Will Brahma roosters be too much around Leghorn hens?

[DoozyWombat]

Thanks again to all for the great advice. We're learning as we go, and all we have left are eight Brahmas and one Leghorn. The nine birds together eat about as much as one Cornish Cross ate before harvesting, and they all seem to prefer foraging to the layer feed.

It occurred to me, after hearing all the experienced opinions, that I was thinking more in terms of a pure breed than a functional flock. If we get a broody Brahma, that would be great, but we might get an assortment of breeds next year, and see how well we can integrate the flock.

 

[Mrs. K]

And that is best, this is not a hobby that you do all in one year, you have years of enjoyment ahead of you, such a fun hobby.

 

[Mrs. K]

numerous times I have thought, THIS is the breed, this is the one I will go pure bred on, but truthfully, I love a mixed flock

 

[Ruthster55]

My experience with self-sustaining brooding in a cool, rainy mountain climate (never freezes) is the following:

TL;DR Try a couple of Game hens to brood chicks. First, not third choice. Never tried Brahmas or Cochins but they’re so much heavier than Games that I’m afraid they would break eggs.

1. Had a pair of Silkies a few years ago. They never did a thing. Hen died in some bad weather. Rooster survived and is now well over 5 years old at a friend’s house as a pet for their children.

2. Tried frizzle bantams because they were cute. Total failure. Died in bad weather or from a predator.

3. Made major dog-proofing repairs to our chicken run in late 2019.

4. Picked up a couple Game hens not really thinking about it from a neighbor around January. Games are common in this area.

A population explosion has ensued.

Since March, the chicken run has been a practically uninterrupted series of broody hens raising chicks, both Game and barnyard mix hens. Most hens pick it up from each other to the point where I can cull failed or non-broody hens by either giving them away or eliminating a wannabe egg-eater that has also never gone broody.

The first hen, a barred Game mix, raised one beautiful gray pullet. The second hen, a Game, raised seven chicks. The third hen, a barnyard mix, raised two which were lost to bad weather. The fourth hen, a Game, had four chicks, three cockerels and a pullet The fifth barnyard mix hen had three that look like pullets. The sixth hen, a small naked neck barnyard mix, had a failed hatch. OK. No prob. Rehomed.

The seventh hen, a barnyard mix, recently hatched an incredible 18 chicks!

I have one or two of the previous broodies now sitting in nest boxes laughing at me when I walk by saying that I think I have enough chickens right now!

 

[Mrs. K]

I can hear them laughing! I can see the picture,