The Brahma is an ideal chicken for northern climates such as Colorado. Thanks to it’s peacomb, down, and tight feathering, it’s known as the least susceptible chicken to cold and frostbite. Brahmas are considered a superior winter-layer, producing a high rate of eggs between October to May. Hens naturally go broody in the summer if you want to hatch out some of your own baby chicks. It is important that they keep are able to walk on well-drained soils. Part of caring for a brahma and any feather legged chicken is to inspect feathered feet to prevent leg mites.
Eggs they will gift
Gifts 4-5 large brown eggs a week
Personality
Gentle Giants. Known for its impressive size and appearance, Brahmas weigh 10 -12 pounds. Brahmas are one of the largest breeds of chickens and take a little longer to fully mature. Brahmas initially gained interest as a meat breed. Since then, they have warmed the hearts of families thanks to their docile personalities and friendly nature. These gentle giants endure hard winters, are easy to keep (won't fly over fencing). Their dual purpose and good mothering qualities make them a sought out choice for homesteaders.
Sexing Method
Several communities have laws in which roosters are not allowed. Vent sexing as a day old is most common sexing method, resulting in 90% accuracy.
Chick: Light Brahma
Most families are attracted to obtaining their chickens from us because we are proud to be completely different than typical feed store/ hatchery industry standards. Industry standard is to sex as accurately as possible and sell as pullets (female chicks) and force customers to accept a >10% chance of an accidental rooster without the ability to accept returns nor refunds. In addition, industry standard is to sell bantams (such as silkies) as straight runs since they are too small for safe vent sexing. We offer multiple sexing options.
Male
If you are lucky enough to have a rooster, our male sexing option is a great way to save money on a wonderful breed.
Unsexed
This option means that the chicks have not yet been sexed and are sold as a straight run. While nature usually averages half girls and half boys in high volumes, families should only order if prepared for >50% possible roosters.
Female Coverage
This is our most economical choice for families seeking a female. We kept city ordinances that restrict rooster ownership in mind. This option is great for families that want to enjoy a backyard flock of ladies. We use traditional sexing methods on the breeds that capable of being vent sexed, home accidental roosters, and issue store credit of original purchased price. To learn more about how we sex baby chicks based on their breed view: How to Sex Chickens.
Depending on the breed, sexing accuracy can range as low as 50% for bantam breeds, 90% for standard breeds, and as high as 95% for auto sexing breeds. Our female coverage option is not a service fee for sexing the chick, it is the cost difference between purchasing a male or a female chicken. We do not believe in grinding males alive nor suffocating them as day olds to enable a profit when selling a stated female chick at ridiculously low prices. Thus, our female pricing takes into consideration the male left behind with each female purchased. Male chicks are typically half the price of a female.
To qualify for rehoming, the rooster must remain in perfect health. If the family decides to return the rooster, a store credit in the amount of original purchase price is provided. As a family, you are welcome to decide to keep any accidental rooster and forfeit the credit.
DNA Sexed Female Chicks
For families that get emotionally bonded quickly and do not want to risk a future discovery of a rooster, we offer DNA sexing. DNA sexing is the only true accurate method of sexing baby chicks. DNA testing is a significantly higher financial investment. In most cases, it is 3x the cost as (1) female sex covered chick.
Balance accuracy with financial investment
The sexing decision is one that needs to be made at time of purchased and the original order cannot be altered once the order is fulfilled. It is important as a family to determine the right balance between sexing accuracy and financial investment for your family’s situation.
We provide as much information on our website as possible to ensure families make an informed decision based on their situation and lifestyle. Some breeds are more accurate in sexing and most families find our female coverage adequate in providing a free home for their accidental rooster (up to $100 savings) and use the store credit towards a replacement or our organic feed. While harder to sex bantam breeds, or families that know they will develop a with strong emotional attachment prefer to invest in DNA sexing.