I'm basing my review off of my dark brahma bantam roo. He came with my batch of 8 day old dominique chicks (all hatched together) for free so I said why not. As a chick he would run away whenever I would go to pick him up. However, he is a decent little rooster. I already have a big dom rooster and the two get along great. He is second in command and basically follows the big guy around and does whatever he does, which makes for quite the show sometimes. I like that he is gentle toward his flockmates. He doesn't start fights nor is he bossy. He is a bit lower on the pecking order but nonetheless everyone respects him and no one bosses him around aggressively or chases him. My guy is quite the ornament, I absolutely LOVE his colors, and his feathers are so soft. Only thing is he is not forthcoming. He runs away if you try to pet him or pick him up. He hasn't ever eaten out of my hand, even as a chick. The doms on the other hand are the exact opposite. You would think they would imprint on each other and he would be somewhat like them but no. Overall I love my little guy and think he's funny, I would be open to trying LF brahma hens.
Reviews by blueclip
I got my doms from a breeder when they were a few days old. I currently have 5 hens and a rooster and they are about to turn a year old. These guys are such a good fit for me and what I'm looking for. I live in a colder climate and these guys thrive in it. One day this past winter it was -45 F (-54 with the wind chill) and these guys were out in their run like it was nothing. Their hardiness is astonishing. They are very calm and easy-going. Mine don't mind being picked up and held, even my rooster. They all love to eat out of my hand and immediately come flocking over if they see me sticking out my palm. Just like everyone else has said, these guys are vicious foragers. They really do make other breeds look lazy. I have a few australorps (who are decent foragers as well) and the doms outwork them in the foraging department. It's clockwork to them. They are VERY good layers. I get at least 4 eggs a day from 5 hens. The eggs are starting to get bigger although they are usually medium in size. They aren't the biggest birds around, the cocks are somewhere around 7 lb. while the hens are 5 lb. That doesn't matter to me though, these guys are such wonderful chickens and a piece of history. I'm very grateful that those handful of Dominique flock owners in the 70's got together and decided to keep these guys going, otherwise I wouldn't be as happy as I am today. Not much else I could say that hasn't been said already...Dominiques forever baby!
