To those that own Brahma's, let me know if this is a BREED thing or I just have a weird chicken. I have a big Dark Brahma girl, and she doesn't run. She lopes. She looks like a Clydesdale or something whenever she tries to run around the yard, and does this sort of "gullumph" lope. I have other chickens, who are a bit smaller breeds (Wyandottes, EE, Barred Rock) and they can HAUL butt, but they run. The Brahma covers just as much ground and can even out-lope my Barred Rock, but she doesn't run like the others. Is this a Brahma thing? lol
I have a few that do that. My roo especially has a funny walk/run. With my chickens I think it's a feathered foot thing. My darks in particular have heavy foot feathering and it's how they compensate.
I never thought of it being the feathers on the feet! Duh.. Haha. I was just assuming it was because she was so much bigger then the other girls. It's really funny and she really gets going and can cover some ground by doing that. It really reminds me of a horse loping. She maneuvers pretty well too! And she is a dark Brahma, my first one. I really like them!
OMG!!! I'm so glad you posted this because I've been wondering the SAME THING!!! I thought about catching my light Brahma today and making sure she was ok. It must be a breed thing because mine does it all the time and everywhere she goes. It's absolutely adorable.
It is definately a breed thing - one they are a large breed and two they can have extensive foot feathering which in the case of chicks they do what alot call the 'bedroom shoe shuffle' when they walk, and then as adults they do the loping run or I had 2 that would kinda throw their feet out and around when running forward - too funny. But yeah, she's not wierd, just a normal wierd brahma.
My dark brahma does this. He is not the most graceful thing to watch. I crack up when I see the other hens taking off & him waddleing behind them.
My bantam Buff Brahma fella, Charlie, does this same mode of traveling. Because of his shape, his ambulation REALLY makes me think of a small dinosaur!! See how he holds himself? Kinda high rear end? It's a hoot to see him move across the yard in that lope! All three little roos:
