Brahma Chickens

Our favorite heritage breed on the ranch are the Brahma chickens.  They are fat and friendly, and tolerate the extreme high and low temperatures of the Chihuahuan Desert very well.  They are also beautiful birds with feathered shanks and feet.  They come in three colors: Light, Dark, and Buff.

According to oral history, the Brahmas that we have today are descended from English stock that the Brits had brought over from India in the late 19th century.  Specifically from the Brahmaputra River area in modern-day east India and Bangladesh.  This is why they tolerate heat so well.

But despite originating in a very hot climate they also tolerate the cold very well, thanks to their feathered legs and small, pea comb, which is not as susceptible to frost bite as other, more prominent combs.

They aren't profuse layers, like your more common leghorns.  During the spring and fall they will lay up to one egg per day, but usually just one every other day.  The eggs are medium weight with a light brown shell.

Brahmas are considered a dual-purpose breed, because they have a heavy body.  Roosters weigh up to ten pounds, and hens up to eight.  But unlike the modern commercial breeds that are designed to put on a lot of weight very fast, these birds grow slowly and aren't mature until they are eight months old.  For comparison, a Jumbo Cornish x Rock is ready for the frying pan in just two to three months.

Before the modern, jumbo-sized birds were bred, Brahmas were considered a very good option for farmers wanting eggs and meat from the same bird.  But now that we have gargantuan breeds that can be butchered much sooner (which means more tender meat), this wonderful breed has fallen by the wayside and is now considered a rare breed.

But for a small family farm like ours, the Brahmas are a wonderful part of our ranch.  They are a great choice if you want your birds to be more like pets, or if you have children running around.  And like most heritage breeds, they are great foragers, which can help keep bug populations down and lower your feed bill.