The adult cock bird that I brought home from Texas weighs at least 15 pounds. The adult hen probably weighs 9-10 pounds. My flocks were killed when they were just under a year old, so I never got them up to full adulthood to see how big they would get. My broodies were silkie mixes, so very good broodies, but lost those too. I'm trying to stick with just Brahmas now, so we'll see how they do hatching some eggs. For sure I won't be putting any expensive or important eggs under them! I pulled this big girl off of the nest she was co-brooding with another brahma, so I know she'll go broody. Right now she's not laying again yet and both her and the male are going through a light stress moult, keep finding feathers around but don't see any REALLY obvious bald spots yet, the hen's tail is looking pretty weak but that is the only sign of feather loss. All of the rest that I brought back are too young yet, 4 two month old pullets, 7 three week old chicks (and beginning to look like 5/7 are going to be cockerels....ugh!). Brahmas are notoriously hard to sex until they are 4-6 weeks old, so I'm not positive about what I've got here. I also have eggs in the bator, dark brahmas. Looks like 6 should hatch this weekend.Thanks.... I understand and sympathize about the big birds comment.... my Silver Pencil Rocks and Black Giants all get oversized boxes for their brooding because of their size, and the SPRs aren't as big as brahmas! Both of these broodies broke an egg right before hatch, but probably a combination of their size and the porous shells.... I'm surprised more didn't break actually.
I had seriously considered the brahmas, and may still get them yet... but right now I am happy with the 4 breeds we have decided to keep and the pen is full with them and the barnyard mixes we still have. With us being on broody #18 for the year now I am busy enough without adding another broody prone breed to the yard!
I'll be experimenting this fall when everyone has matured to determine who is carrying the vulture hock recessive gene (V/v if you use the calculator). I will dye the pullet's vents and put them in with the vulture hocked dark male I have (unless I find a splash) and put a vulture hocked pullet (if I can find one) in with each male that I hope to breed (one at a time, LOL). Hatch the eggs and if any chicks have VHs, then I know the non vulture hocked bird has the recessive gene and I can cull them. Of course, all of the offspring will be recessive, so I'll have to cull those as well. I think I can probably sell them to friends and neighbors who are looking for some egg layers/meat birds. Hopefully then, by spring anyway, I'll have a completely VH free flock and can start working seriously on the type. TMI, I know.
) and give her some fertile eggs to hatch. She has been sitting on them for about 2 weeks now ( or 2 and a half) and tonight I found her in another nesting box and the eggs she had been sitting on had little black dots all over them. I'm not sure what they are ( could they be mites? And how come they aren't on any of the other eggs?). I collected all the eggs from the other nesting boxes, but if she doesn't sit on her eggs tonight will they die?? I have no experience with hatching eggs and have had chickens only two years. If anyone could give me some advice as to what the things are and what i should do that would be greatly appreciated!!
