Zane and little Xander and 4 yrs, 6 mos +/-. Atlas will be 4 yrs old in March-April time frame.

 

[speckledhen]

The Brahmas, minus Betsy, who is still being treated for a mysterious crop issue. They are at the end of their molts, or close to the end, and look much better, though they have a few more feathers to get in and some weight to put back. I believe I will be hatching chicks in the spring, with broodies or incubator, but I fear I will lose Betsy and need one or two more hens for Bash, plus other folks are wanting them as well.

Check out Bailey (names are on the pics), you folks who get the partridge pattern. She was always more penciled than laced, but her new feathers are so dark, you can barely see penciling, either. @Sjisty, @junebuggena , what do you think of that? Of my partridge hens, only Brandy has perfect lacing. Cora, Bash's daughter, is not as nicely laced as Brandy but much better than Bailey.