I finally received my 6 buff Brahmas last Wednesday! I kept them confined to their coop for the first 2 days and after, let them free range. They've been wonderful, not going to far or digging up plants...Thank you all for the advice on coop building (they seem to really like there home)
I should have 5 hens and 1 rooster. But, I keep seeing them puff up there neck feathers and headbutt each other. Do hens do this or does it mean I have more than 1 rooster?
Oh my word, they are GORGEOUS! I am most envious! Yes, hens puff their neck feathers and challenge each other in their efforts to establish pecking order.
Lovely! Congrats. =0)
Very, very pretty, almost as pretty as the Batflower. Hope you enjoy. Hay.
Lovely flock!
thanks all, They have chosen an area in my yard and pretty well stay there all day long until its time to go home to there coop. I want them to go play in my orchard to eat some of the fallen fruit and bugs. I have herded them into the orchard on several occasions but they just run right back to there little chosen area. Any tips on how I can get them to stay in the orchard?
Yeah! it's called reverse psychology, try very hard to keep them out, to be sure they'll end up in the orchard. LOL.... Good luck! Haystack
lol! thanks haystack
Batflower, How very cool! I have Buff Brahmas too! My very first chickens....my rooster started to get a very red face and then started crowing. Mine are about four months old now and one of the hens still challenges him. She seems to be in charge and my rooster doesn't seem to mind really. As long as he gets first dibs on the blueberries I throw them for treats sometimes.
I posted a weekend photo of mine here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=6980400. I think I linked that right but I'm not sure. The laptop with the photo files died yesterday and so I can't browse and repost the photo, sorry. It shows how my rooster looks now in case you want to see to look for signs on your rooster. Rooster is on the left and you can see the top of his head very well in that pic.
Yours look so happy running around. They seem to really like their new home. Anyway, congrats and have lots of fun with them!
they're beautiful terri ! mine are getting close to 4 months too....still don't have any that look like your roo. Is he crowing yet? I LOVE my brahmas they're so gentile and sweet. congrats on yours as well!
Yes he is crowing, but he's not very loud at all. Our neighbors can't hear him from their property and were very surprised to learn that we have a rooster. They can hear the peacock--but he only calls during the spring. I actually ordered pullets as the neighbors have young girls who like to sleep in late and kind of jokingly said they really didn't want me to get a rooster. It didn't matter one way or the other to me so I ordered pullets. Then about a month ago one of the pullets started looking like a rooster. Being a newbie with chickens I poster a photo and sure enough, she's a he! It has all worked out fine as the neighbors say they can't hear him, and DH had been pestering me about eventually getting a rooster since he decided that he really does like the hens and someday we may want to replenish the flock. He got his wish! DH sits out by the chicken run in the late afternoon with a glass of wine and just watches the chickens. Says its good for his blood pressure.
Hope yours are good for your blood pressure as well!
They are really pretty birds. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of chickens! I love to sit and watch my chickens too. I never thought I'd love them like I do.
I always scatter grain in the driveway when I go unlock their coop in the morning. Then, I sit on the front porch and enjoy watching them peck away at it while I have my coffee. I could sit there all day......but then my kids wake up and scare the chickens away with a lovely course of "Mom, we're hungry come make us breakfast!"
