American Brahma Club – Promoting the Majestic Ones

The Brahma chicken is in the Asiatic class and gained its name from the Brahmaputra River in India, although the breed was actually created in America. In India, the Malay and the Cochin were crossed creating large feather legged birds, and then they were imported to Shanghai,China, giving them the named Shanghais. They were then crossed with Gray Chittagongs from India which produced the pea comb and beetle brow that we see in the Brahma today. So in their early days of refinement the Brahma chicken has been called by a variety of names: Chittagongs, Gray Shanghais and Brahma Pootras being the most common names. Brahmas then arrived in the UK around 1840-1850. The first book of poultry came out in 1856 and the Brahmas Chicken was included in it. After Queen Victoria was given a small flock the name was shortened from Brahmas to Brahma.
Most of the development of Brahma as a breed is credited to the United States between 1850 to 1890. The original parent stock was refined here into what we now know as the Light and Dark varieties. The Buff variety came about later on.
Brahma were first used as a utility fowl for their edibility and continued egg laying and hardiness, even through the winter months. The large fowl Brahma was admitted into the APA Standard of Perfection in 1874. Only the Light and Dark varieties were included. The Buffs were admitted in 1924.

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