Brahma Archives

Chicken Maths = How many chickens?

Brahma, General Chit Chat, Swedish Flower Hen / By HHens / 11th December 2023

Today I spent a good few hours rearranging all my pens to keep the age groups in one place. I have chickens all over the place so it was time to make it more organised. As some pens become empty I move them around to make the best use of the space.

Well after I caught them up, they ran off, so I caught them again. They didn’t like their new pen because it was obviously a very scary place. So inconsiderate! Considering I spent ages digging in some lime to disinfect the area. It also rearranged my hair as I got it caught in the netting. Dragged through a hedge backwards is a recurring theme for my hairstyle these days. They then made a bolt for the door every time I brought another 2 over. I don’t know about them, but I found it quite stressful. It certainly increased my step count for the day according to my fitness phone app so not all bad!!

When I finally finished I took a picture so I could see what I had and which colour mixes I had. This is not the only batch of chickens I have either so I might have to give myself a stern talking to.

These are now ready to go to their new homes. We have Brahma in Pyle, and Buff Columbian. We have some Orpingtons in Lavender and some Swedish Flower Hens Crossed with either Leghorn or Ancona.

That moment when you realise exactly how many chickens you have. Chicken maths – aka chicken addiction – is a real thing, especially here.

For the uninitiated, the term Chicken Maths relates to a Phenomenon (or an excuse) for why numbers of chickens get out of control. It starts off by getting a flock of 3, then because you cannot add a single chicken to an existing flock, you end up with 2 more. If you lose one and need to replace it, you end up with another 2 minimum. And so it goes.

I often get asked how many chickens I have and the answer is invariably “I don’t know”. It is impossible to count chickens for fear of double counting. You would never actually want to suggest the real number because there lies madness. Approximate is the best guess as with all chicken keepers, especially those trying to avoid telling their better half how many they actually have. A guilty pleasure for sure. Sneaking a few more in under the “approximate” banner is always an option.

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Brahma

Brahma, Chicken Breeds / By HHens / 11th November 2021

Brahma Breed Description

Brahmas arrived in the UK around 1840-1850 but their name is derived from the river Brahmaputra in India. The breed was created in America in the 1840s from large feather legged birds called Shanghais which were originally imported from China. The beetle brow and pea comb that we see in all Brahma today came from crossing the Shanghais with Grey Chittagongs from India. They are calm birds that have broad, deep bodies, full breast and long powerful feathered legs. Abundant soft feathers cover their feet which makes them look rather large. They have a small head for such a large bird and the face is smooth and free from feathers. These birds have large, prominent eyes, short strong beak and a triple or pea comb and small wattles. The brow is broad which produces heavy or beetle eyebrows.

Due to being the largest breeds of chicken they are often referred to as the King of Chickens. As with all male chickens, the Brahma cockerel is a stunning bird. A Brahma comes in large fowl (very) and bantam sized birds. Brahma are similar to Cochin except they have a pea comb and having a more upward curve to the tail.

They are not suitable for constant very muddy situations due to their feathered feet. As they have such huge amounts of feather they can also get quite soggy in the rain.

We no longer keep Brahma but we have left the page here for education purposes.

Brahma Breed Temperament

These gentle giants are very easy to tame. Brahmas do mix well with other sizes of chickens but in more aggressive flocks they can be subject to bullying. A Brahma lays quite well but they can get broody at times. As broodies, they do make excellent sitters as they can cover rather a lot of eggs. They make excellent mother hens.

Breed Size

Brahma are classed as a large fowl – heavy. Soft feathered.

Eggs

The Brahma lays quite well, however, not the best layers at all. Her eggs which are a pale biscuit colour are surprisingly small considering it is such a large bird. They will come into lay at roundabout the 35 week mark. If they hit that mark in winter they will probably not start to lay in the spring when the days start to lengthen.

Further information

More info on our birds for sale can be found here. If you are looking to join us on one of our courses please check out our courses page

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