Raising a Large Breed Chicken
– Brahma and Cochin
Are you ready to add a large breed chicken to your flock? If
you want a sweet, docile, cuddly hen, choose a large breed
chicken. Brahmas and Cochins come to mind when I think of
large breed chickens. Many people ask me what is the best
backyard breed of chicken to raise. However, I feel like that
is such a personal question and depends on so many factors.
Usually, my answer will be something along the line of, if you
are looking for a good egg layer, choose a hybrid such as the
Red or Black Star. If you want a calm, peaceful chicken, try
the Buff Orpington.
My Favorite Large Breed Chickens
For me, the favorite breed of chicken has long been the Brahma
chicken. Beautiful to behold, the Brahma stands head and
shoulders above the flock. A large chicken, the Brahma is
pleasant to have around with a friendly disposition. Many
people have a favorite chicken in their flock or a favorite
breed because of the way it looks or the high egg production.
Some are excellent broody hens and raise chicks easily to add
to the flock. I don’t know exactly what drew me towards the
Brahma chicken and raising Brahmas but the attraction has led
me to gathering the Brahma chicken in three different colors,
so far.
Another favorite of mine is the Cochin breed. This large breed
chicken is a recent addition to our flock with three Partridge
Cochin hens. In our bantam coops we have several mottled
Cochin chickens. We even have two Frizzled black Cochin and
they are cute as they can be.
What Other Breeds are Large?
When I think of a large breed chicken, the Cochin and the
Brahma are the breeds I consider. Some people will include
other large meat breeds in the category of large breed
chicken. You may find Jersey Giant, Orpingtons, and Cornish
Game in this category. While these breeds can be rather large,
weighing in over 8 pounds, they are dwarfed in comparison to
the Brahma and Cochin. Perhaps the Brahma and Cochin should be
called Jumbo Chicken Breeds!
The Brahma
The exact origin of the Brahma chicken is not well documented.
The name is from the Brahmaputra River in India. Some guess
that the Brahma chicken was developed from the Chinese
Shanghai and the Chittagongs during the early days of
settlement in California. The Brahma chicken breed has been
recognized in the American Poultry Association since 1874.
On the Plus Side for Brahmas
Brahma Chickens are adaptable to most climates. You might
guess that with their heavy body and thick feathering, they
would be intolerant to heat but I have not found this to be
true. We routinely have days in the 90’s during the summer and
the Brahma hens do not pant or show any more distress than any
other birds in our flock. Providing shade for all chickens is
necessary anyway. On the other hand, as one might guess,
Brahmas are very cold tolerant. The heavy weight and the
feather covering on the legs helps it deal with cold
temperatures. Egg laying during cold weather is good too.
How Big are They?
The Brahma chicken breed stands out because of it’s large
sized birds. The roosters can weigh up to 12 pounds. Hens
usually weigh close to 10 pounds. A bantam variety of Brahma
chicken is also available. These miniature Brahmas weigh in
around one pound or less.
Egg Laying?
Does the Brahma chicken lay a lot of eggs? The Brahma chicken
breed was primarily used as a meat chicken, and with the
roosters weighing a huge 12 pounds or more, that is
understandable. I do not raise chickens for meat so all of my
Brahma chickens are kept as egg layers or chicken eye candy.
They do lay eggs for us too, and while they are not consistent
on a daily basis, they do gift us with enough eggs to earn
their keep. Occasionally, the Brahmas will go broody and are
good broody hens.
What Color is the Brahma Chicken
Brahmas can be found in four colors: black, buff, dark, and
white. More often the white variety is referred to as a light
Brahma chicken. I am happy to own three of the four colors of
the breed. I have not even seen a black Brahma chicken in real
life but when I do, you can be sure I will be trying to
purchase some hatching eggs to complete my collection!
The Cochin
The Livestock Conservancy has the Cochin chicken status listed
as recovering. Once an extremely popular breed in the
mid 1800’s, the fact that the Cochin does not lay a high
number of eggs per year, lowered it’s popularity. Cochins are
great at being broody hens, lay eggs reliably through the
winter and are quiet chickens.
Need a Broody Hen? Get a Cochin!
The Cochin originated in China and was well received in
America. The economic reality of raising Cochin hens, made
them less likely to be kept for egg production though.
Since they may be the most broody chicken you ever raise, some
people will keep them for brooding larger egg fowl like
turkeys and ducks. The disposition of the Cochin is top notch.
Even the roosters rarely become rude and aggressive. The
Cochin breed is a great choice if children are interested in
helping to care for the flock.
our bantam cochin brooding eggs
Breed Size
Due to their heavy size, the Cochin breed is easily contained
in a fenced run. The Roosters can be up to 12 pounds and the
hens easily reach 10 pounds. The breed is great at eating, so
some supervised free ranging time would help keep the food
bill lower.
Egg Laying
Cochins lay approximately 150 to 160 eggs per year. The eggs
are brown and large in size.
Varieties of Cochin Chickens
There are plenty of varieties to choose from in the Cochin
breed. Black, partridge, blue, buff, silver laced, splash,
golden laced, and white are usually easy to obtain. In both
the full size and the bantam size frizzle characteristics can
appear, where the feathers turn outward from the birds body.
They are really quite stunning.
Is a Large Breed Chicken Right for
You?
Now that I have explained a little about what to expect in
these chicken breeds, are large breed chicken varieties
right for you? Some things to consider are the size of your
coop, adequate sturdy roost bar, pop door opening, and the
size of the nesting boxes. Keep in mind that the Brahma or
Cochin chicken is going to be almost twice the size of your
other popular egg laying breed hens. Fitting into a small
nesting box won’t be easy or comfortable. If you have a small
pop door, the Brahma might be scrapping her back feathers on
the door every time she goes in or out of the coop.
Roosting at night will be a challenge if the existing roost
bar is flimsy. I definitely suggest that you upgrade to a
sturdy 2 x 4 roost bar for the Brahmas.
Egg Requirements
If you are raising chickens strictly for eggs for your family,
the large breed chicken is not a high egg production hen. They
do lay a fair amount of eggs, but some people feel that the
lower production than a Rhode Island Red, makes them
undesirable for a backyard homestead.
Large Breed Chicken and Feathered Feet- a
Bonus and a Curse
The feathered legs and feet are a feature that I love. But,
the heavy feathering does collect mud during a rainy season
and need to be cleaned from time to time for comfort and
hygiene reasons. Also, during the winter, snow and ice can
accumulate in the feathered feet and cause problems. Checking
the large breed chicken’s feet may often be necessary.
Temperament
The Brahmas we have had a range in temperament from shy to
very friendly and curious. Our Cochins have been rather shy so
far. As they get closer to laying, they are getting easier to
approach and handle. Since they are so large, it isn’t too
hard to catch them if I need to. I have not had an aggressive
or mean Brahma in the flock. Some will even come up to me and
beg for attention. Another plus, since they don’t object too
much to being held, and they can’t run as fast as the lighter
breeds, making them easier to catch!
So what do you think? Are you ready to raise a a large
breed chicken?