Breeds of meat and egg-meat chickens
Large, fast-growing chickens of meat breeds in one season are able to provide families with juicy healthy meat, and chickens of egg-meat breeds will also replenish the diet of the poultry farmer with fresh eggs. Modern chicken breeds meat and egg-meat orientation are attracting more and more attention of owners of personal farmsteads. These birds are strong, early maturing, hardy enough and easily adapt to keeping in summer chicken coops.
The characteristic features of poultry raised for meat are large size, strong bones and balanced character. In terms of egg production, many breeds of chickens of universal, meat-and-meat specialization are almost not inferior to layers of egg varieties, and meat chickens are good hens. To increase productivity, poultry farmers today are actively using crosses - hybrid offspring from well-known breeds, taking better characteristics from both parents.
Chickens of the Cornish breed
Cornish meat breed of chickens or Cornish is an old variety of chickens developed in the first half of the 19th century, widely known not only in Great Britain, but throughout the world in the middle of the last century. The poultry gained popularity due to their ability to produce excellent meat crosses.
Today, white Cornish chickens are bred for this very purpose on an industrial scale. If we talk about the use of birds in frequent farms, then they are rather early maturing, but, like all meat breeds, they give very few eggs.
From one white female, 100 - 130 large brownish eggs can be obtained per year. The colored bird produces eggs with bright brown or speckled shells.
Plymouth rock chickens
The American bird from Plymouthrock first became known in the second half of the 19th century. The progenitors of modern chickens of the meat breed were representatives of the Brahma, Langshan, Cochin and other varieties, less known today.
Today, Plymouthrock chickens can have one of eight acceptable colors. White livestock is most often bred industrially, and bright representatives of this meat variety live well in private farmsteads. The popularity of this rather old breed is supported by the unpretentiousness of the birds, their pronounced meat orientation and rapid growth. Already in two months of life, chickens from the union of Plymouthrock and Cornish hens can grow up to 1.8 kg.
Adult roosters weigh up to 4.5 kg, and chickens about 3.5 kg. Laying hens produce about 170 large light brown eggs per year.
Broiler chickens
Widely known broiler chickens - this is not a meat breed, as many novice poultry farmers think. These crosses are the offspring of inter-breed pairs of Plymouthrock and Cornish birds. Sometimes other meat breeds are also introduced into the broiler chicken program, for example, Yubileiny Kuchinsky, Brama or Cochinhin. Such chickens show record meat productivity, but do not transmit their qualities to the offspring, therefore, they are kept only until they gain marketable weight and go to slaughter.
Brama chickens
Obtaining the meat breed of Brama chickens dates back to the middle of the nineteenth century.American birds were bred on the basis of Asian fighting chickens, Kihinkhins and other species. The extremely large bird turned out to be so interesting that after 10-15 years they learned about it in the Old World. And until now, chickens of this breed are extremely popular both in large industrial farms and among farmers.
Several varieties of Brama chickens are grown in the world, the photo clearly shows the differences in the color of these birds, as well as the unusual features inherent in the breed and determining its direction as decorative meat.
By modern standards, Brama roosters can weigh up to 5 kg, and chickens about 4.5 kg. Females are excellent hens, and in a year they can give about 120 brown eggs weighing up to 60 grams.
Worthy of becoming an adornment of a private courtyard, the breed of chickens quickly adapts to any conditions of detention, is picky and tolerates winter well. The bird does not need large walking areas, does not fly and ideally coexists not only with other breeds of chickens, but also with other types of domestic animals.
Chickens Cochin
The Chinese breed of chickens in Russia began to gain popularity quite recently, but in the middle of the century before last it managed to serve the peace between Great Britain and the Middle Kingdom. Due to their lush plumage and extremely large size, the birds were successful not only among peasants and culinary specialists, but also among the owners of country estates, where Cochinchin chickens were raised as decorative ones.
Representatives of this meat breed are gaining weight quickly and very actively. Roosters grow up to 6 kg, chickens are a couple of kilograms lighter. At the same time, the bird rushes well, giving 120 eggs with a brownish shell and a bright yolk per year.
If at first the Cochinchin chickens were predominantly black or blue, today the farms breed white and beautiful fawn birds. Chickens of the breed of meat or egg-meat orientation are picky, calm, easygoing with another bird. However, poultry farmers need to ensure that their pets do not overeat, otherwise they are at risk of obesity.
Chickens Kuchinsky Jubilee
For breeding the domestic breed of chickens, Kuchinsky Jubilee breeders used representatives of the best varieties of egg and meat production. The result is a bird with decent egg production and good meat productivity. Truly versatile chickens have become a godsend for owners of small private farms and farmsteads raising poultry for personal needs. For a year, hens from Kuchin produce up to 240 eggs, and the adult livestock grows to 3-4 kg of live weight.
At the same time, the quality of meat of the Kuchinskaya Yubileynaya breed is better than that of industrially bred broiler chickens. The bird is not capricious, easily tolerates both heat and winter cold, is picky when choosing a diet and has matured early.
A characteristic feature of this breed of chickens is the difference in coloration of males and females, so you can easily divide the herd even at one day old.
Red white-tailed mini chickens
Among the breeds of meat and egg-meat chickens, there are both giants and dwarfs. A natural mutation was used by breeders who received red white-tailed chickens in the UK, which manifested itself in the fact that the birds' legs were much shorter than those of their ancestors. Chickens of meat and egg specialization do not exceed 1.7 kg in weight and produce 150 brown eggs annually.
Mini meat chickens are very popular in Europe. They consume less feed, which has a positive effect on the cost of both meat and egg products, and are also unpretentious and easy to maintain. Today, in addition to the traditional red and white color, you can see birds dressed in white, black and red, gray and black feathers with chintz and smoky colors.
Inside the breed, mini meat chickens are not bred, but used to obtain fast-growing crosses that preserve parental habits. They eat little and are actively gaining weight.
Chickens Faverol
The Faverol chicken breed has spread in France since the beginning of the last century.The bird gained fame due to its original appearance and amazing quality of meat. The excellent consumer qualities of poultry are still appreciated. Chickens of meat and egg breed grow at an enviable speed, reaching 3-4 kg of live weight, and at the same time they give up to 180 brown eggs weighing at least 60 grams.
With excellent meat performance, unlike other breeds in this direction, Faverol chickens are distinguished by a thin skeleton. They quickly adapt to seasonal temperature fluctuations, are calm, but can gain excess fat.
Chickens Maran
French meat-and-meat chickens Maran are not very familiar to Russian poultry breeders, and in Europe these birds are popular due to their high growth rate, amazing plumage colors, bright, almost chocolate eggs and decent meat quality.
Adult birds are large enough. A rooster can weigh up to 4, and a chicken up to 3 kilograms. At the same time, laying hens give up to 150 extremely large eggs weighing up to 80 grams per year to the table. The uniqueness of the breed of chickens lies in their colors. The breed standard stipulates that birds can have white, black, wheaten, cuckoo or variegated, and golden cuckoo plumage.
Adler breed of chickens
Beautiful silvery birds with decent egg and meat productivity were bred in the Russian South. The Adler breed of chickens has a silver Colombian coloration and begins to rush from six months. Per year layers give from 170 to 200 cream eggs. Poultry grown for meat, of course, are inferior to the primordially meat breeds of chickens, but they are also quite weighty. The rooster grows up to 4 kg, and the chicken up to 2.8 kg of live weight.
Decent egg production in layers of the Adler breed of chickens is maintained for 3-4 years, which allows not to change the herd annually to collect a large amount of valuable dietary eggs.
Pushkin chickens
Black-and-white Pushkin chickens not so long ago received the status of the breed, but they have already won sincere respect from poultry farmers. Some even call this variety of meat birds the best for personal backyards. And there is every reason for such an opinion. First of all, chickens of this meat-eating breed are distinguished by their endurance, and quick acclimatization to any, even the most severe conditions.
They are unpretentious, they find food well on the run, they are early ripening and stand out against the background of their relatives with high egg productivity.
Roosters weigh up to 3 kg, chickens are lighter per kilogram. A hen can produce about 220 eggs with a light cream or white shell per year. Chickens of this breed are distinguished by the fact that, with a relatively modest weight, they give a well-fed attractive carcass.
Chickens Amroks
The old American breed of chickens Amrox has a characteristic "cuckoo" color, and according to the standard, each feather must end with a dark stripe. Due to the wider black markings on the plumage, females appear darker than males.
Having appeared in Europe, meat-and-meat chickens have established themselves as excellent layers, producing up to 220 eggs annually, as well as good meat poultry. An adult rooster grows to 4.5 kg, a chicken is lighter per kilogram. Chickens Amroks have a calm disposition, quickly get used to new conditions of detention and grow well.
Chickens Bare-necked
The ancient breed, originally from Romania, was originally called the Transylvanian Hollow. But after the improvement of the infusion of new blood, the indication of the origin disappeared, and the chickens of the holochek spread throughout the world.
The name of the bird was obtained due to the complete absence of any traces of plumage on the neck. On the rest of the body, the feather also grows unevenly, and some parts of the body are bare, like the neck of birds. With such an original appearance, golosheyk chickens are a meat-and-meat variety that regularly gives up to 150-180 eggs annually and grows up to 3.5 kg in weight.
Chickens breed Moscow black
The domestic breed of chickens Moscow Black belongs to the meat-and-meat direction and enjoys the well-deserved love of the owners of small farms and household plots. The characteristic qualities of the breed include unpretentiousness in the choice of feed, the ability to keep even in regions with a harsh climate, resistance to common diseases of poultry, as well as decent meat and egg productivity.
Already at the age of four months, Moscow black chickens begin to lay and give up to 250 light brown or cream eggs per year. Egg production is preserved in winter.
Adult roosters and chickens are not as plump as their meat counterparts, but they show good performance for poultry. The live weight of a rooster is 3.5 kg, of a chicken - 2.5 kg.