Light, Buff, Dark, Gold, Black, White, Blue, and Blue Columbian.
Breed Size
Large Fowl
APA/ABA Class
Asiatic
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.
Brahma eggs
Brahma chick
Brahma juveniles
Brahma hen
Brahma rooster
For more about Brahmas and their owners' and breeders' experiences with this breed, see our breed discussion here:
Pros: So fluffy!
Cuddly
I love the feather pattern!
Cons: not heat hardy
My brahma is so cuddly and fluffy. I love her so much even though i'm pretty sure she hates me. I'm in New England, and we have cold winters (why I got a brahma) and very hot summers (which i forgot to consider). Also very unpredictable weather. My Light brahma is very big and covered with dense fluff, not great when we got a heat wave this year. However I'm definitely getting more brahmas, I love their massiveness, maybe a buff.
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"!
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.
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."
