Breed description chicken pomfret

Giant hens, named after the Indian river Brahmaputra, possessing a calm character, aristocratic appearance and high productivity, have long been the favorites of poultry farmers all over the world. The article describes the breed of chicken Pomfret with a photo.

History of hens

The breed was bred by Americans. Conquered by the giant sizes brought in the middle of the 19th century from India, by Asian Asian downy birds, American farmers crossed gray Cochinmen with fighting Malay and Chittagongs.

Breed called gray Chittagong.

Her presentation took place in 1850 at the agricultural exhibition in Boston. But, the name did not stick. And as a gift to the Queen of England in 1852, the Boston poultry farmer Barnham presented this bird with the name of an ermine chicken of the brahmaputra breed, now known as brahma.

With a light hand of Queen Victoria, the breed spread throughout Europe.

In Russia, according to the results of a survey of the Petrovsky Agricultural Academy, conducted in the early twentieth century, the breed was listed in the top five most common birds on the farmsteads. Orpingtons, Cochinquins, faerolis, Plymouths and American Brahms were in favor.

The external characteristics of the breed

The appearance of chickens Brahma( brahminka, Brahmins) in the catalogs is described by the standard features:

• Color of different colors. The plumage is silvery-white, gray, brown, partridge, black.
• There are colored varieties of : yellow, blue, striped, white and blue and red Colombian colors, black or blue with white patches( birch), fawn.
• Down ash, plentiful. Feathers are soft, adjacent to the body, not loose. Roosters must have a contrast gate. Tail in the form of a fan, lush.
• Leather yellow shade.
• The head of the is small in size. The forehead is wide. Three-row pod-shaped( pea-shaped) comb without clearly distinguished teeth.
• The constitution of is dense, meaty. Chest, back, abdomen, wide ass. High landing body. Differs from related kokhinkhinov higher tail lift, thin bones. Chickens are more rounded and have shorter legs than roosters.
• developed wings. Legs powerful, long, fully feathered, including external and middle toes. Fingers and metatholes are strong, yellow, greyish in dark frames.
• The length of the neck is medium, with a voluminous mane at the top, with a slight bend.
• Beak yellow, strong.
• The eyes of the are orange, bright, deep-seated. Brow arc high, overhanging.
• Earrings and earlobes red, small, medium length. Skin fold( bridle) on the neck under the beak.

Assignment of breed

Initially referred to the meat direction. Now positioned as a decorative and meat. The decline in the breeding qualities of the breed was due to mixing with other species( Cochinquans, Asian species), closely related breeding, and a preference for productive decorative qualities. Brahmin meat is considered the most tender, dietary, quality among all meat breeds and crosses. With the wrong selection of food, additives, the meat becomes coarse, its tastes deteriorate.

At present, it is mostly bred at individual farmsteads, in small farms, by amateur collectors, their reviews can be found below. For modern poultry farms of interest is not.

Weight of hens and roosters

The live weight of hens is 3.5-4 kg, and roosters - 4.5-5 kg. In the heyday of the breed, birds weighing more than 7 kg of were encountered. Today, these giants are almost impossible to meet.

Temperament

The main characteristic of the Brahma chickens is endurance, unpretentiousness and resilience. They need a small chicken coop, a small walk. They have a wonderful character - calm, even phlegmatic.

Egg production

For meat breed is considered to be medium. Brahmins carry 100-120 eggs per year, weighing about 50-65 g. The shell is strong, various shades of brown-brown, cream-colored. In winter, the number of eggs does not fall. Young early hatching chickens become laying hens after 9 months.

The daily optimum amount of feed for the formation of eggs weighing 60 g - 110-150 g. The average cost of feed for one egg is 30-40 kopecks.

Variety of Brahma breed: description and photo

Since the end of the XIX century, derived the main varieties of Brahma breed hens: American meat, decorative Asian meat, decorative European, decorative dwarf. There are also subspecies: light, dark, crooked, fawn.

Kuropatchataya

American meat subspecies. The color is similar to a partridge, hence the name. The plumage is brown with a golden hue; the black tail is cast with a metallic green sheen.

Pale yellow( buff)

Golden brown plumage , black on the neck and tail. Roosters have a mane darker than the main color. Easily tolerates a cold climate.

Light

Colombian silver gray. Steering tail feathers, wing wings, gates on the neck of rich black and green. The middle feather on the fingers and metatarsus has black stripes. In chickens on a belt white feathers, roosters flaunt black. Comb, face, earlobes bright red. Due to the lush plumage of the body, legs and neck, beautiful appearance, smooth face, large eyes and beak have a very decorative look.

Dark

Most birds are gray with a white, silver head. White feathers on the neck with black piping, sickle-shaped torso, gray to black, parallel to the contour, stripes. The structure of plumage is friable, abundant. Roosters have silver-gray head, mane and neck silver-white with black central stripe. On the feet of the hawk shred - lush feathers on the legs. The main plumage is greenish black. The skin is white with pink. Paws are yellow. Brown eyes with a reddish tinge. The distinctive feature is a short curved beak, yellow with black stripes. Straight, small tail.

Valued for good safety. Survives up to 68% of chickens, up to 83% of adult individuals. Dark brams are good chicks. Undemanding to conditions, feed, get on with other breeds.

Cultivation and home keeping

It starts with the purchase of adult birds, young animals or the selection of eggs. Owners of individual poultry houses can purchase chickens from breeders. The price for chicks age 7-15 days is quite high - 300-350 rubles, and the price of adult birds reaches 3,000 rubles. Eggs for an incubator cost from 60 to 200 rubles apiece.

It is better to transfer the eggs selected in your household for incubation to the nests of smaller breeds or to place them in an incubator. Brahms have a developed incubation instinct, but due to their heavy weight they can crush up to a quarter of eggs. It is more reliable to remove the brahmins in the incubator.

Youngsters are characterized by slow growth, hatched later than June can not overwinter.

Adults purchased chickens are temporarily quarantined. Chicks from 4 months of age are recommended to be kept separately from adult chickens and young stock of other breeds.

Food

Feed Requirements common for young animals, adult chickens and layers:

• Feed should be fresh.
• Feed must contain a sufficient amount of minerals, vitamins, microelements, calcium. Achieve this using food waste, brilliant green, vegetable crops, specialized industrial additives, shell powder, chalk, or egg shells.
• To activate the gastrointestinal tract in a separate container with high sides, pour river sand or small gravel.
• Adhere to three meals a day. Brahma easily learn to eat from their hands, and get food at the same time.
• Experienced poultry farmers recommend to adhere to the scheme: 1st feeding - cereal mixtures, 2nd - various mixers moistened with water or broth with the addition of food waste, greenery, 3rd-grain.
• Comply with drinking mode .Water at room temperature is poured into disinfected drinking bowls at the rate of 1.8 parts of water per one part of any dry food.
• For motor activity, about 10% of the grain in winter is poured onto the litter, increases in portions of feed.

Chickens are mobile, active. Up to 6-7 months, they need enhanced balanced nutrition. The first weeks give finely grated boiled eggs mixed with finely ground corn or wheat grits.

From the second week, low-fat cottage cheese with chopped green nettle, knotweed or dandelion is introduced into the diet. Then begin to add the tops or roots of carrots, beets, cucumbers, apples, zucchini.

The daily ration of for an adult meat gate and a layer is almost the same: 50-55 g of grain, 30 g of wet mash, 100 g of boiled potatoes, 10 g of hay flour, 3 g of chalk, 2 g of bone meal, 0.5 g of boiledsalt. If the chicken is grown for meat, the daily rate of grain is increased.

Space Requirements, Video

The coop should be spacious, dry, with good ventilation, which can be viewed below. Brahms are heavy birds, therefore roost is made of a die not less than 30 cm wide, which is nailed to a wall at a height of 40-50 cm.

In our climatic conditions, additional artificial lighting is required.

Diseases

Although hens of this breed are considered unpretentious, but they are also susceptible to diseases.

One of the conditions for growing at home is strict hygiene. Drinkers, perches, feeders, bedding should be regularly processed. In order to rid the plumage of Brahman parasites, ash, ashes are added to the litter. At least once a quarter, do antiparasitic foot baths. For this purpose, birch tar or sunflower unrefined oil is poured into a suitable dish for one third.

Youngsters are vaccinated against bird flu. Protect from drafts. As a prophylactic against rickets, chickens are given boneless fish waste or fish oil once a week.

The advantages and disadvantages of the breed

The advantages include meat productivity, resilience, simplicity to weather conditions, content areas, decorative.

Disadvantages: high cost of material for growing, low mobility of chickens, a long period before the onset of egg production.

Reviews of poultry farmers and owners of

Grow very slowly, the breed is expensive and very often you can slip a hedgehog with a rhinoceros.

Keep a pale yellow and light breed. Honestly very hard breed for breeding, then the nerves are necessary. I took 18 chickens for the sample in the spring with chickens, they really liked it in appearance. They all grew up without a case, except for two of their own hunting dog, crushed at the age of one month by mistake. Grow very slowly. The first egg I thought would not wait and cut off their heads. In general, when they were one month old, my simple Siberian layer brought out chickens that were already rushing, and only scallops were identified at the moment. But! Grown beauties to fame. One of the most sickly, but voracious slashed at trial. Meat did not like. Part sold, and I say that it is very profitable. Torn off their feet, as they say, justified their price. He left the most powerful and beautiful. The forum is all about the poultry farming

Brama is now a purely decorative breed, there are few eggs from them, meat too. The chicken is the most productive in the first 2 years of life, hens carry eggs, according to my observations, up to 4-5 years, then it makes no sense to keep the bird. We had no problems with chickens from these chickens, the only thing is that chickens are prone to obesity( if fed improperly, they become fat, and almost do not carry an egg).Forum poultry farmers

Almost tame, unpretentious chickens are not only the decoration of the yard. Armed with patience, you will soon get a source of dietary eggs and meat with excellent taste to your table.