Today there are about 180 breeds of chickens. Breeders usually get high egg production or good meat taste from this poultry. But there are breeds of chickens that will delight not only with their productive qualities, but will also become a real decoration of the yard. These include the meat breed of chicken Brama Kuropatchataya. About the conditions in which it should be maintained and how to breed it will be discussed in our article.
Breed description
The breed of chicken Brama Kuropatchataya is ornamental and meat. Its representatives have a strong proportional physique. The lush plumage of these poultry, which creates a collar around the neck in contrast to the main body color and feather “pants” on the legs, attracts the most attention. Because of this plumage, the already large birds seem even more massive. Great weight makes these poultry sedentary and phlegmatic. 
The breed of these chickens was officially registered in 1874. She was bred by North America breeders through painstaking selection. It mixed the blood of Malayan and Cochinquin chickens. Breeders paid attention mainly to the meat direction of birds and the ability to survive in different conditions, but then this breed became interested in American and European breeders, who paid much attention to the external decoration of birds.
Did you know? Charles Darwin also determined that the man had received domestic chickens by taming the bankivian birds living in the Asian jungle. This process occurred presumably 6-8 thousand years BC. er in Southeast Asia and in China.
Characteristics and characteristics of the breed
Chickens of the Brahma breed are kopatchataya tall, large body with a wide chest and belly, strong big legs, a long neck. On the small head there is a small pea-shaped red ridge, on which there are three grooves. The earlobes, eyes, earrings and face are red. Strong beak of a yellowish shade. 
For the breed is characterized by sexual dimorphism. The plumage of females is light-yellow color, the feathers have a triple outline with black color, a longer plumage in the neck area. They also have a shorter neck and smaller size compared to males. In roosters, the main color of the plumage is black with greenish splashes, and the head, collar, shoulders and back are with a luxurious orange-red mane.
Males gain weight of about 5 kg, and females reach a mass of 3-4.5 kg. Chicken breeds Brama Kuropatchataya begin to stalk after 8 months of life. Layers are able to carry about 120 eggs annually. Their eggs have specks on the brownish surface of a strong shell and weigh about 60 g. After the third year of life, egg production is significantly reduced.
Check out such ornamental breeds of chickens as: Araucana, Ayam Tsemani, Bentamki, Hamburg, Dutch bearded, Chinese silk, Krecker, Curly, Milfleur, Paduan, Sibright, Phoenix and Shabo.
Pros and cons of breed
Chickens of this breed have such advantages:
- unpretentiousness to climatic conditions, they tolerate cold and wet weather due to their thick plumage;
- rush even in the winter;
- gaining a lot of weight;
- they have a well-developed incubation instinct;
- have a very decorative look;
- they have a calm and conflict-free character;
- can stand up for themselves before small predators;
- consume food of any quality;
- good egg production, as for meat breed.
The disadvantages of this breed include:
- long maturation - chickens start to be born only from 8 months;
- chickens grow slowly;
- the tendency to obesity sometimes leads to the fact that the bird falls to its feet;
- overweight can lead to heart attack;
- Despite the instinct of brooding, chicks sometimes neglect their duties, and, due to the large weight of the wedge, can crush the hatching egg.
Breeding and care
This is a rather unpretentious breed, but when it is maintained and diluted it is necessary to take into account some peculiarities.
Also check out such meaty chickens as Brama, Jersey giant, Dorking, Cochinchyn, Corniche, Plymouthrock, Orpington and Fireol.
Egg Breeding Tips
Hens of Brahma Kupatchataya breed are not bad divorced from eggs. For this purpose, you can buy hatching eggs, and you can buy adults for further breeding and incubation of eggs. In the chicken coop, experts recommend keeping one rooster for ten laying hens. Females hatch eggs themselves and are caring moms. Nests for these large chickens are low. Chick breeding can be done with an incubator. To do this, purchase the appropriate eggs. 
Purchased fresh specimens can not be stored for more than 10 days before laying in the incubator, and it is best to take eggs that are not more than three days old. Despite the fact that chickens have a brooding instinct, farmers prefer an incubator - this allows you to avoid the occasional crush of eggs, which sometimes occurs because of the considerable weight of the hens. For breeding chickens you need to choose chickens older than two years, since this breed begins to carry large-sized eggs only after reaching the age of two.
The larger the egg, the stronger the offspring. To incubate eggs should be carefully inspected. Specimens of small or too large sizes, deformed form (in the form of a ball or pear), with lime impregnations, excessive rough surface, having too thin or thick shells, and spots should be immediately put off - they are unsuitable for hatching chicks. 
Too polluted eggs are also discarded because they cannot be washed - this will wash away the protective film and interfere with the air exchange through the pores of the egg. If all conditions are met, the chicks will be born after 19-21 days.
Rearing chicks
The daily weight of a chicken is about 36 g. Kids compared to other types of chickens are gaining weight slowly. A healthy chicken has a good activity, he stands confidently on his feet, his stomach is tucked up, his legs and beak are yellowish in color.
After their birth, chicks need special attention and care during the first 10 days. When grown at home, the first 14 days of chickens can be held in a box, but after that they need to be moved to a larger place. They need a warm, clean, dry and well ventilated room, without drafts. On 1 square. m place about 20-25 kids. 
When they reach one month, they are already placed in 17 individuals, and from 2.5 to 5 months - 20 chicks per square meter. m. Feeders and drinkers should be installed so that the chicks do not get into them with their feet - any contamination of food and drinking fluids can cause problems with the intestines. For the prevention of intestinal diseases it is recommended to give brood a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Chick vaccination
Many diseases (Newcastle, Marek's disease, infectious bronchitis, egg production syndrome, adenovirus infection, etc.) lead to a sharp weight loss in chickens and can quickly cause a massive loss among them. To reduce the risks of such diseases, it is recommended to vaccinate chickens.
Read also about how to treat and prevent chickens' diseases.
As soon as the chicks were born, it is necessary to immediately vaccinate against chicken flu. For other diseases, the recommended dates for vaccination are as follows:
- for Newcastle disease - vaccine is administered 3 times: at the age of 15-20, 45-60 and 140-160 days;
- at 4-5 months, vaccinated against atypical plague;
- from salmonellosis inoculated up to 16 weeks;
- from infectious bronchitis - in 4-5 months.
Immediately after vaccination, babies are moved to a warm place without drafts.Did you know? Chickens can enter the state of hypnosis. To do this, bend the chicken's head to the surface of the earth and draw a straight line with chalk, the beginning of which begins at the bird's beak. She can remain in a trance from a few seconds to half an hour, until she is distracted by something or is not transferred to another place.
Chicken Diet
Chickens of Brahma Kurochatka breed grow very slowly, so it is important to choose the best diet and feed them to the full. At the same time, it is necessary to develop a feeding regimen and implement it at certain hours. Feeding the chicks in the first 10 days of their life is carried out every two hours, then they switch to food every 3 hours (from 11 to 45 days), and the young animals are fed with an interval of four hours. In the first days of life (3-7 days), food for babies includes chopped boiled egg with cooked porridge (millet, corn), as well as with the addition of chopped nettle, clover.
In the diet of chickens necessarily include grass, especially knotweed. It is advisable to add vegetables - tomatoes, grated carrots, zucchini. From the fifth day of life, instead of eggs, chickens are fed with cottage cheese, boiled meat. The porridge is excluded on day 12, and a wet mash is introduced instead. It should always be fresh, without lumps, at the rate of 30-40 g per chicken. The uneaten mash is removed after 40 minutes, as spoiled food can cause poisoning in babies. 
Over time, special foods containing vitamins and supplements are introduced into the diet. In specialized stores you can buy high quality food with various useful additives. But experts advise to buy food and additives separately, and only then mix them, observing the necessary proportionality. Young animals need to be fed with protein, but when they reach 5 months, their amount needs to be reduced, as it helps build muscle mass, and the bone skeleton can not withstand a sharp jump in weight.
Important! In cold weather, the amount of feed must be increased by 10-15%, since in winter a lot of energy is spent on self-heating of the birds' body.It is useful to add sprouted wheat at least once every 7 days to the ration - it contains many necessary elements for the vital activity of the chicken body. It is useful in the winter to add the drug "Tetrahydrovit", which contains a large complex of vitamins for chickens. Upon reaching 51 days, the youngsters can be given whole grains.
Adult Bird Diet
Chickens of Brahma Kupatchataya breed are of considerable weight, so their diet should be quite nutritious. Nutritional supplements include calcium, protein, vitamins and fish oil. For these heavyweights, it is very important to have a good musculoskeletal system, otherwise the bird will fall to its feet. To avoid this, crushed egg shells, shell rock, chalk are added to the diet. 
The diet of this breed includes the following products:
- feed from grain crops;
- food waste;
- fruits and vegetables (carrots, cabbage, beets, zucchini, etc.).
Important! This breed has a good appetite and is prone to obesity, so the feed should be strictly rationed. If cyanosis appears at loads on earrings and a ridge, this is a sign of heart disease, the cause of which is overweight, so it is necessary to alleviate the diet.It is necessary to ensure that there is always fresh water in the water troughs of birds. With strong frosts, it is desirable to warm it up a little. Drinking bowls and feeders should be constantly cleaned and disinfected to prevent infectious diseases.
Light and thermal modes
Light and thermal conditions are of great importance when growing chickens. After the birth of babies, they need a full day light. It should be borne in mind that newborn chickens under the age of one week, harmful to be under the direct rays of the sun. But for heating and receiving light they are placed under special lamps with infrared rays. On the second day of life, the illumination is reduced by one hour. By 14 days, the kids already have enough 8-hour coverage. 
The second important factor for rearing chicks is temperature. The first 5 days it should correspond to the range of + 28-30 ° C, and from 6 to 10 days the temperature should be set within + 26-28 ° C. After that, every 7 days should be a decrease in temperature by three degrees.
At the age of 40 days, chickens calmly perceive an air temperature of about +18 ° C. If it is summer outside, then after 7 days, babies can be taught to the street and taken out into the yard. It should be noted that to ensure the conditions for a good egg production of hens of this breed, the illumination in the room is necessary about 13-14 hours.
Learn how to use an infrared lamp to heat chicks.
It is necessary to ensure that enough light comes through the windows, and in the winter period additional lighting is necessary with the help of lamps. The optimum temperature for adult hens is + 12-18 ° C. Hens of Brama Kuropatchataya breed are one of the largest and unpretentious meat breeds. These birds tolerate cold, and their egg production is not reduced even in winter. In addition, their decorative appearance will decorate any yard.
