Thelma and Louise
Thelma and Louise are two of our lovely Brahma hens. They are not great layers but they make lovely company and the eggs they do lay are delicious. They have a nice temperament and are let out to graze around the garden. When it comes to put them to bed they are easy to put away. Lovely big hens.
There has been controversy and confusion over the origin of the Brahma. It appears to have developed in the United States from large birds, with heavily feathered legs, imported in the 1840s from the Chinese port of Shanghai, and thus known as "Shanghai" birds. The distinctive head shape and pea comb of the Brahma probably result from cross-breeding with Grey Chittagong birds of Malay type, imported from Chittagong in eastern Bengal (now Bangladesh); these characteristics distinguish the Brahma from the Cochin, which also derives from "Shanghai" birds.
At first there were many different strains and at least a dozen different names for the breed. At a meeting of poultry judges in Boston in 1852, agreement was reached to name it "Brahmapootra"; this later became "Brahma".