Brahma
Feature by Toni Marie Graham
Uses: Exhibiton, Eggs & Meat
Classification: Large fowl and Bantam
Weights: Cock: about 5.5kg (12lb)
Hen: 4.5kg (9.9lb)
Eggs: 150 annual, medium size, brown
Temperment: Calm
Appearance
Photo courtesy of Jacqui Moore, Trebberfed Poultry
The Brahma is classed as a heavy soft feather breed. They are calm birds with broad, deep bodies, full breast and long powerful, yellow legs and feet covered with an abundance of soft feathers which produce beautiful big floppy feet. The head is small for such a large bird and the face is smooth and free from feathers with big, prominent eyes, short strong beak and pea comb and small wattles. The brow is wide which produces heavy eyebrows. They are well known as being one of the largest breeds of chicken and are often called 'The King of Chickens'.
For many years there were only 2 standardised colours of Brahmas, Dark and Light, but in recent times White, Gold, Buff Columbian and most recently the Blue Partridge have been added.
As well as the standard colours of Brahma there are many other colours in the UK and on the continent. These include Black, Blue, Splash, Blue Buff Columbian, Blue Columbian, Red Pyle and Lemon Pyle.
Photo courtesy of Jacqui Moore, Trebberfed Poultry
Origin of the Brahma
There has been quite a lot of controversy between fanciers during the mid to late 1800’s about the origins of the Brahma. On one side were those that believed the breed was created with large feathered legged birds known as Shanghais from China and those on the other side, believed that the breed came from India being named after the Brahmaputra River.
The breed was developed around the East Coast of America from the Shanghais imported from China in the 1840s. These were crossed with Grey Chittagongs, a Malay type bird from India that gave the Brahma its beetle brow and pea comb that we see in the breed today. The bird that was created in 1846 would be the beginning of the Light Brahma.
Brahma's were first imported into the UK in 1852 when a man named George Burnham sent a consigment of 9 Brahmas to Queen Victoria. The Dark Brahma variety was created using these birds and was later re-exported back to the US.
Both the Dark and the Light were included in the first British Poultry Standard in 1865, published by the original Poultry Club of Great Britain.
And whereas we Brits took to keeping the Brahma purely for exhibition and ornamental birds, the US went in the opposite direction and kept them very much a utility breed.
Keeping Brahma
Brahmas are a very large breed of chicken, and because of their size please bear in mind that they do require a lot of room, the will happily stay behind 2-3 foot of fencing, but when left to free range, they are not flighty and will happily roam in your garden. They are tolerant towards other breeds so can be kept together with an assortment without any problems and can even be submissive towards others despite their large size – even the cock birds can tolerate each other.
Brahma prefer dry conditions because of their feathered feet, if left in wet environments they can develop mud balls (or fecal balls) on their toes. If this is not removed, they can lose a nail or 2 and even the end of their toes!
Photo courtesy of Jacqui Moore, Trebberfed Poultry
Overall Opinion
I myself have raised Brahma from egg to maturity, as you may or may not have seen we had a wonderful flock of Lemon Pyle Brahma, Lemonade being our dearest of them all. They have an abundance of character even fresh out of the egg, and are a lot larger than any other chicks you may come across straight from hatch. Being quite docile they are easily handled by small children, on the flip side however be wary that due to their size, hatching with smaller breeds can lead to trampling in the brooder. This is purely down to size and not at all down to behaviour. You will find that the chicks will lay down spread eagled unaware of what they are layed on.
The hens make good tried and true broodies which can cover a large number of eggs due to their size. The eggs are medium and can be low in numbers but the chicks hatch strongly and grow quickly – as well as being amazingly fluffy.
As the chicks mature they do go through the ugly dinosaur stage, and are considered a slow maturing breed, and can take a full 2 years to reach full maturity. Once, the feathers do come through they really start to show their full potential.
Hens won't start to lay until they are approximately six or seven months old and the eggs at first will be as small as those of the larger miniature breeds. They do continue laying throughout the winter unlike some pure breeds, and due to their lush feathering, they are a winter hardy breed.
Photo courtesy of Jacqui Moore, Trebberfed Poultry
Photo courtesy of Grahams Pure Breed Poultry
Photo courtesy of Grahams Pure Breed Poultry
As they grow they do eat a larger quantity of feed than most growers, this is due to their lengthy growth process and be mindful of this if you have a mixed flock. As the birds feather up and it is time to house them outside, make sure you have a run that has ample room as there is nothing quite like watching a Brahma run around to put a smile on your face. The coop doesn't require any larger entrance than a normal coop door, their feathering makes them look deceptively larger than they actually are. They do need shelter from the British weather, as mentioned above, this is mainly due to their foot feathers. Provide them with a dust bath also to help with feather condition.
As their feet and legs are completely covered with feathers, be sure to check them regularly for Scaly Leg mite and any soreness and treat accordingly, one thing to mention is that if you were a red mite wouldn't you like to be all snug as the bug you are in that fine body of feathers? Well, yes you would. So take precautions for the health of your birds.
