Brama chickens are characterized by a calm nature and minimal demands on the conditions in the chicken coop, due to which they are often chosen for breeding by owners of private farmsteads and experienced poultry farmers of large farms. Such a bird will become a real decoration of the yard, and will also help to get a good profit from the sale of meat and eggs.
Appearance and character
The bird has a slightly yellowish tint. There are Brahma hens of various shades. You can find a black, gray, yellow, striped bird. There are also chickens with silver-white, birch, fawn, red Colombian plumage. Brahma has not loose, soft feathers that fit snugly to the body. Abundant fluff has an ashy shade. Layers are attracted by a fan-shaped fluffy tail, and roosters - by a bright collar.
The eyes of the birds are set deep, their contrasting orange hue is particularly eye-catching. The superciliary arches are slightly overhanging and elevated in height. They have a small head with a wide forehead. There are no catchy teeth on the crest, it is three-row leg-shaped. The ears are medium red in size and the yellow beak is very strong. Above the neck is a lush mane with a small bend.
The bird is dominated by a rather fleshy and dense structure: the moderate size of the rear, back, abdomen and chest. Her body is set high, the tail is raised and has a small skeleton. Roosters are more smart and slender, and laying hens are rounded and have short legs.
It is not permissible to contain a chicken that has a yellow plumage and tail of a white hue when it does not have a pea-shaped crest, if there are no feathers on the fingers and metatarsus, and black stripes are present in the area of the belt. Most feathers are dominated by a light shade. Metatarsus is white. Such birds cannot be called genuine Brama birds.
Bird Details
Previously, poultry farming was carried out solely for the purpose of selling meat. Today, the Brahma breed is considered a delicious meat product. There was a slight decrease in productivity, as the breed has recently been mixed with various thoroughbred birds. This bird is especially appreciated, its meat is not only tasty, tender, but also dietary. A decrease in palatability and rudeness of meat can only be if the breeder feeds the bird with improper feeds and additives. So, a layer can reach 4 kg, a rooster - 5 kg.
At the time the breed first appeared, the weight of the hens was 7 kg, sometimes more. Today, such large chickens are almost impossible to meet.
Birds unpretentious, resilient and hardy. They are not demanding, they will have enough of a small chicken coop and a small area where they will spend free time for walking. This breed is considered peaceful, chickens have a calm character.
Layers per year can give about 110 eggs of 60 g each. The eggs have a strong shell, can have a flint, brown and brown hue. Even in winter, the egg production of Brahma chickens does not decrease. Birds are already laying hens from 9 months. In order to form an egg, you need to feed the birds daily high-quality feed, based on an average of 130 g per chicken.
What do you need to know about keeping birds?
There are many ways to breed chickens. You can buy eggs, chickens or adults. Often experienced poultry farmers acquire birds in special plants. The most economical way is to buy an egg for an incubator, the average cost option is to buy a chicken. But to buy adult Brahma hens will have to be 10 times more expensive than an egg.
Layers are famous for their sensitive maternal instinct. But due to the fact that they are prone to gaining a lot of body weight, this threatens that 1/4 of the egg can be crushed. The best and safest option is incubation. Chicks grow very slowly. And young growth, born in the month of June, may not survive the winter. If adults were purchased, they are determined for quarantine. 16 weeks old chicks are kept separate from other birds.
You can breed chickens at home, but many poultry farmers believe that it is better to start a bird business with raising adult birds or young chicks. In the period when the laying hens begin to rush, it is possible to breed and create an excellent breeding herd. But for high-quality breeding of chickens can not do without adults at least 2 years old. Only in this case will succeed.
Over time, the chickens of this breed become quite large, they just need to live in a strong chicken coop. Its height should be at least 400 mm and a width of at least 30 cm. Only in a house of this size will it be easy for a bird to climb in and not feel uncomfortable.
It is important to equip the house so that there are no drafts anywhere, but it is light and dry. Especially such conditions are necessary for chickens. A day for birds requires at least 14 hours of indoor lighting. In winter, the chicken coop is equipped with artificial lighting. Brahma's hens are not demanding on living conditions, they are not afraid of frost, and dry litter will be enough for litter.
Varieties and subspecies
At the end of the 19th century several basic varieties were bred: European decorative, American meat, dwarf decorative and Asian decorative meat. There are also some subspecies:
- Partridge. American subspecies of meat orientation. It has a brownish plumage with a golden hue. On the tail there are black feathers with a green metallic sheen. This Brahma reminds partridge in color.
- Fawn. It predominates with a brownish-golden hue. There are dark feathers on the tail and neck. Such a bird is especially resistant to cold weather.
- Bright. This is a Colombian subspecies, having a gray-silver color. The bird is distinguished by fly wings, tail feathers on the tail, a contrasting dark green collar. There are black bands on the metatarsus and fingers. Roosters have black feathers, and hens have white plumage in the belt area. A red tinted crest, earlobe and muzzle. Such birds are distinguished by high posture, large beak, magnificent plumage, large eyes.
- Dark In most cases, hens are found in white and gray with a silver tint on their heads. On the neck there is a white fluff with a dark edging. The body is strewn with sickle-shaped gray-black feathers, and the plumage is loose and plentiful. Roosters have a gray-silver head, with a central black stripe on white-silver feathers on their neck and mane. On the legs there is a lush hawk shred.
Groupe
Brahma fawn
Bright Brahma
Dark brahma
Advantages of Brama chickens: unpretentiousness to climate and housing conditions, uniqueness of appearance, high productivity and meatiness. As for the negative aspects, the bird is not active enough, laying hens begin to lay eggs at a rather late age, and nutrition for this breed is quite expensive.
Nutrition rules
To breed purebred Brama chickens, which will not only gain good body weight, but also have high egg production, you need to follow the basic rules in the diet:
- Chickens need fresh food, so regularly pour a new portion into the feeders.
- This bird is fed three times a day. Chickens are punctual, remember the food schedule and know what time they will be fed. If you wish, you can teach birds to eat food from their hands.
- Food should be saturated with minerals, vitamins and minerals. It is important to feed the birds with calcium-containing foods. It is permissible to feed birds with grassy herbs, special additives, food waste, ground egg shells, crushed shell and chalk as feed.
- To establish the health of the stomach, it is advisable to put fine sand and gravel in the bird feeders.
- Experienced houses recommend a certain feeding system. In the morning feed the birds with grain feed, at lunch give special additives mixed with broth, food waste and herbs, and for dinner - grain.
- Do not forget about drinking regimen. It is necessary to regularly monitor that there is room temperature water in the drinkers. 1.9 liters require one part of dry feed.
- In winter, grain is poured onto the litter - this guarantees an increase in activity by 10%.
- Chickens need uniform, enhanced nutrition, as young animals are more active, respectively, and they spend much more energy. Feed chickens abundantly until they turn 7 months old. In the first two weeks, finely chopped boiled eggs, corn and wheat porridge are added to food. In the next 20 days, feed the birds with small nettles, dandelions and low-fat cottage cheese. Then gradually introduce the roots of carrots, beets, tops, apples, cucumbers and zucchini into the diet.
Adult birds need such a diet: grain, boiled potatoes, bone meal, chalk, flour, salt.
Chickens of Brahm need to be periodically monitored, to ensure that they do not overeat, since birds have a predisposition to obesity.
How to protect chickens from diseases?
Chickens of this breed can boast a good resistance to diseases, but they are not completely protected from some diseases. In order for birds to be less exposed to various diseases, their chicken coop should be clean, and the drinkers and feeders washed. Mandatory processing of perches and litter. It is recommended to occasionally pour ash and ash into the litter - this is an excellent preventive measure to avoid the appearance of various parasites in the feathers.
Brahma - excellent chickens that can be bred to get meat and eggs. The peculiarity of this breed is not only the external attractiveness and tasty meat, but also that the birds are not demanding on conditions and temperature conditions. The main thing is to monitor the order of nutrition, feed the bird with high-quality food and monitor its well-being.