Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: shamina on February 09, 2008, 19:47
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Hi all I've been offered a cockrel it's described as a beautiful brahma! I'm not really up on them and I dont want to breed I just thought my 2 hens would like a bit of male company. I'd like to knoe if you guys think it's a good idea and what they eat and if they could room share with the ladies etc. I really like my chickens and just thought it might be nice to have a cockrel too. Many thanks
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brahmas are lovely big cuddly chooks.
he'll eat the same as the girls and sleep in with the girls.
and then he will play piggy backs with the girls... lots.... and lots... and he may tire them out if theres only two, and they may also end up with bald backs, so a couple of chicken saddles may be a wise investment
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... and warn the neighbours :shock:
COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOOOOOOO :wink:
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I'm not sure if the hens will thank you tho' :lol:
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Doesn't Munty reccomend 1 cockerel to 12 hens :!:
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Doesn't Munty reccomend 1 cockerel to 12 hens :!:
Sounds familiar, I honestly think 1 cock : 2 hens is just gonna be to much for the hens, he's gonna be REALLY enthusiastic !
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ive now got images of a big brahma boy with just two teeny sebrights.
he'll squish em to death :roll:
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Wow I had no idea that they were quite that active! Does the age of the cockrel make a difference to it's sex drive? And can you really get saddles for hens? Thanks for the advice I might have to get some more chickens cos I do really love them even though with only 2 I cant set foot outside my back door without stepping in chicken poo. I really had no idea that they were like that, how rude! :oops:
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here is some info about that breed
Blue Columbian Brahma - Breed description
Despite the hawkish looks these are the gentle giants of the poultry world and ours are huge!
Cock stands at 72cm (28") and weighs 5.5Kg (12lbs)
Hen is smaller at 51cm (20") and 4Kg (9lbs)
In keeping with this size the wingspan is large so they need space although they do not fly and rarely even run.
These are stately and docile birds, cocks are tolerent of others and hens are usually low down the pecking order in mixed flocks despite their angry looks & size.
Cocks don't crow often and they have a short deep crow.
Despite their stature, their eggs are a standard large fowl size, slightly rounded and tinted to mid brown in colour. They are late to come into lay at around 32 weeks and lay into the winter with cold weather rarely bothering them. They do go broody and make good mums but broodiness isn't a guaranteed trait.
They begin to show best at 2 years old.
Available; None left.
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Hi Shamina. I have a cockerel called Clive who is a wonderful husband to my five pekin bantams. He calls them when he finds a tastey treat to eat, holding it up in his beak so they can all have a taste! He calls them into the coup at night and even perches with his wing over his favorite girlie. And best of all he does a little dance around each one every morning to greet them as they come out of the coup! :D He is so sweet. However he does make a racket from 7am onwards even when out of the run, (4am in the summer) I have great nieghbours who love him, but not everyone likes to hear a cockerel :?
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I have quite a few cockerels, and I have a pair of pekin crosses running with a cockerel without any problems, in fact its lovely to watch the three of them roaming the garden, Romeo thats his name chattering away to his girls and feeding them!! :lol:
Brahmas I dont think are particulary active - I have a huge cochin cockerel very similar breed who although keen is a bit slow!!. Watch out for the noise -some are quite vocal -and thats not just the morning either! and make sure if you choose to keep a cockerel that the spurs are kept short.
I would also question why they are getting rid of him? Some cockerels can be a bit agressive-although Brahmas arent known for their agression.
If hes been handled lots that will make him quite tame anyhow.
Good luck! :lol:
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Thanks to everyone for your replies and advice. Natures paradise swung it for me and I just couldn't resist him. They were getting rid of him because they already had one and they only recently got him he's only 9 months old and the older cockerel was bullying him. I went to fetch him at lunchtime and he's really beautiful and huge. He was really nervous to start but after mealtime he had seemed to relax a little with the help of connie who had her feathers ruffled a bit. I'm going to wait and see how things are once he's settled in and if he's too much for the ladies then I'll get some more hens I think. He seemed very nervous which is understandable but he hasn't been nasty he's been roaming all day and went to bed without any problems which was lucky as he's so fast I'd never catch him. The chickens just duck when you go to pick them up but he scarpered when I went in the garden for a start but he did seem to relax a little and I'm really pleased with him thank you :D
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shamina, when you say the chooks duck when you go near them.. do you mean that they squat down??
if so they think you're a fella and they are saying 'hop on big boy' :wink:
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Oh great - keep us posted - I just cant imagine keeping chickens with no boys. They are so beautiful and so full of character!
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yes they do squat down. I thought they were preparing themselves for being picked up. I'm offended by that and have gone right off them now :lol: . He is starting to show his character more now he definatley thinks he's the bees knees. H likes to wind down with a bit of nookie after every meal and the hens have become much more vocal. I'm really happy with all of them and wish I'd got them sooner.
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he sounds gorgeous! Have you named him yet? and waiting for the photos! :lol: :lol:
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Yes we've called him shaun! An odd name for a cockerel I know but there is a story behind it. It's also an odd story so I wont go into it. He was up at 5.30 this morning the noisy one. I'll post some photos if someone would be kind enough to sort them out fot me. WG kindly did it last time. :D
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Wow I had no idea that they were quite that active! Does the age of the cockrel make a difference to it's sex drive? quote]
It's a bloke innit???? :roll: :roll: :roll: Age matters not:(
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pick on the guys again huh :lol: :lol:
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Maybe I should start giving him beer then and hope for brewers droop :lol:
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My youngsters hatched last year are very frisky at the moment and hellbent on anything with feathers :oops: :oops: whereas my older pekin cockerel is much more of a gentleman :lol: If there not chasing the girls they are chasing each other. My pekin tried to have a scrap with Biggins my huge cochin it was sooooo funny!! :lol: :lol: