Brahma (Chicken)
| Brahma | |
|---|---|
|
|
| BDRG - Standard No. | |
| origin | Giant chicken of Asian-American origin. |
| year | Introduced around 1850. |
| colour | |
| Weight | Stopcock 3.5 to 5.0 kg
Hen 3.0 to 4.5 kg |
| Laying performance | 140 eggs |
| Eggshell color | Yellow-brown, better yellow-red |
| Egg weight | 53 grams |
| List of breeds of chicken | |
The Brahmas are an ancient breed of chicken. Brahmas originated in North America, probably from crosses of Cochin, Malay and Chittagong chickens and can therefore be assigned to chickens of Asian origin. The name comes from the Indian stream Brahmaputra.
history
When the Brahmas, who belong to the giant chickens , came to Europe in the 19th century, they were first in England and later also in Germany the "great fashion" of poultry breeding. From 1850 to around 1930, brahmas were the main meat meal in the United States. They quickly became popular because of their very broad and strong physique, the abundance of feathers and down, their balanced shape and richly feathered legs, their massive shape, their dignified posture and their graceful stride. The situation caused by the two world wars, however, counteracted the spread of this breed, mainly because of the considerable consumption of feed, which was difficult to obtain in these difficult times. The first Brahmas were introduced to Germany around 1850, namely the white-black columbia (then called "light") and the silver-colored banded (formerly "dark").
Meanwhile, the Brahmas in Germany are bred in nine recognized color varieties:
- white-black columbia,
- yellow-black columbia,
- yellow-blue Colombia
- silver-colored banded,
- partridge colored-banded,
- blue partridge-colored banded,
- blue, silver-colored banded with orange back
- blue
- black
Appearance
In their appearance, the Brahmas embody courage and strength, brought about by their size, the massive body and the broad, medium-high stance. They are characterized by a calm being, a challenging posture and a bold look. Racial characteristics of the Brahmas are:
- the large, broad, deeply stretched and horizontally carried trunk
- a full and well rounded chest
- the three-row pea comb without a thorn
- the broad, small head with protruding parting over the eyes, well set off at the neck
- a short and strong beak
- heavily feathered legs
Purebred Brahmas can be recognized by the fact that not only the outer toes are feathered, but also the metatarsal toe. In mongrels, who can look very similar to thoroughbred Brahmas, the fletching on the middle toe is missing.
particularities
The Brahmas lay normal-sized eggs that appear relatively small in relation to their height.
Another special feature are the feathers on the legs, which mainly grow to the side on the outside of the legs. The Brahmas have a small comb, their head shape resembles that of an eagle.
This breed of chicken is characterized by a very calm character, they are rather reserved and easily become trusting. The hens have a pronounced breeding instinct. The chicks should hatch in spring, as they grow slowly and fletch just as slowly.
Brahmas are quite sensitive to excessive excitement, and are all too easy to get a heartbeat when excited. The animals then simply fall over for no apparent reason and are dead.
The race support is offered in Germany by the Special Association of Breeders of Cochin, Brahma and Brahma chicken dwarf eV.
literature
- Fritz Schöne, Frank Peschke: Brahma and dwarf Brahma. In: Praxis der Hühner- und Zwerghuhnzucht, Verlag Peschke, Sebnitz 2004, ISBN 3-9809850-0-8 , pp. 214-217.
