The Brahma

The Brahma chicken is a large breed of domestic chicken that is known for its size, strength, and striking appearance.

Here is some information about Brahma chickens:

1. Origin: The Brahma breed was developed in the United States in the mid-19th century. It is believed to have originated from large chickens imported from China, which were then crossbred with other breeds, such as the Chittagong from India. The breed was named after the Brahmaputra River in India.

2. Size and Appearance: Brahma chickens are one of the largest chicken breeds. They have a massive, well-muscled body with a broad, deep chest, and wide stance. Adult Brahma roosters can weigh between 10 to 12 pounds (4.5 to 5.4 kilograms), while hens typically weigh between 8 to 10 pounds (3.6 to 4.5 kilograms). They have a medium to long neck and a small, pea comb. The breed is known for its feathered legs and feet, which are well-feathered down to the toes.

3. Feather Colors and Patterns: Brahma chickens come in various colors and patterns. The most common color varieties are light, dark, and buff. The light variety is characterized by a base color of silver or white with black hackle and tail feathers, while the dark variety has a base color of black with contrasting white hackle and tail feathers. The buff variety is a warm golden color. In addition to the solid colors, there are also patterns such as partridge and blue.

4. Temperament: Brahma chickens are known for their docile and calm temperament. They are generally friendly, gentle, and easy to handle. Their calm disposition makes them suitable for families and backyard flocks. However, individual personalities can still vary, and some Brahma roosters may exhibit more assertive behavior during mating season.

5. Egg Production: Brahma chickens are considered moderate to good layers. They can produce a decent number of large brown eggs throughout the year. On average, a Brahma hen can lay around 150-200 eggs annually, but this can vary depending on factors such as diet, genetics, and environmental conditions.

6. Cold Tolerance: Brahma chickens are well-known for their excellent cold tolerance. Their heavy body, dense feathering, and feathered feet help them withstand colder climates and harsh winters better than many other chicken breeds. They are less prone to frostbite due to their feathering and hardy nature.

7. Exhibition and Show Qualities: Brahma chickens are popular exhibition birds due to their impressive size, unique appearance, and distinctive feathering. They often attract attention at poultry shows and exhibitions, and there are breed standards that define their ideal characteristics for competition.

When keeping Brahma chickens, it is important to provide them with suitable housing, ample space to move around, a balanced diet, and protection from predators. Due to their large size, they may require sturdier coop construction and larger nesting boxes compared to smaller chicken breeds.

The Brahma Standards of Perfection

Male Characteristics

Carriage: Sedate, but fairly active.

Type:

Body: Broad, square and deep.
Back: Short, either flat or slightly hollow between the shoulders, the saddle rising half-way between the hackle and the tail until it reaches the tail coverts.
Breast: Full with horizontal keel.
Wings: Medium sized, with lower line horizontal, free from twisted or slipped feathers, well tucked under the saddle feathers, which should be of ample length.
Tail: Of medium length, rising from the line of the saddle and carried between 65-75 degrees, the quill feathers well spread, the coverts broad and abundant, well curved and almost covering the quill feathers.

Head: Asiatic, small, rather short, of medium breadth, and a dewlap of the upper throat, between the wattles.

Brow: Clearly prominent over the eyes.
Beak: Short and strong.
Eyes: Large and deeply set.
Comb: Pea comb, small, firmly fastened.
Face: Smooth, free from feathers or hairs.
Earlobes: long and fine, free from feathers.
Wattles: Small, fine and rounded, free from feathers.

Neck: Long, covered with hackle feathers that reach well down to the shoulders, a depression being apparent at the back between the head feathers and the upper hackle.

Plumage: Profuse, but close fitting.

Legs/Feet:

Legs: Moderately long, powerful, well apart and feathered.
Thighs: Large and covered in front by the lower breast feathers.
Fluff: soft, abundant, covering the hind parts and standing out behind the thighs.
Hocks: Amply covered with soft rounded feathers, or with long, soft feathers provided they are accompanied with proportionately heavy shank and foot feathering.
Shanks: Profusely feathered, standing well out from legs and toes, extending under the hock feathers and to the extremity of the middle and outer toes. Shanks and foot feathering to be profuse, with vulture hocks being undesirable.
Toes: four, straight and spreading.

Female Characteristics

With the exception of the neck and legs, which are rather short, the general characteristics are similar to those of the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences.

Scale of Points:

Type (shape and symmetry): 30

Colour : 25

Legs and feet : 15

Head and Eye : 15

Size and condition : 15

TOTAL: 100

Weights of Standard sized birds:

Male: ..................................................4.55 - 5.45 kg (10 - 12 lb)

Female: ..............................................3.20 - 4.10 kg (7 - 9 lb)

Gold Brahma Colour Standards

Male Plumage:

Head: dark orange.

Hackle: bright orange-yellow shading to a bright lemon-yellow, free from washiness, each feather having a clearly defined, lustrous, greenish-black stripe down the centre, not running out at the tip, and free from light shaft.

Back: bright red of a scarlet shade, free from maroon or purple shade. Saddle hackle: to match the neck hackle. Main tail, coverts, main and lesser sickles: lustrous greenish-black. Tail free of white at the roots. Wings: fronts black.

Bow: bright red of scarlet shade, free from maroon or purple tinge.

Coverts: lustrous, greenish black, forming a distinct wing bar of this colour across wing when wing is folded.

Primaries: black. Secondaries: inner web and end of feather, black, outer web, rich bay, the rich bay alone showing when the wing is folded. Breast and front of neck: lustrous greenish black, free from red or grey ticking.

Body and fluff: black. Undercolour: black or dark grey.

Female Plumage:

Head: rich golden yellow.

Hackle: rich golden yellow, the larger feathers finely and clearly pencilled with black. Front of neck, breast, back, wing bow, wing bar, wing and tail coverts, thighs, body fluff: soft light partridge brown, quite even and free from red or yellow tinge, each feather plentifully and distinctly pencilled with black, the pencilling to follow the form of the feather, and to be even and uniform throughout. Pencilling to be fine, sharply defined and with three or more distinct lines of black.

Main tail: black, with or without brown markings.

Primaries: black. Secondaries: inner web black, outer web same colour as body, showing pencilling when wing is folded.

Undercolour: slate.

Penciling Standards

Penciling in the Gold and Dark varieties should be distinct and in sharp contrast to the ground colour, regular in shape, uniform in width and conform to the contour of the feather. Each feather on the back, breast, body, wing bows and thighs should have three or more pencilings. Penciling which runs into peppery markings and uneven, broken or barred penciling constitute defects, as does light shaftiness on feathers of the breast and front of neck. Ground colour to be even throughout.

Dark Brahma Colour Standards

Male:

Plumage:

Head: silvery white.

Neck Hackle: web of feather, lustrous greenish black with narrow lacing of silvery white; shafts black. Front of neck: black. Back including saddle: web of feather, lustrous greenish black with narrow lacing of silvery white, a slight shafting of silvery white permissible. Silvery white predominating on surface of upper back; saddle matching with hackle in colour.

Tail: main tail - web black. Main and lesser sickles: lustrous greenish black.

Coverts: lustrous greenish black with lacing of white. Wings: fronts black.

Bows: silvery white. Coverts: lustrous greenish black, forming a distinct bar of this colour across entire wing when folded.

Primaries: black with narrow edging of white on lower edge of lower webs.

Secondaries: lower webs, black with lower half white to a point near end of feather, terminating abruptly, leaving ends of feathers black; upper webs black; the secondaries when folded forming a triangular white wing bay between the wing bar and tips of secondary feathers.

Breast: lustrous greenish black. Body: black. Fluff: black, slight tinge of grey permissible.

Undercolour: slate shading lighter towards base of feathers.

Female Plumage:

Head: silvery grey.

Neck hackle: black, slightly pencilled with steel grey and laced with silvery white. Front of neck, breast, back, wing bow, wing bar, wing and tail coverts, thighs, body and fluff: ground colour steel grey with distinct black pencillings.

Main tail: black except two top feathers which have lower web black; upper web, grey pencilled with black.

Primaries: black with diagonal steel grey pencillings on lower webs.

Secondaries: lower webs steel grey with black pencillings extending well around tips of feathers; balance of upper webs, black. Undercolour: medium slate.

Partridge and Dark Colour Genetics

Partridge x Partridge = 100% Partridge

Partridge x Blue Partridge = 50% Partridge and 50% Blue Partridge

Partridge x Splash Partridge = 100% Blue Partridge

Blue Partridge x Blue Partridge = 25% Partridge, 50% Blue Partridge and 25% Splash Partridge

Blue Partridge x Splash Partridge = 50% Blue Partidge and 50% Splash Partidge

Splash Partridge x Splash Partridge = 100% Splash Partridge

When a Partridge is crossed to a Dark and vice versa (this also applies to Blue Partridge) the expected outcomes from such crosses are listed below.

Dark male x Partridge female = 100% Dark (hiding Partridge) males x 100% Dark females

Partridge male x Dark female = 100% Dark (hiding Partridge) males and 100% Partridge females

Dark male (hiding Partridge) x Dark female = 25% Dark males, 25% Dark males (hiding Partridge), 25% Dark females and 25% Partridge females

Dark male (hiding Partridge) x Partridge female = 25% Partridge males, 25% Dark males (hiding Partridge), 25% Dark females and 25% Partridge females

Sexing Day old Gold Partridge and Dark Brahma Chicks

These images (from Bek Loy) show the differences between the sexes of day old Gold Partridge and Dark Brahma chicks.

The birds on the left is the pullet of each variety and the cockerel is on the right. Key points to note:

The pullets will have a stronger eyeliner
The pullets will have more defined chipmunk markings on their backs and heads

Sexing is easily done in these colour varieties but is not applicable to all colours. When in doubt, grow it out.