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Brahma

The Brahma is an Asiatic breed of chicken. The first Brahmas were brought to the United States in...

General Information

Breed Purpose
Dual Purpose
Comb
Pea
Broodiness
Average
Climate Tolerance
All Climates
Egg Productivity
Medium
Egg Size
Large
Egg Color
Light Brown
Breed Temperament
Friendly, Easily handled, Calm, Bears confinement well, Docile
Breed Colors/Varieties
Light, Buff, Dark, Gold, Black, White, Blue, and Blue Columbian.
Breed Size
Large Fowl
APA/ABA Class
Asiatic
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There has been considerable controversy over the true origins of the Brahma breed, but appears to have developed in the US originally, from birds imported from China. They were send off from the port of Shanghai and were thus known as "Shanghai birds". Brahmas as we know them were first exported to England in December 1852, when George Burnham sent nine "Gray Shanghaes" to Queen Victoria as a gift. The Dark Brahma variety was developed by English breeders from this stock and later exported to the United States, where the Brahma was the principal meat bird from the 1850's to around 1930. Some of these birds were very big, with males weighing in at up to 18 lb and females at 13 lb.

The Light and Dark Brahma were developed and included in the first edition of the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection in 1874 and the Buff variety was added in 1924. The Australian Poultry Association has accepted black, blue, partridge, crele and barred varieties of Brahma in addition to the standard light, dark, and buff.

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Brahma eggs

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Brahma chick

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Brahma juveniles

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Brahma hen

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Brahma rooster

For more about Brahmas and their owners' and breeders' experiences with this breed, see our breed discussion here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-brahma.992485/

Latest reviews

good breed for beginners
Pros: Likes being held when young, gets along great with other chickens, doesn't tend to peck on others.
Cons: Feathers on feet can get dirty if you have a lot of mud in your yard
This is my light brahma, Dottie. Very sweet hen, kinda shy, but not skittish.
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Beautiful, calm chickens
Pros: Docile, very pretty, can't fly well
Cons: Eggs aren't as big as I expected, feathered feet can get nasty
I love their size and the fact that they don't fly over short fences.

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Pros: Good layers
Sweet personality
Easy-going with other flock members
Cons: Feathered legs get muddy and hard to keep clean
My Brahmas made me laugh on a daily basis. Big friendly girls. I plan to get more.

Comments

I just got my dark Brama hens 1 6 mo old and 2 4 m old Pullets and they All love to be held IM hyped .
also they are Quiet birds so my neighbor wont be complaining and she complains if she hears a dog No one else does LOL.
 
I have read other reviews on this breed. My best advise would be to get them from a breeder, that way you can seee the parent stock of the birds you are recieving and their temperment. Do not get chicks or starters from an agressive Roo. It doesent matter how beautiful a roo is, if he is agressive, dont breed him. Think of it like breeding dogs, dont breed agression.
 
I recently had a buff brahma hit by a car :( I really need to replace her. Any advice for this type of bird in NE Ohio. I would like to get a teenager so that I can add her right to my flock. Thanks!
 
Thanks. You answered a question that I had. We have a cute Buff Brahma "Sweetie Pie" that is 6 months old but hasn't laid any eggs. The other types of hens are doing great and she is still growing.... Guess they really are late to mature.
 
I'm happy you're sweet Brahma was not carried off for good by the eagle. Poor thing -- what a scary experience! On the bright side, at least she got to "fly"!
 
I agree! This sounds just like my hen. She's a great layer, calm, and a huge digger! She's the main reason my lawn is such a mess!
 
My LB does nothing but foraging all day, and she only seems to think about food or finding food on the grass/ground. She seems a bit mindless and doesn't have as much personality as my other hens, but when it comes to foraging, she beats them all out of my 7 breeds.
 
One of my favorites too!
Had a Dark Brahama that I picked up from the Mariposa County Fair, form a young 4-H student, from Russia, named Igor.
Great young man with the gentle sweet bird.
 
ha! I went to the San Diego Del Mar Fair last week, but I wasn't "allowed" to bring any home...LOL... I have such a weakness for chickies...we have 2 light brahmas, 3 Barred Rocks and 14 yrs Madonna she is Americana with a beard, still laying eggs for me and JamJam is 2yrs Americana...that's our "limit"...I love this site cause I get to see so many without owning more.
 
It is hard to "look, but do not touch", policy, when you are staring straight at all those lovely birds.
 
I have two-one named peep and the other Peck, shes deformed but still loves to be held on the lap!
 
I'm sorry about your bad experience. You could take her out of the coop for a few days and put her in a dog kennel or something like that, then put her back in- she probably won't be a bully b/c she's "new."
 

Item information

Category
Chicken Breeds
Added by
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Views
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Comments
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Reviews
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Last update
Rating
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