18/05/2021
Brahma Chicken: Background and History
We first hear of this bird being called a ‘Shanghai’ in the mid–the 1800s. The Brahma Chicken breed fueled the US and UK ‘Hen Fever’ of the 1850s.
The ‘Shanghai’ is a cross between a Malay and Cochin bird. Since these birds were brought to the US by sailors who had been to the Chinese city of Shanghai, the name stuck for a while.
The Shanghai was crossed with the Grey Chittagong – which hails from India, specifically an area near the Brahmaputra River in what is now Bangladesh.
The crossing between the two breeds may have occurred here in the US, despite the exotic names!
Development of the Brahma chicken occurred primarily in the US from imported birds, and the breed was refined over a relatively short period of time – around fifty years or so.
Most experts agree that the birds’ came initially from China with some Indian fowl influence.
In 1852 a breeder named George Burnham exported nine ‘gray Shanghaes’ to Queen Victoria in England as a gift, which she adored by all accounts.
Mr. Burnham must have been a smart businessman; he saw the price of his birds rise from $12–15/pair to $100–150/pair as a result of this gift!
The Dark Brahma was developed in the UK from the stock of Light Brahma imported from the US.
The Brahma chicken was the best breed for table fare up until the advent of the newer production breeds in the 1930s.
The Brahma could not put on muscle and size as quickly as the newer birds and slowly fell from favor. The most recent listing of the Brahma in the
Livestock Conservancy directory puts it in the ‘recovering’ status thanks to its’ newfound popularity with backyard chicken keepers and homesteaders.
Characteristics
Three color varieties are recognised by the American Standard of Perfection: light, dark, and buff. The light Brahma has a base color of white, with black hackles edged in white and a black tail; the saddle-feathers of the c**k are striped with black. The dark Brahma has the most notable difference between c**k and hen: the hen has a dark gray and black penciled coloration with the same hackle as the light, whereas the c**k has black and white hackles and saddle feathers, and a black base and tail; the wings are white-shouldered, and the primary feathers are edged with white. The Buff Brahma has the same pattern of black as the light, but with a golden buff base color instead of white.
The Australian Poultry Association has accepted black, blue, partridge, crele and barred varieties of Brahma in addition to the standard light, dark, and buff.[citation needed]
Weight averages about 5.5 kg (12 lb) for c**ks and 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) for hens.
Brahmas’ Disposition
We have already said that the Brahma is a large bird – it can be very intimidating to a child or person afraid of birds, but the Brahma is a gentle, non–aggressive bird.
It is a friendly, docile, and calm bird, and they are said to be very easy to handle.
They do not fly well, so they are fairly easily contained.
Although they tolerate confinement well, they do very well as foragers.
They are very suitable for cold climates with all that thick feathering.
The preference of soil/environment is a well-drained soil that is generally dry and a moist, cool climate.
You should avoid having their living quarters in wet, swampy, or muddy areas since they might lead to foot problems.
They make great mothers and tend to set on the nest well, they are not overly broody, but this can depend on the line of birds you buy from.
They are usually fairly high in the pecking order since most hens seem intimidated by their size!
They aren’t known as flock bullies either and can generally get along with most other chickens.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahma_chicken
https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/brahma-chicken/
