Description of the Brama chicken breed

Named after the Indian river Brahmaputra, giant chickens with a calm character, aristocratic appearance and high productivity have long become favorites of poultry farmers around the world. The article describes the Brama chicken breed with a photo.

Chicken history

The breed was bred by the Americans. Conquered by the gigantic sizes of Asian Upland Birds brought from India in the middle of the 19th century, American farmers crossed gray Cochinchins with fighting Malay and Chittagongs.

The breed was named gray chittagong. Its presentation took place in 1850 at the Boston Agricultural Exhibition. But, the name did not catch on. And as a gift to the Queen of England in 1852, the Boston poultry farmer Barngham presented a bird of this breed as an ermine hen of the Brahmaputra breed, now known as Brama.

With the light hand of Queen Victoria, the breed spread throughout Europe.

In Russia, according to the results of the survey of the Petrovskaya Agricultural Academy, carried out at the beginning of the twentieth century, the breed was listed in the first five birds most common on peasant farmsteads. The Orpingtons, Cochinchins, Faveroli, Plymouthrocks and American Brahmas were in favor.

External characteristics of the breed

The appearance of brama chickens (brahminka, brahmins) in catalogs is described according to standard features:

• Color different colors. The plumage is silvery-white, gray, brown, partridge, black.
• There are colored varieties: yellow, blue, striped, blue-white and red Colombian colors, black or blue with white splashes (birch), fawn.
• Fluff ashy, abundant. Feathers are soft, close to the body, not loose. For roosters, a contrasting collar is required. The tail is in the form of a fan, fluffy.
• Leather yellow tint.
• Head small size. The forehead is wide. Three-row pod-shaped (pea-shaped) crest without clearly defined teeth.
• Constitution dense, fleshy. Chest, back, abdomen, back are wide. High body fit. Differs from related Cochinchins in a higher tail lift, thin bones. Chickens are more rounded and have shorter legs than roosters.
• Wings developed. The legs are powerful, long, fully feathered, including the outer and middle toes. The toes and metatarsus are strong, yellow, grayish at the dark margins.
• Length neck medium, with a voluminous mane in the upper part, with a slight bend.
• Beak yellow, strong.
• Eyes orange, bright, deep-seated. The superciliary arches are high, overhanging.
• Earrings and earlobes red, small, of medium length. A skin fold (bridle) on the neck under the beak.

Purpose of the breed

Initially, it belonged to the meat direction. Now it is positioned as a decorative meat. The decline in the production qualities of the breed was due to mixing with other varieties (Cochinchins, Asian species), closely related breeding, preference for decorative qualities over productive ones. Brahmin meat is considered the most tender, dietary, high quality among all meat breeds and crosses. With the wrong selection of feed, additives, the meat coarsens, its taste deteriorates.

Currently, it is bred mainly on individual farmsteads, in small farms, by amateur collectors, their reviews can be found below. It is not of interest for modern poultry farms.

Layers and roosters weight

The live weight of laying hens is 3.5-4 kg, roosters - 4.5-5 kg. During the heyday of the breed there were birds weighing more than 7 kg... Today, such giants are almost impossible to meet.

Temperament

The main characteristic of chickens of the Brama breed is endurance, unpretentiousness and vitality. A small chicken coop, a short walk is enough for them. They have a wonderful character - calm, even phlegmatic.

Egg production

For a meat breed it is considered average. Brahmins carry 100-120 eggs per year, weighing about 50-65 g. The shell is strong, of various shades of brownish-brown, cream color. In winter, the number of eggs does not fall. Young hens of early hatching become layers after 9 months.

The optimal daily amount of feed for the formation of an egg weighing 60 g is 110-150 g. The average cost of compound feed per egg is 30-40 kopecks.

Varieties of the Brama breed: description and photo

From the end of the 19th century, the main varieties of chickens of the Brama breed: meat American, decorative Asian meat, decorative European, decorative dwarf. There are also subspecies: light, dark, partly, fawn.

Partridge

American meat subspecies. It is similar in color to a partridge, hence the name. The plumage is brown, with a golden tint, the black tail shines with a metallic green sheen.

Fawn (buff)

Golden brown plumage, the edge on the neck and tail are black. In roosters, the mane is darker than the main color. Easily tolerates cold climates.

Light

Colombian silver gray color scheme. The tail feathers, the flight feathers of the wings, the collar on the neck are of a rich black-green color. The middle feather on the toes and metatarsus has black stripes. Chickens have white feathers on their belts, roosters flaunt black ones. The crest, face, lobes are bright red. Due to the lush plumage of the body, legs and neck, stature, smooth face, large eyes and beak, they have an extremely decorative look.

Dark

Most birds are gray with a white, silvery head. On the neck, feathers are white with a black edging, on the body they are sickle-shaped, gray to black, parallel to the contour, stripes. The plumage structure is loose, abundant. Roosters have a silvery-gray head, a silvery-white mane and neck with a black central stripe. On the legs is a hawk tuft - lush feathers on the shins. The main plumage is greenish-black. The skin is white with pink. Paws are yellow. Reddish brown eyes. A distinctive feature is a short curved beak, yellow with black stripes. Straight, small tail.

It is appreciated for its good preservation. Up to 68% of chickens survive, up to 83% of adults. Dark borders are not bad brood hens. Undemanding to the conditions of detention, feed, get along with other breeds.

Breeding and keeping at home

It starts with the purchase of adult birds, young stock or selection of eggs. Owners of individual poultry houses can purchase chicks from breeders. The price for chicks aged 7-15 days is quite high - 300-350 rubles, and the price of adult birds reaches 3000 rubles. Eggs for an incubator cost from 60 to 200 rubles apiece.

It is better to transfer eggs selected from a personal farm for incubation to nests of smaller breeds or place in an incubator. Frames have a developed incubation instinct, but due to their high weight, they can crush up to a quarter of the eggs. It is safer to hatch Brahmins in an incubator.

Juveniles are characterized by slow growth; those hatched later than June may not winter.

Purchased adult chickens are temporarily quarantined. Chicks from 4 months of age are recommended to be kept separately from adult chickens and young animals of other breeds.

Food

Feed requirements common for young, adult chickens and layers:

• The feed should be fresh.
• The feed must contain a sufficient amount of minerals, vitamins, trace elements, calcium. This is achieved using food waste, brilliant green from the garden, grain and specialized industrial additives, shell rock, chalk or eggshell powder.
• To activate the work of the gastrointestinal tract, in a separate dish with high sides, pour river sand or fine gravel.
• Stick to three meals a day. Brahmas easily learn to eat from their hands and receive food at the same time.
• Experienced poultry farmers recommend stick to the scheme: 1st feeding - grain mixtures, 2nd - various mash-ups moistened with water or broth with the addition of food waste, herbs, 3rd - grain.
• Observe drinking regimen... Water at room temperature is poured into disinfected drinkers at the rate of 1.8 parts of water for one part of any dry food.
• For physical activity, about 10% of the grain in winter is poured onto the bedding, feed portions increase.

Brama chickens are mobile, active. Up to 6-7 months, they need a reinforced balanced diet. The first weeks give finely grated boiled eggs mixed with finely ground corn or wheat grits.

From the second week, low-fat cottage cheese with chopped nettle, knotweed or dandelion is introduced into the diet. Then they begin to add the tops or roots of carrots, beets, cucumbers, apples, zucchini.

Daily diet for an adult meat bramah and a laying hen, the composition is almost the same: 50-55 g of grain, 30 g of wet mash, 100 g of boiled potatoes, 10 g of hay flour, 3 g of chalk, 2 g of bone meal, 0.5 g of table salt. If the chicken is grown for meat, the daily ration of grain is increased.

Room requirements, video

The coop should be spacious, dry and well ventilated, as described below. Brahmas are heavy birds, therefore, the perch is made from a die with a width of at least 30 cm, which is nailed to the wall at a height of 40-50 cm.

In our climatic conditions, additional artificial lighting is required.

Diseases

Although chickens of this breed are considered unpretentious, they are also susceptible to disease.

One of the conditions for growing at home is strict hygiene. Drinkers, perches, feeders, bedding should be regularly handled. In order to rid the lush plumage of the Brahmanas from parasites, ash and ash are added to the litter. Antiparasitic foot baths are made at least once a quarter. To do this, one-third of birch tar or unrefined sunflower oil is poured into a suitable dish.

Young animals are vaccinated against bird flu. Protect from drafts. As a preventive measure against rickets, chickens are given boneless fish waste or fish oil once a week.

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed

The advantages include meat productivity, vitality, unpretentiousness to weather conditions, area of ​​content, decorativeness.

Flaws: high cost of material for growing, low mobility of chickens, a long period before the onset of egg production.

Reviews of poultry farmers and owners

They grow very slowly, the breed is not cheap and very often you can slip a cross between a hedgehog and a rhinoceros.

I keep a pale yellow and light breed. Honestly, a very difficult breed to breed, you need nerves. In the spring I took 18 heads of daily chickens for testing, they really liked them in appearance. All grew up without mortality, except for two who were crushed at the age of one month by their own hunting dog through an oversight. They grow very slowly. I thought I couldn’t wait for the first egg and I’ll chop off their heads. In general, when he was a month old, one of my simple Siberian laying hens brought out chickens, which were already laying, and only the scallops appeared at the brahma at that moment. But! The handsome men have grown up to glory.He slashed one of the most feeble, but voracious ones for trial. I didn't like the meat. I sold a part, and I will say that it is very profitable. Torn off with their feet, as they say, justified their price. He left himself the most powerful and beautiful. Forum all about poultry

Brahma is now a purely decorative breed, there are few eggs from them, meat too. The hen is most productive in the first 2 years of life, hens lay eggs, according to my observations, up to 4-5 years, then there is no point in keeping the bird. We had no problems with chickens from these chickens, the only thing is that chickens are prone to obesity (if they are not fed properly, they get fat and almost never lay an egg). Poultry Forum

Almost tame, unpretentious chickens are not only decoration of the yard. Armed with patience, you will soon have a source of delicious dietary eggs and meats for your table.